Scotch flavoring for neutral or UJSSM ?

[mash rookie]

I have a friend that is excited about trying to make a scotch flavored hooch. I am getting him started by making him read my printed version of the parent site cover to cover a couple times. Damn he asks a lot of questions.

I am happily working my version UJSSM. Following MuleKickers thread I am adding some bran To my ground corn to tweak the flavor.

I remember reading somewhere, maybe the parent site, about charring a small amount of peat moss on a stove in foil or in a can. Then tying it in cheese cloth or coffee filter. i am told that the smoky peat is what makes scotch what it is.

Would you soak that in some neutral spirits for flavoring? Or should you boil it in water to make a flavor essence? Use it in a wash?

Am I barking up the wrong tree? Would you want to try to peat flavor some grain or bran and try a modified UJSSM to make a scotch flavored booze?

If you can point me at a thread or give me your thoughts I would appreciate it. I am not a scotch drinker but have family and friends that love it.

Mash

[Dnderhead]

never herd of using chard peat for flavor, scotch flavor comes from the grain (barley)
and the smoke from fires they use to dry it with.then aging in barrels.if all this comes together then you have scotch.

[mash rookie]

Not sure what their grain bill is but I have watched TV specials showing how they dry it. They smoke dry it with peat moss. They explained that is what gives scotch whiskey its unique flavor.

What I am hoping to do is find a way to make scotch flavoring for neutral or a UJSSM method of making scotch flavored spirit.

Just may have to do some experimenting. I just cant stand the stuff so I will have to test it on friends

[Dnderhead]

scotch is a simple recipe,
peated malt,crushed,heat to 140-150f (60-66c) ,,hold for 1/2+ hour.
drain off wort, and add yeast. fill pot of used grain with hot water,
drain this and use for next ferment.
after ferment is complete,make a stripping run,,then a spirits run.
(some make 3 runs) making cuts,,age on/in oak.
(distilling is done in a pot still or plated still)

[Samohon]

Thats basically how I do my AG's Dunder, they come out round about 6%-7%abv. But I probably do four or five strippin runs before going for the final spirit run... Surprisingly, there are not a lot of feigns on the spirit run... I only take foreshots from the spirit run... I'm gonna look for an old fridge and convert it into a malted grain dryer/smokey, right now I get mine from the homebrew shop, but I would like the peatiness of the malt a little stronger... At least I have plenty of peat...

[rtalbigr]

Mash rookie - Dnder has hit the nail on the head. If ya flavor a neutral ya got a flavored neutral. If ya want scotch ya gotta make scotch. And like Dnder said its really simple. Barley is easy to mash and since scotch is my preferd drink I make it a lot, right now I'm sittin' on about 300 lbs a barley for a good scotch run soon as I finish up some other recipies I been workin' on.

Big R

[Bull Rider]

rtalbigr:

Have you a link to your recipe? I'd be interested in what you're doing for making scotch. And I agree with your post, if you want scotch, make scotch. Flavorings and essences aren't the path to quality products.


Bull.

[rtalbigr]

Bull, I have never posted a recipe for scotch but its basic and easy. Grain bill is always 100% barley and the only thing that varies is the amount of peated I use, from 10-20%.

My current plans for 5 gal purified water are 8 lbs steam rolled barley, 1.5 lbs malted barley, and 1.5 lbs Simpson's peated barley malt (all coarsely milled). I get steam rolled at the local farmers co-op for $35/100 lb, the malted at the local brew shop, and ordered the Simpson's from Northern Brewers Supply (St Paul, MN). I boil my water and add it to the steam rolled barley and 1 teaspoon gypsum, stir well, and let it cool, stiring occasionally, to 155-160F and then add the malted and peated. I put lid on (just set on top) and wrap in old sleeping bag and hold at temp for about 2 hrs.I let it cool to about 100F and then seperate off the grain. I'll sparge with several gal real hot water and keep that for my next mash. I pour it back and forth in buckets to airiate and then let it cool to about 85F and add 1 teaspoon acid blend and 5 teaspoons of yeast neutrent and then pitch yeast. I use brew belts to keep steady temp at about 80F. I normally use 2-3 tablespoons of Crosby & Bakers distillers yeast but have used the Prestige w/AG from Brewhaus. Past runs have yielded initial Sg of 1.040-1.050. It usually takes about 4-5 days for the Sg to get down to or below 1.000. One thing you need to be aware of is that barley is pretty foamy. There are some things that can be done but in my experience just reduce your still charge to account for the foam. Total capacity of my still is 7 gal so if I'm stripping barley (or oats) I only charge with 3 gals. I really like to barrel my scotch, I get a much better flavor profile. I took some 20% peated from a 5L barrel two weeks ago that I aged in barrel for two months (1 month at 70%abv and 1 month at 60%abv). It is really nice!! Had to keep some out for drinking but most is put up in the basement for next year. The only critical part of my process is the temps. The malt is going to work between 140-165F so ya need to be attentive there. The enzymes denature above 167F and below 140F they just don't do their thing.

