American Malt Whiskey

[8Ball]

Here is my American Malt Whiskey recipe. It uses a little backset, some of the best grains available and plain ol’ barley from the feed store that I malted, toasted, and smoked. I’m working on the 4th fill of my 5G Gibbs cask which I will dump in two years.

I’ve made 6 runs so far and the flavor is very good for a young whiskey. I’m not good at describing the flavor profile, but if you like a rich, clean, smokey malt with a little rye kick, then this should work for you.

I use a 5G all copper Clawhammer pot with 24” Liebig.

Grain Bill (Pounds)
4.00 Maris Otter Pale Ale 24%
4.00 Simpsons Golden Promise 24%
2.00 Simpsons Peated 12%
4.50 Smoked Golden Malt (Feed Store) 27%
1.50 Rye Malt 9%
0.50 G. Honey Malt 3%
0.25 Caramunich 1.5%

16.75#
Target OG 1.067

Adjuncts
1/4 tsp epsom salts (couple pinches)
2 tablespoons gypsum
1 teaspoon alpha amylase powder - optional (I use it)
Pinch Pure Vitamin C (pure ascorbic acid)
2 tablespoons Fermax
1 B-complex
1 multi-vitamin
2 ml each SebStar HTL/Amy-G - optional (I use them)
1 QT backset
1 teaspoon citric acid - optional
Oyster shells, crushed, tied in a cheesecloth sack

Yeast Starter (12 hours prior to pitch)
1. Hydrate 15g FermPro-900 & 11g US05 @ 93F with a dash of Fermax.
2. Add 2 oz converted mash after 30 minutes.
3. Prepare starter at cool down start. Let sit overnight.
4. Add a spoon of clear mash in the morning to wake it up.
5. Pitch into mash @ 85F +/- 3 degrees.
6. Should have a good grain cap 4 hours after pitching

Step Mash
7G water @ 110F with adjuncts
Add grains while power stirring.
Acid & Beta Glucan Rest:
95F-113Fx30 minutes, pH: 5.77
add HTL & Amy-G, then slowly up to
Protein Rest (reduce puking):
113F-128Fx30 minutes, pH: 5.71
then slowly up to
Gum Rest (for unmodified grains, but I do it anyway):
131F-137Fx30 minutes,
pH: 5.71
SG 1.0431
then slowly up to
140F-145Fx90 minutes, pH: 5.71 / SG 1.066
Add 1 teaspoon citric acid, ph 5.15, rest 90 minutes: pH 5.29. Add backset.
then slowly up to 148Fx30 minutes, pH: 5.3 / SG should be close to Target 1.067. Cover and cool down x 3 hours. Recheck SG, if within a few points, start active cooling and aeration.

Transfer to sanitized 10 gallon cooler.
Wake up starter with a little clear mash.
Pitch.
Stir it up real good if the cap drops after 3-4 days.
Should be finished in 7-8 days.
Reserve 0.5G for spirit & strip the rest

Spirit Charge @ 27% (under 30%)
60% LW + 40% (High Feints + Low Feints + Reserved Wash).
Take very narrow heart cuts. Include heads, early hearts, late hearts, and tails with the next spirit run. Stop collecting spirit feints at 208F, dump the rest.

Age @ 64% abv in glass with used white oak, or in a used oak cask.

[Deplorable]

Looks like an interesting recipe with the addition of the Rye, and smoked malts.
You say 5th fill. How long was each prior fill left in the barrel, and what are you seeing for an average increase in time with each use?

[Durhommer]

What he said

[8Ball]

Looks like an interesting recipe with the addition of the Rye, and smoked malts.
You say 5th fill. How long was each prior fill left in the barrel, and what are you seeing for an average increase in time with each use?

Thanks Brother, I really like Irish & Scotch whiskies but I didn’t want to call my whiskey a Scotch style or Irish style. I wanted to make an American all malt: backset, home malted, toasted, and smoked barley from a feed store, and a little malted rye are what sets this American whiskey apart from traditional malt styles for me.

