Home Distiller

So I've got a trusted friend, who I've never spoken to about distilling or even drinking in any detail.

We are chatting away about general "Stuff" and he says "I like a decent single malt of an evening, couple of times a week" so I said what stuff do you like and he mentioned a few low to mid shelf brands, then said "I've got a bit here in a flask, try it"

I took a sip, this stuff is around £35 a bottle, and it tastes of heads, immediately, big huge hit of fruity acetone, and not in a good way.

So I say nothing, get out my little emergency flask, and hand it over.
It's got YLAY corn/oat/rice that's been on oak for just 3-4 months.

He said it was the smoothest, softest and most moreish bourbon he's ever tasted and when I said it was only 4 months old max, and that I'd made it in my garage, he just stared at me in disbelief.

I'll be the first to say that I don't pretend to know a thing about bourbon and whisky, I just know that I like what I make, when I run really tight cuts.

We then had at least an hour's conversation about what cuts mean etc, with him dipping back into both flasks a few times to try identifying the descriptors I'm giving of the flavours of heads etc and my description of mine having a little harsh oak char flavour in my opinion.

He is adamant that none of the bottles he can afford or justify buying, can stand up to the soft mouth feel or clean finish of what I gave him.
The only thing he said is that he's had more complex drinks but would trade that every time for the smoothness.

Not beating my chest here, just the opposite, I always thought my grain based stuff was just ok for me to drink.
But to have a direct comparison with something like that and have someone who buys the stuff say that my simple make is preferable?
That's all the affirmation I need that I'm doing it right.

I often take a hip flask to my local pub for my drinking mates to sample, not always the same product. The smoothness and so little burn are often commented on.

Today, I took freshly caught and smoked fish. A lot of people tried it and loved it.

That makes a guy feel good doesn't it Moose? I had a similar experience a couple of years ago, sharing a jar, of what i thought was ok drink, with an old buddy. Smooth was his descriptor as well. My methods and product have improved considerably since then.

That's awesome MooseMan. That's one reason I love this hobby. To make something from scratch and enjoy it. It's such a good feeling (and pretty tasty too!)

It really does make me feel great yeah. I've been pretty happy with what I've created so far, my wife and daughter love the gin I make, a close friend has had a few Rums with me and now wants to provide my next molasses stock, and I enjoy all my grain based stuff to myself, but that situation really made me think about the quality of what can be made on a small scale.

It seems the smoothness of our home made spirit is a recurring thing then. I wonder if that's a combination of tighter cuts, and double distillation, that the big distillers just can't do due to volumes?

Can't do or won't do?

The big boys are pumping out millions of litres per year. If you map that to being 'tight' with cuts vs. being loose with cuts, economics of it speak for themselves. 5 or 10% more overall output is a huge amount of extra cash.

I remember tasting my first all-grain, white, straight off the still and thinking 'Wow, that's bloody delicious, I never tasted something like that before!' Then I thought of an idea I had come across here - a lot of us do this hobby as you simply CAN NOT BUY spirits of the quality we produce at home easily.

tommysb wrote: ↑Fri Mar 29, 2024 3:21 am Can't do or won't do?

Can’t do economically, which in a business is practically the same as impossible. I own a rental house, and I can’t rent it for half the market rate. I have to at least pay the bills!

It occurs to me that an interesting effect of this is that it’s pretty easy to make something at home that’s at least as good as average commercial stuff. That was a huge encouragement for me early on. If I was making utter crap and could just go buy better for cheaper, it would have discouraged me enough that I might have moved on to something else.

And then, once you jump over that relatively low bar, you get to see how much better things can get, and see the value of improving skills over time.

Steve Broady wrote: ↑Fri Mar 29, 2024 4:55 am And then, once you jump over that relatively low bar, you get to see how much better things can get, and see the value of improving skills over time.

Totally right there, and boy do I have some scope for improving, if not as much time as I'd like.
I'm just a metaphorical schoolboy at this in comparison to some of the old hands kicking around here, so having someone taste and immediately say good things about my plain and simple young spirit makes me wonder what kind of quality I could be looking at in 10 years or so!

Steve Broady wrote: ↑Fri Mar 29, 2024 4:55 am

tommysb wrote: ↑Fri Mar 29, 2024 3:21 am Can't do or won't do?

Can’t do economically, which in a business is practically the same as impossible. I own a rental house, and I can’t rent it for half the market rate. I have to at least pay the bills!

Fair play, I guess that the aim of the business is no generate profit, and the aim, of the whole distiller is to make whatever they fancy!

P.S I am not using profit in a derogatory term. Without it, the business ceases to exist (as you suggest) and no matter how noble your aims are, they cannot be achieved if there isn't a way to fund them!

It's all i have aspired to do, make a decent, scotch, Vody and gins that me and the missus can drink, i tend not to dish anything out in the pub, being illegal hobby you never know who is listening, only close family are my judges, but ye it is good when you get a thumbs up from them.

MooseMan wrote: ↑Fri Mar 29, 2024 12:02 am It seems the smoothness of our home made spirit is a recurring thing then. I wonder if that's a combination of tighter cuts, and double distillation, that the big distillers just can't do due to volumes?

AFAIK, no commercial pot distillers do singles, which is one of reasons why I've never bothered to try it.

I'm sure that cuts are the answer as we don't have as much incentive to be greedy as they do.