Production of whiskey.
Illustration of basic distillation in
production of whiskey.
MILLING:
We get truck loads of corn, rye, wheat, malted barley in and we put those grains in silos.
Depending on the recipe of the whiskey we are going to make, we grind up the grains and weigh
them to the correct % of each grain and then that grain is added to the cooker along with water
and some of the set back from the previous run (this is also called the sour mash processits
the liquid that is left after the alcohol is all distilled out.) The cooking process is done to release
all the starches from the corn, rye, or wheat.
COOKING:
For example: for making bourbon, corn is added first, then the rye and then the malted barley is
added last. Malted barley is very important. malted means that it actually sprouts and starts
growing a plant. When it does that it releases enzymes to feed that plant. When the malted
barley is added to the cook, those enzymes immediately turn those starches in to sugar. The next
process is fermentation, and since yeast can not feed on starchthe malted barley turns those
starches in to eatable sugars for the yeast.
FERMENTATION:
After the mash is cooked and the barley has been added to turn those starches in to sugars, it is
pumped over to a fermenter which is a simply a large stainless steel tub, and yeast is added.
Yeast are single celled organisms that are just like people going to a Las Vegas buffet because all
they want to do is eat. As they eat, they belch out cO2 and piss alcohol, and they give off heat all
during this feeding frenzy. After about 3 days of non-stop eating, the yeast die off and that sweet
mash that started out originally with all that sugar, now kind of tastes like a stale beer (and a little
sour) and we have a low alcohol distillers beer.
DISTILLING:
That distillers beer is fed 3/4 of the way up to the column still, and steam is coming up from the
bottom of that first distillation in that column still (also called a beer still) under 212 degrees.
Since alcohol vaporizes at a lower temperature than water the alcohol rises out of the top of the
still, and cold water tubes surround that pipe of alcohol vapors and that condenses that vapor
back in to liquid, and that is what comes off the first tail box (also called a trybox). This still just
raised the alcohol content from low proof alcohol, into a higher proof, usually around 125 proof
or so, depending on the distillery and the product. This is a pretty clean product, but it has a bit
too many fusel oils so it needs one more distillation to be cleaned up and a little better.
The grains and liquid that is left over from the first distillation are separated, and the liquid is
added to the next cook, and fermenters to help the PH levels and helps give a consistent flavor
profile from mash to mash. The alcohol is sent to a second still that is not a column still since it
is only liquid and no grains, and it is a sort of hybrid pot still called a doubler (since this is the
second distillation). After it is distilled a second time it comes off around 135 proof, and is very
clean and less oily.
BARRELING:
We send that distillate up to the FILL HOUSE to a retention tank, since we cant enter
bourbon/rye/wheat whiskey at more than 125 proof in the barrel, we add water to that product to
bring it down from the 135 to 125 proof in that retention tank, and then it is entered in to the
barrels and the barrels are put up in the rickhouses for aging for 4+ years in most cases.
References
1. http://www.whiskeyprof.com/basic-distilling/
2. http://www.madehow.com/Volume-7/Brandy.html
3. http://www.chromacademy.com/images/Brewing-process.jpg
