How To Make Whisky
Recommended Equipment
Mashing
If you already brew all grain beer, then you likely have everything you need! If not, you need a heatproof vessel big enough to hold 6kg malted grains and at least 18L water.
We recommend using a BrewZilla! It's an all in one brewery that makes this process simple and fast, with an easy cleanup and a small footprint for easy storage. Otherwise, going BIAB (Brew In A Bag) is a really cheap way to do this - you need big pot (around 30L) and a BIAB
If using a BrewZilla or similar all in one brewing system, this guide gives a great overview on how to brew. When making a wash for distillation, you can completely skip the boil step.
Fermentation
A 30L fermenter is the perfect size for a 25L wash. A lot of distillers use cheap and cheerful 30L HDPE fermenters. A great alternative is the 30L FermZilla Flat Bottom. Most fermenters include a tap and an airlock
Distillation
For making bourbon a Pot Still is required. The Alcoengine Pot Still is one of the cheapest ways to get into distillation and will plug into a standard 10amp socket. For smaller (~5L) Batches, a PolyPhoenix Air Still is ideal. For a modular setup with great flexibility and expandability (easy to convert to a Bubble Plate of Reflux still!) the PolyPhoenix is an excellent option. This kit comes with Bubble Plates which can be removed for pure Pot Still action or used in order to achieve a cleaner result if desired.
4L Demijohns are
What is Bourbon?
Bourbon is a grain spirit that must be made primarily (so, at least 51%) of corn which is then aged in new oak barrels. It is technically a type of whiskey. Whiskies, broadly speaking, are made in a similar manner. Milled, malted grains are mash to convert the starches to sugars. The resultant sweet liquid is then fermented - this process converts the sugars to alcohol (and CO2).
Once fermented, the bourbon mash is then distilled at least once through a pot still. The distillate is then decanted to new, charred oak barrels for aging. Once aged, it is diluted to the correct proof,, bottled and drunk!
The strict definition of bourbon is:
Whisky produced in the U.S. at not exceeding 80% alcohol by volume (160 proof) from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn and stored at not more than 62.5% alcohol by volume (125 proof) in charred new oak containers
There is actually no minimum age requirement for bourbon. No additional colouring, flavouring or additives may be used unless clearly stated on the label.
There are also various types and styles of bourbon - Kentucky Bourbon, Rye etc. All are made in a similar fashion.
Recommended Equipment
Mashing
If you already brew all grain beer, then you likely have everything you need! If not, you need a heatproof vessel big enough to hold 6kg malted grains and at least 18L water.
We recommend using a BrewZilla! It's an all in one brewery that makes this process simple and fast, with an easy cleanup and a small footprint for easy storage. Otherwise, going BIAB (Brew In A Bag) is a really cheap way to do this - you need big pot (around 30L) and a BIAB
If using a BrewZilla or similar all in one brewing system, this guide gives a great overview on how to brew. When making a wash for distillation, you can completely skip the boil step.
Fermentation
A 30L fermenter is the perfect size for a 25L wash. A lot of distillers use cheap and cheerful 30L HDPE fermenters. A great alternative is the 30L FermZilla Flat Bottom. Most fermenters include a tap and an airlock
Distillation
For making bourbon a Pot Still is required. The Alcoengine Pot Still is one of the cheapest ways to get into distillation and will plug into a standard 10amp socket. For smaller (~5L) Batches, a PolyPhoenix Air Still is ideal. For a modular setup with great flexibility and expandability (easy to convert to a Bubble Plate of Reflux still!) the PolyPhoenix Modular Still is an excellent option. This kit comes with Bubble Plates which can be removed for pure Pot Still action or used in order to achieve a cleaner result if desired.
4L Demijohns are ideal for collecting and storing your distilled spirit. A parrot is often used to see ABV of the distillate during the run. An alcometer is essential if you do not use a parrot.
Mashing
The first step is to make the bourbon mash. As mentioned, most bourbons must be made with at least 51% corn. Typically malted barley and rye or wheat make up the rest of the grist. The malted grains must be 'mashed' to convert the starches to sugars. Malted barley or similar must be included in the mash as this has the diastatic power to allow for starch to sugar conversion.
Mashing is quite a simple process. The grains need to be milled (cracked) and then held in solution at the right temperature in an appropriate volume for 60 minutes. Hobby distillers would be advised to use flaked maize or malted maize instead of straight corn. Maize has typically been steamed, rolled and gelatinised allowing it's starches to be readily accessible for conversion to sugar which makes the mashing process much simpler and more reliable.
