Corn availability

[aqua_ed]

Hey folks,
I am an American living in South Korea and bourbon is tough to find, and what you can find is expensive ($40 for a bottle of Jack). I'd like to try making my own, but we don't have feed stores here like in the US (or other countries). Likewise, flaked maize is nonexistent, even at the few brew shops we have.
What it comes down to is that my choices for corn are: canned corn, corn syrup, corn sugar, popcorn kernels, and fresh sweet corn (though the last one is only seasonally available!). Getting malt and rye are no problem.
If those are my choices, will any yield a passable bourbon-style drink? If so, any advice on using them? If it isn't worth the effort, I'll stick to whisky!

[Windy City]

Do you have access to corn meal? That is my preferred choice for corn.
I believe there was a thread about canned corn, but that might get a bit pricey.

[NZChris]

Have you got plenty of time? Bourbon needs aging, so you need time and patience as well as ingredients.

When I'm away from home, I like to make likker using using the local ingredients. Just because the locals haven't learned how to make a drink I like out of their produce doesn't mean it can't be done.

[tombombadil]

The main flavors in bourbon come from new charred white American oak. So you could probably get close enough with pretty much any grain spirit and a lot of time on new charred white American oak. Depending on your favorite brand, including some rye (spicy) or some wheat (smoothe) or some 6 row (grainy) might be helpful too.

I bet you could get close with like 60% wheat or whatever grain is fairly bland and cheap (the main reason for using corn), 20% rye, 20% 6 row malt and some new chard white American oak sticks.

I wonder if anyone has tried substituting rice for corn in the various bourbon recipes? It's pretty much interchangeable in beer recipes, used for increasing alcohol without adding much flavor or body, for making light or lite beers. Korean rice bourbon, Kourbon!

Like windy suggested, do you have cornmeal at the grocery stores? Here we have 'latino' sections with south/central American foods like dried peppers, beans, tamarind soda, rice etc... and usually bags of cornmeal for making tortillas and tamales. That stuff would probably work fine if you could get it.

[Tummydoc]

Same problem in Europe, cornflake cereal is used.

[jdetechguy]

What about making a typical shine? If you have access to sugar and/or molasses, you can add a few pounds of corn meal, wheat flour, rye if available, etc. to make an old school type of recipe. Put that in a new charred barrel and I think you'll have something that you'll enjoy. Its something we tried here in Ohio and have had great luck with it.

[Corn Crib]

Maybe use corn starch and enzymes to convert it?


https://www.samyangcorp.com/eng/CO31N/D ... E1=FDCT535


already converted: https://www.samyangcorp.com/eng/CO31N/D ... E1=FDCT536

[jonnys_spirit]

I though corn was a thing everywhere lol

https://www.instagram.com/girlslikecorn/?hl=en

[Windy City]

I have been looking on line and have found quite a few Korean recipes using corn meal.
Corn bread is one that keeps popping up, so I would have to believe it is available.
You will need to do a high temp cook with it just like any other corn. High temp enzymes do make it much easier

[Corn Crib]

Maybe use corn starch and enzymes to convert it?


https://www.samyangcorp.com/eng/CO31N/D ... E1=FDCT535


already converted: https://www.samyangcorp.com/eng/CO31N/D ... E1=FDCT536

Not sure how much "corn flavor" these items would bring to a spirit or if a 51% cornstarch grain bill could ever be considered bourbon.

[kiwi Bruce]

If you use anything other that corn you'll be disappointed. Can you get frozen corn at the super market? Otherwise freeze or can as much fresh corn as you can, to last until next season. There is a post here on HD on making a corn sugar and frozen sweet corn wash, it could have been posted by Odin. If you can't find it, then I'll have a hunt for it. How are you set for White Oak?

[kiwikenny1985]

South Korea would be ideal to run a sake l. Traditional and rice will be super cheap

[Tennessee_Spirits]

I experimented with rice last winter and found it easy to mash with my RIMs system and SEBStar Htl initial 185F 3 hr run. I did not mill the rice and wonder if the yield is improved. The unmilled rice did not block the mash return. I still have it waiting for a barrel. I read in one of the beer forums that rice adds no flavor to beer and that you may as well use sugar. So I added sugar to bring the ABV up to 15%, so my work on it was not very scientific.