First fill was 12 months with UJSSM.
2nd fill was 24 months with my Banjo Pickin’ Bourbon.
3rd fill is going on right now with my Panela & All Molasses Rum. It’s 11 months into a 3 year aging cycle.

This American Malt that I’m currently working on is going to have a 5 year aging cycle. I’ll top off a couple of times (with what I’m making now & aging in glass) to replace the angel share.

[Deplorable]

Looks like an interesting recipe with the addition of the Rye, and smoked malts.
You say 5th fill. How long was each prior fill left in the barrel, and what are you seeing for an average increase in time with each use?

Thanks Brother, I really like Irish & Scotch whiskies but I didn’t want to call my whiskey a Scotch style or Irish style. I wanted to make an American all malt: backset, home malted, toasted, and smoked barley from a feed store, and a little malted rye are what sets this American whiskey apart from traditional malt styles for me.

First fill was 12 months with UJSSM.
2nd fill was 24 months with my Banjo Pickin’ Bourbon.
3rd fill is going on right now with my Panela & All Molasses Rum. It’s 11 months into a 3 year aging cycle.

This American Malt that I’m currently working on is going to have a 5 year aging cycle. I’ll top off a couple of times (with what I’m making now & aging in glass) to replace the angel share.

Wow, so your getting an increase of 12 months on each subsequent barrel fill. That's encouraging for me to hear since I just put my single malt down. (still not sure what to name it.) I've been curious as to what to expect. So it sounds like I can expect to go well over a year without over oaking it on this 2nd fill barrel.
I guess I better go get another barrel sooner than I thought. If my first try at bourbon turns out as good as my first Single Malt did, Im not going to want to wait for an empty barrel...

[Durhommer]

That's what I wrote on mine ...American single malt

[8Ball]

Looks like an interesting recipe with the addition of the Rye, and smoked malts.
You say 5th fill. How long was each prior fill left in the barrel, and what are you seeing for an average increase in time with each use?

Thanks Brother, I really like Irish & Scotch whiskies but I didn’t want to call my whiskey a Scotch style or Irish style. I wanted to make an American all malt: backset, home malted, toasted, and smoked barley from a feed store, and a little malted rye are what sets this American whiskey apart from traditional malt styles for me.

First fill was 12 months with UJSSM.
2nd fill was 24 months with my Banjo Pickin’ Bourbon.
3rd fill is going on right now with my Panela & All Molasses Rum. It’s 11 months into a 3 year aging cycle.

This American Malt that I’m currently working on is going to have a 5 year aging cycle. I’ll top off a couple of times (with what I’m making now & aging in glass) to replace the angel share.

Wow, so your getting an increase of 12 months on each subsequent barrel fill. That's encouraging for me to hear since I just put my single malt down. Not sure how your single malt will turn out with a second fill. I’m purposely ‘using up’ my cask with the 3 fills so I can do the 4th use on an all malt like this one.(still not sure what to name it.) I've been curious as to what to expect. So it sounds like I can expect to go well over a year without over oaking it on this 2nd fill barrel.
I guess I better go get another barrel sooner than I thought. If my first try at bourbon turns out as good as my first Single Malt did, Im not going to want to wait for an empty barrel...

[Deplorable]

Looks like an interesting recipe with the addition of the Rye, and smoked malts.
You say 5th fill. How long was each prior fill left in the barrel, and what are you seeing for an average increase in time with each use?

Thanks Brother, I really like Irish & Scotch whiskies but I didn’t want to call my whiskey a Scotch style or Irish style. I wanted to make an American all malt: backset, home malted, toasted, and smoked barley from a feed store, and a little malted rye are what sets this American whiskey apart from traditional malt styles for me.

First fill was 12 months with UJSSM.
2nd fill was 24 months with my Banjo Pickin’ Bourbon.
3rd fill is going on right now with my Panela & All Molasses Rum. It’s 11 months into a 3 year aging cycle.

