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The new hit T.V. Series 'Moonshiners' has been creating a buzz around the homebrew community. People enter my store asking how to make whiskey, and I kindly tell them that it is illegal and they should keep projects like that to themselves, at which point they say 'cmon man, I just want to make some shine'. Wrong approach, and ATF probably wouldn't appreciate it.
Anyways, after reading around online for a while, I figured I could give a quick summary to the process based on what other people are doing. Again, home distilling is not legal in the United States of America. This information is for information purposes only.
The first step in making any type of alcohol is fermentation. For the uninitiated, fermentation is the process in which yeast converts sugars into alcohol and co2. Fermentation happens naturally in nature, but we can control it to get better results. These are key points in wine, beer, and alcohol production; if you don't ferment properly you won't get a good product.
To insure a strong fermentation with a high yield of alcohol, it is recommend you pitch large amounts of yeast that is alcohol tolerant. It is also suggested that adding Diammonium Phosphate, Yeast Nutrient, and utilizing proper aeration techniques will give you a bigger end result. Following these steps will yield a cleaner product as well, as healthy yeast produces less off flavors. This step is perfectly legal to perform. It's how we do wine, beer, and other delicious libations. Depending on the sugar you use, you will see different flavors come through. For beer, malts give a distinctively bready character, whereas wines offer a fruity complex taste from grapes.
The problem is, fermentation will rarely yield an alcohol level above 20% abv. That's really the upper limit for yeast, and even with specifically designed high proof yeast, you will find it only works faster, but not harder. The next step is to separate alcohol from unwanted compounds. This can be achieved in an assortment of ways. There are ales called Eisbocks that freeze the beer to separate it from water, achieving a much higher gravity and concentrated flavor, but these still have upper limits on alcohol yield. Enter distillation.
All of those vodkas, rums, whiskeys, and liquors you love so much are created through distillation. There are different types of stills for different types of production. But before we get into that, lets go over how distilling actually works. Distillation is the process of using heat to separate ethanol from whatever else may be in solution. Since ethanol, water, and other compounds found in fermented base all have different boiling points.
The whole idea of distillation is to add just enough heat to vaporize the 'wash' or fermented material. As this vapor rises through the still, some compounds will condense back into water, while more volatile chemicals(namely ethanol) will remain as vapor to be collected in a separate area for condensing phase. This re-condensed vapor will be the end product, its quality will depend on the condensing and 'reflux' processes used.
If you are creating ethanol for fuel purposes, you need an incredibly clean product that comes in at no less than 96% alcohol. To reach this level of distillation, spirit-makers would need to either distill their product multiple times, or use a type of reflux column. Reflux is the process in which distillers let the vapors being boiled in the still kettle condense back into liquid, and boil off again at a lower temperature(since heat is applied to the kettle beneath the column, temperature slowly raises as you climb). The column typically has a material with a large surface area within it. This allows more vapor to condense and reflux. At the top of the column there is a vapor condenser that typically relies on water for cooling power, this will condense ethanol vapors.
Reflux is a more efficient approach that pot distillation, and much less than continuous fractionated distillation which is primarily used for industrial purposes.
The beauty of reflux is that it will remove most of the conigers present in the wash. Conigers are chemical compounds that typically cause headaches and hangovers. They taste terrible, and adding them to vodka would be a terrible plan. Typically, conigers will appear very early in the distillation process, as well as at the end of the process. As the distilling unit finishes its run, the column will rise in temperature because of the change in vapor content, at this point conigers will begin to appear in the end product, signalling the end of a run. The interesting thing about these volatile chemicals is the reaction they have when stored in Oak Barrels. Through oxidation, and chemical reactions between said compounds and the oak itself, over a long period of time, conigers become the primary flavors found in a fine aged rum, whiskey, or brandy! These liquors are where 'pot stills' come into play.
Pot stills are a much older style of system. They come in many shapes and forms, from the old fashioned copper giants to the new and compact 'air stills'. These follow the tradition of Alembics, a pot still primarily used for chemistry and essential oil extractions. Because pot stills do not rely on a reflux system, they have the ability to pass on some of the base flavors for the wash or mash. When it comes to pot stills, angles and shape play a big role in liquor quality and flavor. The boiler is most often cylindrical, raising to a dome at the top. Above this is a 'swans neck', these can be quite large, which allow vapors to raise up into the Lyne Arm and condense on the outside walls. Some flavor and aroma vapors, and or conigers; since they are nearly one and the same, will be able to raise into the Lyne Arm. The amount of flavor allowed to pass through will depend on the angle of the Lyne Arm, if it is angled upward, flavor compounds will condense and flow back into the mash created a lighter flavor and body. Conversely, if the Lyne Arm is angled down toward the collector, more non ethanol products will find their way into the final spirit, making a more full flavored and bodied product.
When running a pot still, close attention must be paid to the 'heads and tails'. These are the conigers that show up at the beginning and end of the run. They can easily be detected through taste and smell, possessing acetone and other highly apparent compounds. The distiller will keep all or a portion of this. When doing multiple runs through a still, the heads and tails are sometimes added back to the distilling boiler, as they have a high percentage of ethanol. Alternatively, first run heads and tails may be reserved for the oak aging process. It is also important to note that pot stills typically need to be ran more than once to achieve a quality product. Brandies, scotches, and some rums are often double distilled, whereas Irish Whiskeys prefer triple distillation, which imparts a lighter, more perfume like character to the liquor.
That's all for today guys. If I get feedback or request, I may be tempted to do another write up on the specific types of liquor and the methods used to make these. I feel that it is easier to appreciate a good whiskey if you know how and why that whiskey taste the way it does. Don't forget to add this blog to your follow list if you like what you've seen!
Cheers,
CW
