Flavoring after distillation?

[CopperMan]

Every time I try distilling a good corn mash it always lacks the flavor. ive tasted other peoples corn liquor and it tasted great? Mine just tastes like a completely neutral spirit? I was thinking of flavoring it after distillation? Did anyone ever do this? And how would it be done?

[drunk2much]

what precent are you distilling it to? try to keep it under 160 proof and what type of corn are ya using not to insult you but are ya cooking the corn any try cooking it like a 30, 40 minutes for the flavor i asumme your adding sugar for the alcohol.

flavoring comes from the initial stuff ya make. a good corn mash should taste like crap and smell like corn and crap.

[CopperMan]

I usually distill at around 59-62% Nowhere near 160 proof. Im using white corn. Sometime yellow, it depends what i can get easiest. I only really cooked it for a few mins after it was boiling? Ill try going for 40 mins next time to see if it will extract more flavor? I just add sugar for the fermentation, not for the flavoring. I was thinking about malting the corn so i wouldnt have to use the sugar and just let it naturally ferment its self.

[Uncle Remus]

Maybe you gotta run a litttle deeper into your tails cut. I generally make my cut around 50 % av...sometimes maybe even 45%...depending on the smell.

[Rocky_Creek]

What Uncle Remus said. Also if you use some crushed rye you will add a lot of whiskey flavor. Maybe malted rye.

[CopperMan]

I have a 5 gallon batch of yellow corn fermenting now. I never tried malting the corn yet though. In a few days ill run it deeper into the tails and see how it goes? Ive always wondered why the comercial whiskeys are always dark? I always considered it was from aging in some kind of wood?

[Uncle Jesse]

you shouldn't need rye for flavor if you are doing it right.

be sure to do a starch conversion test on your mash. check out my cooked rye mash tutorial for photos on how to do a proper starch conversion test using iodine.

sounds to me like you didnt allow enough time for your starches to convert to sugars.

[The Chemist]

I think Jesse's right: you shouldn't have to run into the tails to get flavor. You shouldn't have to add rye (unless you want to). You definately shouldn't have to add sugar. I hate it when people just say "read what's already here", but I do think you need to learn how to moniter your conversion and fermentation a little better.

And these other people who make the great-tasting liqour? Ask, ask, ask...