Hazelnut flavour for whisky.

[BarraBod]

Hello all. I will be starting my distilling journey soon, once I've got a couple more things ordered I can start. What I was hoping for was to get a hazelnut flavor added to my whisky. Could this be achieved by simply crushing the hazelnuts and adding them during the fermentation stage? Or could I try and smoke them in a home made kiln? The first option would be ideal, as I'm going to buy ready smoked malted barley. Has anyone tried anything similar to this before?

Thanks

[still_stirrin]

I haven't, no.

But you may have more luck with the hazelnuts if you crush and macerate them in a neutral spirit, essentially making a flavor essence. Run the maceration through a small potstill and collect the essence. Then blend that to taste back into an aged on oak whiskey (which will take a while).

And with that said, using smoked malts is the way most make a single malt scotch-style whiskey. I suggest using 40% to 50% rauch (smoked) malt and the rest a basic 2-row malted barley. It will give you a nice smoke charater without tasting like you're chewing on a cigarette.

There's lots of this type of discussion in the Recipe Formulation and Flavor and Aging forums. Have a look there to learn a lot.

Also, der wo has a fantastic thread in the Grains forum discussing using specialty malts and how it affects the finished spirit's flavor. A good read.
ss

[der wo]

When you distill hazelnuts (mazerated or vapor infusion) you have a very ugly smelling first fraction. So I think you will have this problem too, if you add them while fermentation or add them in the low wines.
This ugly fraction will demand a larger foreshot/heads -cut than the real fores/heads from the whisky. So if you cut all the ugly smell off you probably loose much of the nice fruity tastes of the whisky.
That's why I see you idea sceptical.

Much effore but probably possible:
Do a double run of mazerated hazelnuts with a very strict fores cut like here:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 7#p7441607
Mix it to whisky low wines or mash and do a spirit run.