StillSmart

Hi everyone, as a newbie I wanted to make an acceptable malt whisky. This is a recipe I found which has been well acclaimed. It is not mine, but I'm sure the owner won't mind me posting it. I shall be making this as soon in my new pot still and I'll keep you posted.

Interesting article that
So far my washes have been finishing at an ABV of 11ish% and this doesn't seem to have affected the flavour merely given a more acceptable output which as I said was achieved with some LME added
Interesting also the cut in the stripping run not something I've heard of before and certainly not what the commercials do
Food for thought though
Thanks for that SW

Admiral Toad wrote:Interesting article that
So far my washes have been finishing at an ABV of 11ish% and this doesn't seem to have affected the flavour merely given a more acceptable output which as I said was achieved with some LME added
Interesting also the cut in the stripping run not something I've heard of before and certainly not what the commercials do
Food for thought though
Thanks for that SW

AT, do you do a single run or strips?
I finish my scotch washes at about 6%. I strip the first wash. I then run a second wash with the stripped wash and do a slow(ish) spirit run. I find this gives a lot more flavour and a reasonable output.
I've gone away from the LME and use DME with good results while saving a few pennies.
I too do cuts in stripping runs. My neutral wash is stripped with foreshots and a portion of the first heads removed. Second run gets a bit more heads and the tails removed. Third run gets diluted to 10% for a slow spirit run and is mostly sweet as drinkable.

scarecrow

Hi mate
When running real malt washes I do a low wines/strip run and collect everything down to under 10%
This on a 25 Litre run at approx 12% gives me about 9 litres at 45 %
So 2 stripping runs plus heads tails and some filtered water will give me a comfortable 25 litres at about 28% for the spirit run

On my kit this starts at about 78 % so I cut a good 500 to 750 ml of heads off it using taste and the water in test tube method.

Latest run I've collected from about 75 to 61 % as hearts

I'm then collecting another 4 litres plus as tails/feints for next spirit run helping to carry flavour through

On my latest New Year distillery visits the people there confirmed that both low wines and spirit runs that they run the stills until there is less than 5% abv coming off. Obiously this is both for maximum yield but also flavour carrying through.

AT, what is "the water in test tube method"?

Chuck

StillWaters wrote:Hi everyone, as a newbie I wanted to make an acceptable malt whisky. This is a recipe I found which has been well acclaimed. It is not mine, but I'm sure the owner won't mind me posting it. I shall be making this as soon in my new pot still and I'll keep you posted.

I was thinking of attempting this recipe, though at first glance it seems rather expensive. I think I would have to do some careful purchasing.

Has anybody here stuck to the recipe and method, and made it?
If so, how was it?

I,along with others here,have been inspired by this recipe.
I think most of us attempting a true malt clone deviated from this one,one way or another.
Putting 'Robert's Malt whisky' in the search box should find you my methodology.
My take on it,Not saying it is right.
I am happy with mine,and will try and replicate it again this year.
Having said that,it is not as good as my favourite Islay single malts.
Which is where I would love to be.
I have been doing this a few years,they have centuries on me,but I am catching up!
And,sadly,using real mashing ingredients for a brew does indeed cost more than a sugar brew.
The choice that you face is simple,learn to love a Vodka like drink,or spend on ingredients.
Here I am not taking account of the myriad cereal,fruit,veg.washes that can be done at low cost,and producing their own flavours,but am probably inviting a personal shit storm down upon myself,but hey ho,broad shoulders and all that.
I do hope that at least the first part of this post was helpful!

Robert.

OK,this is weird,Just spent 5 minutes replying to a "New Post" from November last year!
I am aware that our internal clock is off,but this has me beat.

learn to love a Vodka like drink,or spend on ingredients

That pretty neatly sums up my experience. Good, deep, intense tastes come from quality ingredients and aging on the right wood (for brown drinks) properly toasted and charred. Which is not to say that I make them often. But there are no short cuts to a superior drink, sad to say.

Chuck