Bourbon Mash Recipe
(Makes ~25L)
3kg Malted or Flaked Maize. NOTE: Flaked Maize can be used as is, Malted Maize needs to be milled. 1.5kg Milled Malted Barley 1.5kg Milled Malted Wheat or Rye Malt. Rye will give a slightly richer and spicier flavour, wheat will produce a lighter bodied, fruitier bourbon
Steps
To get about 25L bourbon wash, you will need a total of about 32.5L water. We would normally mash in around 20L water and then sparge with 12.5L water.
If using BIAB then normally you would mash the grain in the full amount of water. Assuming you squeeze the bag after the mash, you will need around 32L water in total.
Heat the required amount of water to about 72°C. Once at this temperature, add all of the milled grain and stir thoroughly to remove doughballs. Check the temperature - it should be around 65°C. A degree or two above or below this doesn't matter.
Hold the grains at this temperature for 60 minutes. After this time, lift the malt pipe and sparge (if using an all in one brewery) or drain the BIAB otherwise. The collected liquid is your wash. This must be cooled to 30°C or lower before fermentation.
Fermentation
Once the wash has cooled it can be carefully decanted in the fermenter. Take a hydrometer measurement - this should be at least 1.050 SG. Add the yeast and yeast nutrient (if using). Half fill the airlock with sanitiser and place the fermenter somewhere where the temperature will be fairly stable at around 25°C. After 24-48 hours you should see activity in the airlock indicating yeast activity as the yeast multiply and then start to ferment the wash. The bubbles in the airlock are caused by CO2 which is a byproduct of fermentation.
Once airlock activity has completely ceased, or there has been no change in FG (final gravity) for three days as measured by a hydrometer, the fermentation has finished. Take another hydrometer reading. Knowing the SG (starting gravity) and FG (final gravity) allows us to calculate the ABV of the fermented wash, which will allow us to estimate the expected yield.
If you have the ability to cold crash the fermenter then cold crash it now for 2-3 days. This helps force inactive yeast and other proteins to drop out of suspension which will give a better result after distillation. Use of fining agents can also help with producing a clearer wash.
Recommended:
Distillation
Now it's time to distill the wash. Set up your Pot Still according to instructions. Carefully decant or siphon the finished, fermented wash into the boiler, being careful to allow sufficient headspace. Attach the still head and connect the coolant.
Stripping Run
Generally when using a pot still we would run the wash through the still twice - first, a stripping run and then a final, slower, spirit run. The stripping run is quick and easy - it is just to separate out a lot of undesirable flavours and increase the ABV of the wash.
For a stripping run we generally run the boiler and coolant full power (depending on the type of still). It is not necessary to take cuts - all the distillate should be collected for the next, spirit run. Generally we would stop collecting distillate when the ABV has dropped to around 20%. Using an alcometer, measure the ABV of the distillate for the next step.
Spirit Run
Once the stripping run has been performed and the distillate collected, clean out the boiler and put the distillate back in the boiler. Using fresh, potable water, dilute the distillate to no more than 40% ABV. Ensure that there is sufficient headspace in the boiler.
For the stripping run, we need to take a bit more care and time with the run than with the stripping run. Generally this is done by lowering the power of the boiler once the wash is nearly boiling. The less power used to maintain a boil, the slower the run. One reason a spirit run is performed slower than a stripping run is to allow for less smearing when taking cuts. It is up to the individual when to end the run - typically it is not worth collecting distillate when the ABV has dropped below 20%
Taking Cuts
When operating a pot still, there are different stages in the run. These are not distinct stages - rather, there is some crossover of each element as the temperature of the still head increases and the ABV of the distillate drops. Broadly, the stages are:
Foreshots. The first 50-150ml collected should always be discarded. This is the foreshots and these can contain potentially dangerous compounds such as methanol.
Heads: After the foreshots, the next part of the run is the Heads. The Heads generally contain acetone and other compounds. They can generally be identified by a sharp and solvent like aroma. Typically these are discarded or saved for the next run. A small amount may be blended into the final spirit, but this is not recommended without care and experience. The ABV of the Heads is generally from the start of the run (after foreshots are discarded) down to about 80%.
