Noob Here....

[ZeroZee0]

My eyeballs are buggin' outta my skull here from reading through these threads.

At the risk of some ire, (things appear to have been a little heated in the "Mash ABV" threads), I nevertheless would like to pose a couple of questions regarding my mash.

(Copied and pasted from my intro)

Hey All,

I am completely new to this endeavor, but have been a very long-time Brewer. I have a Sabco BrewMagic V-350, along with the Chill Wizard plate heat exchanger and 3 1/2 bbl jacketed SS Brewtech Fermenters with heating and cooling systems, and I only do All-grain brewing.

I just purchased a Still Spirits T-500 boiler and column, and I'm researching how to utilize my Sabco to make the best mash for distillation purposes.

I'm primarily a Scotch drinker, although I'm also fond of American Whiskey as well.

I know that American Whiskey is at least 50+% corn based, and Scotch is Malted Barley.

I've currently got 2 full Fermenters full of an Amber Ale, with another recipes worth of Malt waiting to be mashed in, and was wondering if I'd need to add sugar to the mash if I was going to distill it.

I am aware that I wouldn't use the hops or the orange peel, but I don't know if I need to do a full boil after the mash-in, or if it goes straight into the fermenter.

Also, do I have to use a specific yeast for distillation, or would Ale yeast be sufficient?

I've read that my grain bill should be about 1.5 pounds per gallon for distillation, plus additional sugar, but my Amber recipe calls for 28 pounds of grain for a 12 gallon bottling volume, with an Original Gravity of 1.076, and Final Gravity of 1.018, 7.7% ABV. I'm wondering if I'd still need the extra sugar.

Kind Regards,
Ed