my single barley malt whisky

[TheSerious1]

So tonight I'm running an experimental batch of an all barley malt mash. I feel like barley malt is the best tasting thing on earth but have only tried it in whiskey mixed with corn! Its made with 2 pounds barley malt powder EXTRACT per gallon of water ..wish me luck! Haha

[firewater69]

I always thought the same about barley, but since i've been malting corn im not sure which i like best.

[BrooklynTech]

So tonight I'm running an experimental batch of an all barley malt mash. I feel like barley malt is the best tasting thing on earth but have only tried it in whiskey mixed with corn! Its made with 2 pounds barley malt powder EXTRACT per gallon of water ..wish me luck! Haha

Doing something similar here only using LME. It's fermenting now. Should take 3 weeks to finish if it's anything like AG beer fermenting since I have it at 67*

[TheSerious1]

It's a little weak tonight so I'm gonna add more barley malt i don't wanna waste a run by having it to weak .. But what are your thoughts on corn malt compared to barley firewater?

[BrooklynTech]

It's a little weak tonight so I'm gonna add more barley malt i don't wanna waste a run by having it to weak .. But what are your thoughts on corn malt compared to barley firewater?

Not sure what you mean by "weak". Is it done fermenting? How much malt and how did you mash it?

I have no idea what "barley firewater" is. Do you mean whiskey made w/barley?

To the best of my understanding if you use 51% or more then it's bourbon and that's so different from barley whiskey. Like comparing apples to oranges.

[Jo Diesel]

Single barley malt is SCOTCH! Not whisky.

[bellybuster]

Scotch is simply whiskey made in Scotland. Usually with peat smoked malt

[Saltbush Bill]

If its not made in Scotland its called Whiskey

[TheSerious1]

Ok so first yea that's why I called it whiskey cuz I'm an American .. The firewater was a auto correct typo I didn't notice it I guess but I meant barley malt. It was weak cuz I only added a pound maybe more of barley malt extract per gallon so I had to add more sorry for the confusion

[BrooklynTech]

Single barley malt is SCOTCH! Not whisky.

Only if it's made in Scotland.

If you don't use peated malt it's "really" not Scotch.

Just because you use barley it don't make if Scotch.

[MitchyBourbon]

Hey Brooklyn and ThePatient1,

LME/DME that is manufactured for producing beer will have more unfermentable sugars than we as distiller normally deal with. I've heard this can cause more than the usual amount of foaming to occur. When you distill, keep an eye out and tell us if you notice more than usual.

[BrooklynTech]

Hey Brooklyn and ThePatient1,

LME/DME that is manufactured for producing beer will have more unfermentable sugars than we as distiller normally deal with. I've heard this can cause more than the usual amount of foaming to occur. When you distill, keep an eye out and tell us if you notice more than usual.

how can I see into the still to see if it's happening? I've read about that and plan a slow heating and hope that works.

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

You'll know if it foams a lot because it will come out your condenser. That's when you will see it. If it stays in the still and don't come out. It's good.

[BrooklynTech]

You'll know if it foams a lot because it will come out your condenser. That's when you will see it. If it stays in the still and don't come out. It's good.

Thanks, I'll bring it up to boil slowly.

[TheSerious1]

I usually use the malt extract powder in my corn mash but haven't noticed it turning foamy during distillation but using only barley malt extract would most likely be a lot worse I'm assuming but I'll have to let
You know how it goes I'm excited!

[bellybuster]

2lbs DME per gallon should give you a 1.084ish brew (just less than 8%), more than enough for a good run. 8% is a great number to shoot for. although DME has allot of unfermentables.

[skow69]

I think you're a little light there bb. I make 1.084 more like 11.5% Pretty high for good whiskey.

[bellybuster]

I think you're a little light there bb. I make 1.084 more like 11.5% Pretty high for good whiskey.

right you are Skow, don't know where I screwed that one up. Either way, adding more DME was not a good thing. Mr Serious needs to get serious

[skow69]

Ya 2 lb/gal shoulda been plenty. I've never used DME, but iot's hard to see how it could be weak. Hey Serious, did you check the SG?

[rager]

Scotch is simply whiskey made in Scotland. Usually with peat smoked malt

so if I got this right, a single malt scotch is barley + peat smoked barley.

I just got my hands on a 50lbs of 6row and have some peat smoked malt as well.

I just read in another thread that a single malt barley turned to "slim" was very thick.

whats up with that? how is a single malt barley gonna be any different than jimbos single malt wheat. which Ive done with success. maybe there Is something I don't know about the two grains?

[Alchemist]

I think you're a little light there bb. I make 1.084 more like 11.5% Pretty high for good whiskey.

right you are Skow, don't know where I screwed that one up. Either way, adding more DME was not a good thing. Mr Serious needs to get serious

I was just doing this exact calculation and I think that bb's first number was correct. 1.084 = 8-8.5%. The reason being is that the wash isn't going to ferment to 1.000. It's going to go to 1.012-1.020.

And just to toss this out in regards to what makes a Scotch a Scotch:

As of 23 November 2009, the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SWR) define and regulate the production, labelling, packaging as well as the advertising of Scotch whisky in the United Kingdom. They replace previous regulations that focused solely on production. International trade agreements have the effect of making some provisions of the SWR apply in various other countries as well as in the UK. The SWR define "Scotch whisky" as whisky that is:[1][3]

Produced at a distillery in Scotland from water and malted barley (to which only whole grains of other cereals may be added) all of which have been:
Processed at that distillery into a mash
Converted at that distillery to a fermentable substrate only by endogenous enzyme systems
Fermented at that distillery only by adding yeast
Distilled at an alcoholic strength by volume of less than 94.8% (190 US proof)
Wholly matured in an excise warehouse in Scotland in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 litres (185 US gal; 154 imp gal) for at least three years
Retaining the colour, aroma, and taste of the raw materials used in, and the method of, its production and maturation
Containing no added substances, other than water and plain (E150A) caramel colouring
Comprising a minimum alcoholic strength by volume of 40% (80 US proof)

The short is that peated malt is not required. I've have a cabinet full of scotches and although 75% are peated, some are not.

@Serious1 have you distilled it over yet? What yeast did you pitch?

[TheSerious1]

I don't have a hydrometer for beer but I did finally run it .. It was pri around 7% abc but It was a gallon batch and I had a rubber fermenthouse 6 1/2 bung and it made the whisky taste just like the rubber ... Bummer

[bellybuster]

The rubber bung should be fine. The rubbery taste may be phenols, what yeast did you use and what was your mashing method?

[Alchemist]

I was thinking the same thing. I did a smoked braggot years ago and thought it was a total failure as it smelled like burned tires. It was truly terrible. But after two years in the carboy it end up winning first place in a state competition as all the flavors changed and mutated.

[TheSerious1]

I use red star red wine yeast for t but it tasted just liek the smell of the rubber .. It's not like the normal bungs it's specifically for a gallon jug unlike he usual white ones I usually see and that's all I can think of ... I've come to the conclusion that I need to stop a run at 60% abv like commercial distilleries or else I'll get shit likker .. So I mean it shouldn't be from phenols

[skow69]

So.....you're running a 1 gallon batch of 7% beer and stop collecting at 60% ABV, right?

[bellybuster]

oh boy

[TheSerious1]

Yea but I think it was more like 10%

[TheSerious1]

Then I keep the rest for the next run usually but this was an experimental batch

[skow69]

So how many pints do you collect on that run?