Hearts: The Hearts is the middle of the run. This is the cleanest and purest part of the distillation. We want to ensure the Hearts are collected separately to the Heads and Tails as the Hearts are the majority or all of the final spirit. This is the good stuff. There will be a much cleaner and less harsh aroma than the Heads. We normally start collecting Hearts at around 80% ABV down to 50-60% ABV - this varies depending on the spirit and will sometimes go quite a bit lower.
Tails: As the heavier compounds start to come through the Hearts transition into the Tails. The Tails can smell quite sweet, or have an aroma described as 'wet dog' or musty cardboard. The ABV will drop off quite sharply. As with the Heads, these are discarded or can be saved for the next run. A small amount may be blended into the final spirit, but this is not recommended without care and experience. Generally it is not worth collecting Tails beyond around 20% ABV, although some distillers like to continue down to 10%.
It is also quite common to save the Heads and Tails to add to the next run before stripping - this can help increase ABV and flavour for the next run.
NOTE: All figures are a guide only. Every run, wash and still is different. It is best to use senses (taste and smell) as a guide when taking cuts.
In order to maximise yield and ensure the separate fractions of a run are separated, it is common to take multiple small cuts.
To that end, instead of collecting Heads, Hearts and Tails (after discarding foreshots) in separate containers, it is best practice to collect multiple labelled jars of smaller amounts of distillate during the run. See above diagram.
This allows the distiller to be confident that the Hearts (for example) are separated from the Heads and Tails. It also allows for judicious blending (based on taste and aroma) of small parts of the Heads and Tails into the Hearts for subsequent aging.
Best practice is to store the labelled jars of cuts from the spirit run covered loosely (with cheesecloth or similar) for 24 hours. This allows unwanted compounds and aromas to evaporate to allow accurate sensory examination of the cuts.
First, separate out the Hearts. If blending, take small amounts of cuts from the Heads and Tails and dilute to ~40ABV. Taste and sniff to evaluate. If you decide to use any of the Heads or Tails after evaluating keep aside. NOTE: This is recommended for experienced distillers only. It is highly recommended to only use the Hearts portion of the run until you have more experience with distilling, evaluating and blending.
Aging
Most spirits are aged after distillation. Aging wil always involve using wood to change the flavour of the spirit. Aging the spirit on wood (typically oak) is the best way to enhance the final flovour of the spirit. It will also mellow and smooth the taste and add complexity and colour to both the flavour and the aroma. If any pats of the Heads and Tails are blended into the Hearts for added flavour, aging is pretty much compulsory to help mellow out undesirable flavours and avoid harshness. Not all spirits require aging - gin for example can be diluted and bottled almost immediately.
When making Bourbon it is common to only use the Hearts.
Take the Hearts and any other cuts being used for the final spirit. Dilute to 50-60% ABV.
There are two main methods to age the spirit.
Barrel aging. Once blended (if needed) and diluted, decant the clear spirit into a prepped and charred oak barrel. Leave in the barrel (topping up as required to make sure the barrel does not dry out) until the desired level of flavour, colour and mellowness is achieved.
Using Oak Chips or Oak Balls. Instead of storing the spirit in an oak barrel, we can add oak to the spirit instead. This can be an ideal option for a home distiller as it can be easily repeated and is quite controllable. It also mitigates the need for maintenance and upkeep of an oak barrel. Decant the spirit into a glass vessel such as a 4L demijohn. Add a measured amount of oak chips or balls to the vessel. 10-15g oak per litre of spirit is recommended for oak chips, or 1-2 Xoaker balls per 5L. This can be varied according to taste and desired result.
Bottling
Once the spirit has been aged to the desired level it just needs to be bottled. Spirit bottles are available, or used spirit bottles can also be used. Before bottling, dilute the final, aged spirt to the desired ABV for the final product - typically 40-50% ABV.
Tips & Tricks
Take lots of cuts! Distillation is both an art and a science - the more cuts you take, the more you will learn and the less likely you are to waste that precious spirit.
Label your cuts! Make sure you know what part of the run they come from - number them in order as your jars get filled.
Be patient! When aging your spirit, less oak for longer will often give a better, smoother result than trying to rush it - there's a reson its called 'aging', not 'oaking"!
Don't get discouraged! If your first batch is no good, don't worry! You can almost always simply redistill even the failures, so you most likely have wasted nothing but some time. There's a bit of a learning curve, and the only way is up!
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