This American Malt that I’m currently working on is going to have a 5 year aging cycle. I’ll top off a couple of times (with what I’m making now & aging in glass) to replace the angel share.

Wow, so your getting an increase of 12 months on each subsequent barrel fill. That's encouraging for me to hear since I just put my single malt down. Not sure how your single malt will turn out with a second fill. I’m purposely ‘using up’ my cask with the 3 fills so I can do the 4th use on an all malt like this one.(still not sure what to name it.) I've been curious as to what to expect. So it sounds like I can expect to go well over a year without over oaking it on this 2nd fill barrel.
I guess I better go get another barrel sooner than I thought. If my first try at bourbon turns out as good as my first Single Malt did, Im not going to want to wait for an empty barrel...

I'll just have to monitor it and find out I guess. If nothing else, it will put another use on the barrel, and still likely be a good (all be it young) whiskey.

[8Ball]

Thanks Brother, I really like Irish & Scotch whiskies but I didn’t want to call my whiskey a Scotch style or Irish style. I wanted to make an American all malt: backset, home malted, toasted, and smoked barley from a feed store, and a little malted rye are what sets this American whiskey apart from traditional malt styles for me.

First fill was 12 months with UJSSM.
2nd fill was 24 months with my Banjo Pickin’ Bourbon.
3rd fill is going on right now with my Panela & All Molasses Rum. It’s 11 months into a 3 year aging cycle.

This American Malt that I’m currently working on is going to have a 5 year aging cycle. I’ll top off a couple of times (with what I’m making now & aging in glass) to replace the angel share.

Wow, so your getting an increase of 12 months on each subsequent barrel fill. That's encouraging for me to hear since I just put my single malt down. Not sure how your single malt will turn out with a second fill. I’m purposely ‘using up’ my cask with the 3 fills so I can do the 4th use on an all malt like this one.(still not sure what to name it.) I've been curious as to what to expect. So it sounds like I can expect to go well over a year without over oaking it on this 2nd fill barrel.
I guess I better go get another barrel sooner than I thought. If my first try at bourbon turns out as good as my first Single Malt did, Im not going to want to wait for an empty barrel...

I'll just have to monitor it and find out I guess. If nothing else, it will put another use on the barrel, and still likely be a good (all be it young) whiskey.

So mote it be!

[Twisted Brick]

I love your recipe and most of all, attention to detail in all phases of your processes. I am definitely going to employ 'waking up' my starter with a measure of fresh clear mash while I cool it down for pitching.

The question I have regards your use of nutrients and step mash of non-malted grains. Is your mash/ferment performance enhanced by including these in process? Like many other distillers here, I have not bothered to include nutrients in my all-grain mashes since 'it works and I haven't had any problems'. But as we all know, that approach can be fraught with shortcomings.

Bet this recipe produces a fine drop.

[8Ball]

I love your recipe and most of all, attention to detail in all phases of your processes. I am definitely going to employ 'waking up' my starter with a measure of fresh clear mash while I cool it down for pitching.

The question I have regards your use of nutrients and step mash of non-malted grains. Is your mash/ferment performance enhanced by including these in process? Like many other distillers here, I have not bothered to include nutrients in my all-grain mashes since 'it works and I haven't had any problems'. But as we all know, that approach can be fraught with shortcomings.

Bet this recipe produces a fine drop.

Thanks Twisted,
The adjuncts listed are what I include in pretty much everything I make. The step-mashing releases different enzymes at the various temperatures for sacrification and also provides protein & glucan rests to inhibit puking. I ferment on the grain, so adding the liquid enzymes just helps squeeze out all the goodness I can. It certainly hasn’t hurt as you eluded to above. I pretty much reach or exceed my target OG every time and my ferments start right up soon after pitching. I’m gone a lot lately, so I try to do everything I can to have a clean ferment without monitoring it. While still very young, this promises to be a good sipper as it matures. When in the middle of the hearts, this stuff is amazing right out of the pipe.

