The importance of grain types during whiskey production

  • johdaniels
    Topic creator
    Member
    Joined: 11.01.2016Posts: 2Ratings: 0

    Dear Whiskey lovers,
    I am planning on buying an oak barrel in order to age 70% pharmaceutical ethanol for a long time. Then I would dilute it with impeccable quality mineral water in order to get something close to whiskey.
    Since whiskey is distilled after the fermentation process isn't the type of grain practically irrelevant as long as the alcohol is produced from the fermentation? Aren't The aromas from
    the grains during fermentation almost completely separated from the ethanol-water distillate? Is it worth performing my plan?

    Thank you for getting back to me!:smile:

    Best Regards: Johndaniels

  • SanctTom Member SanctTom Joined: 19.07.2014Posts: 176Ratings: 0
    Options

    The type of grain used to produce whisky is imho very important -just look at the different types of Single Grain Whisky. You'd never mistake a Cambusbridge for a North British, for example.
    Even though wood aging accounts for very much of the final taste, the spirit you start with is equally important - the spirit which is defined by the raw materials like grain, type of malting and fermentation. To keep the flavours originating herein, distillation is limted to a certain degree, depending on using pot or column stills. No comparison to the high-grade destillation used to produce pharmaceutical ethanol (which might then be diluted again).
    If you'd like to experiment, that's fine - but I'd rather try with new make or young cask strength whisky.
    Just my 2 cents. 8)

    And malt does more than Milton can To justify God's ways to man. (A. E. Housman)
  • ben_2 Guest, Administrator ben_2 Joined: 01.07.2014Posts: 271Collectionbens CollectionRatings: 92
    Options

    I have a pretty similar experience. The grain does definitely matter. Look at the smokey whisky for example. The smokiness is something that can definitely be traced back to the grain itself. If you don't have smoke in the grain you don't get a smoky whisky.
    The distillation is also very important. You can get very different flavours from distilling differently. It very much depends on the shape, size and heat the spirit is beeing distilled. The different raw spirits definitely have a different character.

    What will be interesting in your experiment is that you take this component out. What you usually have in a whisky is distillery character + wood flavours. You will have no character + wood flavours.

    What type of cask are you planning to use?

    I work for whisky.com
  • johdaniels
    Topic creator
    Member
    Joined: 11.01.2016Posts: 2Ratings: 0
    Options

    Actually I cancel my plan. I did some research and I'll have something close to woody tasting vodka, which I don't really want. Oak vodka exists but I have never tried it, maybe one day. The fact that flavors get through the distillation process is quite interesting. One day I will try a bottle of Deerhammer whitewater whiskey, it's bottled straight from the still and not aged in any barrel and I've heard malty flavor is definitely present in it.

  • ben_2 Guest, Administrator ben_2 Joined: 01.07.2014Posts: 271Collectionbens CollectionRatings: 92
    Options

    You can also get George Dickel White Whisky. Although this has been filtered though a layer of charcoal before bottling. I found this to be a very pleasing and smooth raw whisky.

    I work for whisky.com
Sign In or Register to comment.