I joined this group because i want Tips for a First Time Whiskey Distiller; I have got my equipment set up a basic still & I have been researching mash recipes. Also I want few things.
What is a good starting recipe for someone completely new to whiskey making?
There are any common beginner mistakes I should avoid
How important is temperature control during fermentation & how do you guys usually manage it??
You will get more help if you clarify what you hope to make in the way of Whisky or Whiskey.
It could be corn, rye, a mix of grains, Bourbon or when spelt the other way a Scotch style.
Suggest you start out by reading some of the forums Tried and True Whisky threads from end to end
Pick a tried and true recipe and try to follow it without any modification.
1. it will work
2. lots of people here can help you with any part that seems a little confusing
Uncle Jesse's Simple Sour Mash (UJSSM )is a super easy place to start and will get you a pipeline of tasty bourbon-like product while you learn to run your still as it produces a batch of fresh wash more or less weekly. I started with this one and was quite happy to get it up and running and even kept it going a few generations while I get started with all grain.
Sweetfeed Whiskey is similar recipe to UJSSM but without the multi-generational aspect so not quite the pipeline builder and not going to develop the sour component of UJSSM. Again looks super easy and has a strong following.
When I switched to all grain I started with Jimbo's Wheated Bourbon and Gumballhead. This gets you into mashing corn which if you are coming from a beer brewing background I would predict you probably think you know what this is going to be like but are wrong... High corn recipes with the corn actually mashed is a whole new thing to learn.
SCD's Crow Bourbon or Honey Bear Bourbon look like equally reasonable places to start a bourbon journey.
If by whiskey you mean something like scotch I think Jimbo's Single Malt AG would make sense as a place to start.
You’ll see these required reading links at the bottom of every page. That’s a good place to start down the rabbit hole
The Tried and True recipe section of the forum also has a good number of recipes with years and years of documentation from thousands of new and experienced stillers comments and troubleshooting various common issues. Reading and researching through those threads will lead you down the path (rabbit hole) to success
What still setup do you have? A simple 15g keg/pot-still with liebig condenser fired on a 5kw water heater element is highly recommended but there are other options too.
I recommend starting simple, reading/researching/running early/often. Embrace the double distillation protocol with a pot-still setup, learning cuts, and planning to ferment 3-4 times the volume of your boiler for the best outcome
Here’s a little adaptation of a quote from the late great country legend Don Williams.
The rabbit hole of home distilling twists and turns and no two hobbyists directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.
Get going on YOUR journey and then give us your tips and tricks.
Freedom had been hunted round the globe; reason was considered as rebellion; and the slavery of fear had made men afraid to think. But such is the irresistible nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants, is the liberty of appearing.
-Thomas Paine
mirellehgf wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2024 10:53 pm
Hello everyone
I joined this group because i want Tips for a First Time Whiskey Distiller; I have got my equipment set up a basic still & I have been researching mash recipes. Also I want few things.
What is a good starting recipe for someone completely new to whiskey making? UJSSM. If you run into troubles following the recipe, you can post in the thread and get all the help you might need determining what you did wrong.
There are any common beginner mistakes I should avoid Not reading the Required Reading and handy links before starting further down your journey.
How important is temperature control during fermentation & how do you guys usually manage it?? Reading is Fundamental to learning. Familiarize yourself with all the different topics here. You can find all the answers to your questions by simply reading.
Not to come across as crass, but you won't be spoon fed here. But you will get help.
It's the Novice section, so spoon feeding is Ok.
"What is a good starting recipe for someone completely new to whiskey making?"
Use LME liquid malt extract, it's almost novice proof and will let you get your feet wet while avoiding mashing mistakes.
Demanding advice as a first post or two while claiming to have done due dilligence in reviewing readily available information found here at HD is poor manners. That being said, you have recieved great responses to your demands, and yet you haven’t shown any response of acknowledgment or appreciation. My two cents.
🎱 The struggle is real and this rabbit hole just got interesting. Per a conversation I had with Mr. Jay Gibbs regarding white oak barrel staves: “…you gotta get it burning good.”
Look for Jimbo's single malt in the tried and true section, can't go wrong there.
Biggest bigginer mistakes are
Expecting good product right of the bat.
Running the still to fast
Not filling the still with low wines for spirit runs.
Greedy with the cuts
I've done them all, still do some.
Don't loose heart and stick with it and you'll make some nice booze in the end.
Oh, and get a barrel, biggest cheat there is to produce good spirits.
8Ball wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 10:21 am
Demanding advice as a first post or two while claiming to have done due dilligence in reviewing readily available information found here at HD is poor manners. That being said, you have recieved great responses to your demands, and yet you haven’t shown any response of acknowledgment or appreciation. My two cents.
+1
It is definitely poor etiquette to demand help. That said...
When the OP first posted, I clicked on the 'Homedistiller' link listed and was directed to a non-distilling 'igmguru' site. I assessed this as a form of SPAM hidden in the link, but as I was on my phone may have just pressed just the curious 'splunk' portion of the link.
It's not clear why the 'splunk' link was added but the mix of perfectly formed sentences with the contrived grammar/spelling errors kinda sticks out. Curious to see how this evolves.
“Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite, and furthermore, always carry a small snake.”
Biggest tip i could offer.... don't screw around with grain until you can ferment and distill on grain. Get the ability to use live steam or a bane marie beforehand.
Last edited by Bolverk on Sat Oct 19, 2024 5:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
There are two types of people in this world.
1. Those that can extrapolate from incomplete information.
Twisted Brick wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 12:01 pm
I clicked on the 'Homedistiller' link listed and was directed to a non-distilling 'igmguru' site. I assessed this as a form of SPAM hidden in the link, but as I was on my phone may have just pressed just the curious 'splunk' portion of the link.
Thanks Twisted , that one seems to have slipped through, just checked and got the same result, it will be fixed.