[jonnys_spirit]

That does sound like it would be good white and aged. I like the step mash too but am only set up for starting with boiling water for corn and adding grains as the temp drops.

What kind of setup do you have for mashing your batches like this? Large batch for a 15g sized boiler would be a significant setup to get to a spirit run.

Cheers,
-jonny

[8Ball]

That does sound like it would be good white and aged. I like the step mash too but am only set up for starting with boiling water for corn and adding grains as the temp drops.

What kind of setup do you have for mashing your batches like this? Large batch for a 15g sized boiler would be a significant setup to get to a spirit run.

Cheers,
-jonny

For this American Malt Whiskey, I use a 10 gallon NSF aluminum pot on a turkey fryer stand and burner. I have a 1/2 corded drill with a paint mixer attachment mounted overhead. I heat up to strike temp, then incrementally increase the temperatures per the step-mash schedule. This is how I mash in all of my malts. For bourbons & Irish styles, I use a second pot for corn and other unmodified grains, then drift down to 149F while step mashing the malts up to 149F, then combine the two pots. Works great.

[8Ball]

That does sound like it would be good white and aged. I like the step mash too but am only set up for starting with boiling water for corn and adding grains as the temp drops. try doing the corn & unmodified grains first. Then use the same set up for step mashing malts.

What kind of setup do you have for mashing your batches like this? Large batch for a 15g sized boiler would be a significant setup to get to a spirit run. just do these smaller scaled recipes back to back until you have enough low wines. I squeeze out right at 7G for stripping with this recipe.

Cheers,
-jonny

[Stonecutter]

I’m not good at describing the flavor profile, but if you like a rich, clean, smokey malt with a little rye kick, then this should work for you.

That’s right up my alley Brother. That smokiness with a rye pepper “kick” is just so unique. To be honest, I’m a little too timid to go the home malting route. Mad props.

[8Ball]

I’m not good at describing the flavor profile, but if you like a rich, clean, smokey malt with a little rye kick, then this should work for you.

That’s right up my alley Brother. That smokiness with a rye pepper “kick” is just so unique. To be honest, I’m a little too timid to go the home malting route. Mad props.

Stonecutter, You need to do it.
Day 1. Get a sack of feed barley or wheat. Dump half or third of it into a turkey fryer strainer & pot lined with a laundry bag. Slowly fill with water and swirl the grains with your hand. Toss the floaters away. Dump the water. Repeat. Add some hydrogen peroxide or a little StarSan to clean up the grains. Let it soak 6 to 8 hours. Lift the strainer out of the pot and let it sit over night.
Day 2
In the morning, you should see some little white chits poking out one end of the grains. Transfer grains to screen lined trays 1-2 inches deep. Cover with wet cloth towels. Mist the grains a couple times to keep the grains moist but not wet.
Day 3
You should spot a few grains with acrospire shoots about 1/2 to 3/4 the length of the grains. Time to stop the malting process by dumping the malted grains out on a tarp set in full sun all day. In the evening, place in a sheltered area with a fan on if possible.
Day 4
Set out in full sun again at least 6 hours.
Kiln in oven:
2 hours x 180F, then
1 hour x 225F, then
2 hours x 260F, then let cool down overnight. Grains should be crispy when you bite down on one.
Let me know if this works for you.

[Stonecutter]

Thanks man! That really doesn’t seem too daunting at all. I’m excited to try it

[8Ball]

Thanks man! That really doesn’t seem too daunting at all. I’m excited to try it

Good on you. Malting your own is very satisfying. Puts a little smile on yer face too when you take a sip.

[Twisted Brick]

Thanks man! That really doesn’t seem too daunting at all. I’m excited to try it

Good on you. Malting your own is very satisfying. Puts a little smile on yer face too when you take a sip.

+1

Not only does it taste like a malt whiskey, it's all yours because you made it.

