AG single malt corn whiskey

[[andy]]

I thought I would post this recipe as I have not seen any recipes using totally malted corn.
This recipe makes a great tasting pure corn whiskey and fairly easy to make. I make this in 5 gallon batches. I malt and dry my own white corn and keep 30 lbs. + on hand. I medium grind just enough needed for a mash.
6.5 gallons water
14 lbs. malted ground white corn
2 tsp. amylase
3 tbls. Crosby and Baker distiller yeast
Malting the corn
I use white corn which is for tortillas. You should be able to buy this at Mexican grocery stores. I pay about 20 cents per lb. Put the corn in a pot and soak and rinse about 20# of grain for 2 days. Get a plastic or burlap, used grain bag (from the store you bought the grain from) and put your corn in. Soak with hose inside the bag and let the bag drain. Do this 2 or 3 times a day. I put a brick in a plastic trash can and keep the bag in this, off the bottom of the can. You should get sprouts in 3 days. Let them get ½ to ¾ inch long. I usually get 80% of the corn to sprout. I built a 4’ X 6’ frame out of 2”x 2” with screen door, wire screen, screwed on to the bottom of the frame and plastic screen to lay over the top of the drying grain (keeps flys and birds out). The sprouts do not need to be bone dry, just enough for the green roots and sprouts to dry and shrivel. Store this in plastic trash cans and medium grind before using in the mash. I try to keep grain continually soaking, sprouting and drying.
I use 2 – 5 gallon pots, each with 2.5 gallons of water and heat the water to 150F, toss in the grain and amylase divided into each pot and reheat to 150F. Turn heat off, cover and let the pots sit for 1.5 hours stirring occasionally. You may have to turn heat on if it drops below 140F. The goal is to stay right around 145F and don’t go over 155F or you will neutralize the enzymes. Start 1.5 Gallons of water at the 45 minute mark, to be used to sparge (re-soak) the used up grain. I use a large coffee cup to scoop the wash out into a 5 Gal. bucket with a strainer on top using the coffee mug, I roll this across grain to squeeze out as much liquid as I can. Spent grain gets tossed into another pot which now has the 1.5 gallons of near boiling water in it. When done with the original wash, I stir the soaking grain and add this through the strainer to the bucket of clear wash. OG is 1.05 to 1.07. This all gets cooled with ice in a tub, yeast pitched at 95F and transferred to the fermenter. Fermentation starts within 1 or less hours and done in 3 or 4 days. I strip run through a pot still removing 75 ml of fore shots and get 2 quarts at 55% ABV. I do a second distill on the results of two stripping runs of 5 gallons removing another 75 ml of fore shots. My recovery on my last run was 88oz. of which 32oz. where hearts at 135 proof and I dilute this to 85 proof.

[Jimbo]

Looks excellent Andy. Ill put this on my to do list. Have you tried it without the added amylase? Since youre malting it there should be sufficient enzymes to convert itself? Do you add the amylase just to be safe and get good conversion?

Ive made a 75% corn, but never had a 100% corn spirit. How does it compare to a bourbon for example?

[[andy]]

I started using amylase when doing AG single malt millet. I have trouble with malting this and I think the grain has been to old to get a good sprout. The amylase cost is so low I like to add this for insurance and I find no taste difference.
As far as comparing to burbon, I don't like barrel aged whiskey. The clear, smooth corn is the best to me. The ladies like it with a few cherries added.

[Jimbo]

As far as comparing to burbon, I don't like barrel aged whiskey. The clear, smooth corn is the best to me. The ladies like it with a few cherries added.

Now you've got me really curious! I mean the straight white corn likker, but, ladies and cherries used in the same sentence works too....

I have never not aged a bourbon on oak! haha, damn shame, curious to try a white aged high corn likker. Next batch Cheers