StillSmart

Care to share Robert? I've searched your posts and can't find the method you've settled upon for producing the closest to a single malt.

Twood save me an awful lot of failures if I simply followed your lead :-)

Have you been thru' the Recipes section here?

I'm pretty sure it's there.

Can't find it mate

I don't think it is styled as you have styled it in the thread title.

Have you looked at anything started by Robert, with whisky in the title?

Yep, I've gone back a year so far......wading my way through them all. Just thought someone might have saved me a load of time

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=3027

I think this is what you're looking for.

Thanks mate
Couple of questions about the mashing though......
1- how much grain weight got a 25 litre wash ?
2- Mash at what temp and golf how long ?
3- what yeast and how much of it?

I have tried similar. In the first instance you are making beer.

It is not as high % as we are used to with sugar.

6 - 7kg per depending on the malt is what you need in 25l. Bread yeast 50g. Run it between 25 & 28c.
Sprinkle the yeast on top and leave it alone for 20 mins. Then give it a good thrashing with a balloon whisk to aerate.

If I remember correctly, from the thread, Easydrinker made up six washes from a 25kg sack of malt.

For myself, in my efforts, I have resorted to dividing the 25kg sack between four washes making for a higher potential abv. This is just my choice though. I also feel it affects flavour.

As for mashing procedures, there are a varying approaches. Some go for a straightforward mash as for a beer production, other go for a stepped mash, more akin to a lager production, due to reduced body.

Its well worth while reading up on mashing procedures before deciding which approach you feel like using.

Each method has its adherents.

Toper wrote:
Its well worth while reading up on mashing procedures before deciding which approach you feel like using.

Good shout there Toper.


You need a good to get all the fermentable sugars you can. Body is completely irrelevant.

Ok my malt has arrived! Very excited
I'm planning the following mashing in the T500 boiler

5kg of the malt with say 10 litres of boiling water. ( In a brew bag) Flick the boiler on and mash for 1/2 hour stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat and let rest for an hour or so.
Drain the bag full of grains
Rinse the bag full of grains with some hot water
Rack into fermenting barrel and Top up to 25 litres
Pitch yeast
Give it a thorough thrashing with a stirrer
Valve
Have a cup of tea

Thoughts please?

You need to pay more attention to mash temps than that.

The purpose of a mash is to create enzyme activity which will assist in the conversion of starches into usable sugars. for fermentation. Different enzymes develop at different temperatures and convert different solids.

The mash process largely establishes both the alcohol potential and the flavour profile of your wash. Boiling water could well interfere with enzyme activity and there is also the possibility of releasing tannins into the wash which could add unwanted bitterness.

Whatever mash process you use, temperature control is the key to success.

.. And there probably won't be much time for tea either.

@H12rpo
You might find this table of help:





It does indicate the optimum ph for your mash and the relevant temperatures and enzyme activity.

There may well be some grain mashes (I think maize might be one) which benefit from boiling but, malted barley isn't one of them

In beer making the wash produced by mashing is boiled before fermenting but that is not part of the mashing but more for hopping and liquor clarification, neither happens for a whisky wash.

Many, I think would heat to slightly in excess of 70º C before introducing the cooler malt

A stepped wash would take it in two or three resting stages up final temperature..

Mashing is an all important stage in producing an all grain product as it will massively affect your final product. Well worth a little background reading as grain is not inexpensive and peat smoked grain quite scarce.

Once you have the routine off pat you will quite enjoy it.

Good luck