[8Ball]

Well I filled the 5G Gibbs cask for the 4th time a couple weeks ago with my American Malt Whiskey. Top off to the bung hole took around 5.5 gallons. I have about two and a half gallons set aside aging in glass and on used white oak for topping off angel share.

I’m going to use this cask as a holding vessel from now on. I’ll pull a bottle or two, then top off and let it sit until I need a refill. I’ll keep making more new stock to replace what the angels & I use up, so each time I top off, it will be with at least one year old spirit.

[Twisted Brick]

Well I filled the 5G Gibbs cask for the 4th time a couple weeks ago with my American Malt Whiskey. Top off to the bung hole took around 5.5 gallons. I have about two and a half gallons set aside aging in glass and on used white oak for topping off angel share.

I’m going to use this cask as a holding vessel from now on. I’ll pull a bottle or two, then top off and let it sit until I need a refill. I’ll keep making more new stock to replace what the angels & I use up, so each time I top off, it will be with at least one year old spirit.

Sounds like an effective approach, 8Ball. I've been wrestling with topping off my 5gal barrel, the victim of angel's share from last summer's 90-100F temps. Have you topped off with newmake vs aged-in-glass (however long)? 14mo now in my second-fill barrel, my bourbon is getting mighty tasty and I'm concerned about diluting the barrel candy it already has. I'm prepared to let it age at least another year.

[8Ball]

Sounds like an effective approach, 8Ball. I've been wrestling with topping off my 5gal barrel, the victim of angel's share from last summer's 90-100F temps. Have you topped off with newmake vs aged-in-glass (however long)? 14mo now in my second-fill barrel, my bourbon is getting mighty tasty and I'm concerned about diluting the barrel candy it already has. I'm prepared to let it age at least another year.

Hey Twisted,
Here’s my notes from my 3rd fill rum that I just dumped. Gives you an idea of angel’ share and “sampling” during a 29 month aging cycle in sub-tropic weather outside:
• 3rd Fill - Rum
Fill Gibbs 5G cask for third use with 65% rum, hearts cuts, 156-115 proof. Leave a little head space. Keep an extra 2 gallons of same make rum set aside and aging in glass. Use it to top off the cask to replace the angel share loss. Top off initially, let it sit for a year, then start topping off once a month during the second year, then stop. Let it finish the third year.
• January -2020: Filled with molasses & panela rum. (New Year’s Eve, 2019)
• March -2021. Pulled 1G to drink. Topped off with 6 month old M&P rum (Sep20) (2G total).
• April - 2021. Topped off with 500 ml of 6 month old M&P rum. (Oct20)
• May - 2021. Topped off with 350 ml of 7 month old M&P rum (Oct20)
• June - 2021. Topped off with 300 ml of 8 month old M&P rum reduced @ 60% (Oct20)
• July - 2021. Topped off with 350 ml of 9 month old rum (Oct-20).
• Aug-21. Topped off with 325 ml of 10 month old rum (Oct-20)
• Sep-21. Topped off with 400 ml of 11 month old rum (Oct-20).
• Oct-21. No addition.
• Nov-21. Topped off with 750 ml of 13 month old rum (Oct-20)
• Dec-21. Topped off with 300 ml of 14 month old rum. No more top offs. 1.87G total top off x 2 years.
• Dumped 05/13/22 = 29 months


It turned out to be a nice sipping rum @ 43% abv, although if I did it again, I would go the whole 3rd and last year before dumping. I got a little impatient to re-use the Gibbs cask I guess.

[Twisted Brick]

Thanks 8Ball. I think what I'll do is make another same batch and get it on oak sticks right away. Add a tiny bit of newmake to the barrel every month and after maybe 6mo's top off the barrel. I should have a ~1.75 gallons to work with. I'm not sure how much additional time its gonna take to 'assimilate' the new spirit, but I'm thinking I wish I would have done this six months ago.

If any member has done this and preferred they didn't (and just started a new barrel) I'd love to hear about it. I imagine the commercial guys blend all manner of like barrels to even out quality levels.

Thanks again.