Hope this helps ya out Bull.

Big R

[Dnderhead]

"8 lbs steam rolled barley"
a bit nitpicky, but if using roiled/raw barley then your making "Irosh" not "scotch"
"scotch" uses all malted grain.there will be a small difference in flavor.unmalted
grain is a bit more "spicy"

[Bushman]

"8 lbs steam rolled barley"
a bit nitpicky, but if using roiled/raw barley then your making "Irosh" not "scotch"
"scotch" uses all malted grain.there will be a small diferance in flavor.unmalted
grain is a bit more "spicy"

This is an interesting thread, some of you guys just amaze me with your knowledge Dnderhead I am like a spounge that loves to absorb new information, my problem is someone always comes along and rings me out so I need to cut and paste all of this info into a book that I keep. Thanks again.

[Dnderhead]

Scotch and Irosh tend to over lap, but the basic is that Scotch uses all malt,
and Irosh uses malt and whole grans, most scotch uses "peated" malt and
Irosh does not, but they do vary,depending from where it comes from,
and what was available for heat.as some had/used coal others used peat.most scotch is is a "blend"
or a mix of all peated malt alcohol and grain alcohol.this "blending"
is done after ageing in oak.you can buy a "single malt,,single barrel scotch".
this would be the base for most blends.then they add grain alcohol witch
is usually made from corn to "lighten" the flavor.

[rtalbigr]

Seeing as I can't actually make scotch Dnder, cuz I ain't in Scotland, I am certainly making a close approximation. I have been a Scotch drinker for 40 years and do know a little about the subject. Yes, technically scotch is all malted barley but at $35/100 lbs vs $92/100 lbs I'm not going to pick at using some rolled barley especially when my mash is only going to yield around 6%. Since it's my recipe, and I'm makin' it,and I'll be the only one drinkin' it, I guess I can call it what I want. Fact is, as you alluded to, most Scotch we see in the stores is blended, just like you can't call Canadian a rye because technically all Canadian is blended. Single barrel/single malt is actually the only truely defined Scotch Whisky because it doesn't have the neutral alchol added in blending.

I appreciate your input. I already knew about true Scotch since I have done considerable research on the subject, bein' a Scotch drinker. I'm sure others will benefit which is good.

Big R

[rad14701]

rtalbigr, for your own purposes, you can refer to home made "Scotch" as "Scotch" if you like... The legal technicalities only hold for commercial sales of spirits... Some here actually make faux whiskey yet still call it whiskey for all intents and purposes... UJSSM is a prime example...

[airhill]

Mash

The addition you are referring to is peatreek it was developed by Harry see http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... t=peatreek
The other process you will need to go through is oaking (where many of the other flavours come from)

[rtalbigr]

rtalbigr, for your own purposes, you can refer to home made "Scotch" as "Scotch" if you like... The legal technicalities only hold for commercial sales of spirits... Some here actually make faux whiskey yet still call it whiskey for all intents and purposes... UJSSM is a prime example...

Ya, I know Rad, I was just funnin' with Dnder. I usually don't give my hooch a name, just label the ingredients but sometimes a name is fun. Just finishin' up a run I'm calling Oat Chevas, and I got some mollasses and brown sugar fermenting right now I'm calling Rum but it isn't really rum, no dunder, it's just a mollasses/sugar wash I'm playing with. But I have made some stuff I call Tennessee Sour Mash and it really is cuz it's sour mash made in Tennessee, good stuff too.

Big R

[MudDuck]

Fact is, as you alluded to, most Scotch we see in the stores is blended

So you're making a blended Scotch, you just do your blending before fermenting and distilling rather than after.