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The Alchemist Cabinet Vol. 1: Philosophy

By: Alan Reed Bishop

Alchemistcabinet.wordpress.com

James Alfred Bishop woke early one summer morning in the early 1930’s, heading down to the patch of wild berries he had located; ever a consummate fan of the old fashioned homemade cobbler, he wanted to beat anyone else with an eye on those berries at the peak of ripeness to the punch. Some ways behind him followed two of his sons, Alfred Reed Bishop and Coy Dell Bishop. It was early, still dark out, and the elder Bishop was ahead by quite a way following the path that treads through the forest near Greensburg Kentucky. Shortly the two boys came across James Alfred at the side of the trail; pale, shocked, perhaps even disbelieving his own instincts. They asked him why he moved off the trail and what had happened to put the scare into him. James Alfred replied simply: “You didn’t see him?”, “See who?”, the obvious retort. “The devil just crossed my path on this trail, I knew who he was, and I could see the evil in his eyes.” He repeated this story to the rest of the family later, his best guess is that the old demon was on his way down to the Moonshine still in the woods, as always up to no good and looking for someone new to sign his earthly contract, someone to tread his own Hells Half Acre…….

Know a guy that knows a guy?!

I sold my first jar of liquor in a church.

Many a tome have been published in the two millennia since distillation became common knowledge all of which with a focus on discussing the virtues and methodology of both agricultural pursuit and its purification in the form of distillation. Here in our own words we hope to bring together both the agricultural and industrial distillation observations of one (in this volume) and many (in coming years) distillers, millers, farmers, and nursery men along with the philosophies that guide them both scientific and spiritual. Obviously, this treatise will not be suited to the man of purely

2 scientific/secular pursuit, but for him more than enough has already been published. This volume I dedicate to those who search for deeper meaning in their earthly pursuits of which distillation must rank amongst one of the highest pillars of those who seek the philosopher’s stone. Indeed, this book is dedicated to the folk distiller, moonshiner, philosopher, and the observant one who sees through the marketing bullshit and outright lies of a commercial world and can identify the “Sacred Profane” that “industrial liquor” and egotistical carpetbaggers have built their foundation upon. Indeed, this one is dedicated to those rightly Initiated in the art of “discovery” and “ordered action”.

Distillation and agrarian life are one and the same and can in no way be separated from one another. To be a fantastic agrarian is not enough for the truly adventurous, we must instead seek to purify all that we do on this earth, to start from seed and end with seed but to also break down the annual bounty into its individual counterparts, the building blocks that made a season and a growing region what it truly was, to expose terroir, both in fruit but also increasingly in grain and botanical form. To take from the soil and put in the glass, to enliven the soul on a cold January eve exactly what a warm July day might taste, smell, and feel like, out of place, out of season, a true representation of time, place, geography and passion. We seek to present practical distillers with a material guide that they may use and refer to over the coming years. A guide that charts history, methodology, mistakes, and lessons learned by which they may compare their efforts or begin to learn the art. We seek the due diligence and contributions of readers in coming years are it in the form of stories about local distillation/moonshining and its history in our Southern Indiana locale or actual practical experience in the art. We seek to bring a bit of distillation history to the forefront without being burdensome, to demonstrate distillation as a survival tool, and also to promote the history of the art in our southern Indiana region and add to the skills and trade of the local populace in tumultuous times when we may need more local craftsmen.

Passion is the true fire given to man by Prometheus; there is always a spark that starts the blaze, that moment for me came on a cold January night, standing at the crossroads of Vincennes trail and Becks Mill, listening to the music emanating from the building (Greenville Trestle this particularly 3 cold and somewhat snowy night). I had spent nearly 10 years pursuing the profession of my ancestors for untold generations prior; that of the Yeomen farmer. My attempts to turn the soil in to cash flow with little more than will power was never going to work and never would. Despite the hours and physical labor invested my attempt at farming and plant breeding, creating a paradise in my little village of Pekin Indiana was never, ever going to amount to any reimbursement or practicality in the modern world unless I was to break a law or two and teach myself a trade practiced by my ancestors; father, grandfather, great grandfather ext. Something primal and yet sublime that stirred some deep liberty loving, rebellion seeking feeling in my gut, something highly illegal. It was either cultivate the seed of an illegal plant or bend up some copper tubing and put the corn I had bred over the previous years to work. By this point I had already been fermenting five-gallon buckets of wine made from wild fruits and the many rare cultivars of berries I had collected on the third-generation farm over the previous years I had also for some time been exposed to the habits and methodology of those more inclined than I to turn what God provided via the soil, sun, and seed to alchemical magic.

The seed was planted and the basic information easy enough to digest, it was the details of the procedure that I needed to further study. I began reading, talking, and searching for any and every detail I could find. I read for months, book after book, and article after article. I searched local historical archives, I talked with folks I knew who once dabbled in illegal alchemy and eventually I got brave and started gathering building materials and turned to my father for his assistance. Pandora’s Box was opened wide…….

I started with a cobbled together 10 gallons still made of a stainless coffee dispenser from Ft. Knox with a ½ inch pot still head I soldered together from copper line, a one-gallon stainless cooking pot for a thump barrel, and 22 foot of annealed copper line that I packed with sand and wrapped around an old stone crock to form my worm. If it sounds a bit Sanford and Son, it’s because it was. Once the whole device was “Luted” (sealed with various combinations of flour, grain, and bran) it often gave the appearance of a failed attempt at cake baking. As Luddite as it was, it just so happened to work. I started where all amateurs should start; with more ambition than knowledge. One can read for a lifetime and never understand a subject 4 until they put their hands to the practical art. Even now, years later, I will never admit to being an “expert” on distillation and I still hate the term “master distiller”

For those thinking of perusing the art at home, a word of advice; Get in, get good, get out, and get legal, either working for yourself or someone else in the industry. Your other alternative? Stay quiet about what you do forever or learn to love jail. I know it seems like a tongue in cheek “joke” to poke fun at the illicit nature of moonshine but I will guarantee you it is a lot harder to laugh from behind bars.

This book will present to you a bit of a look at the local history in my county that inspired me as well as technical details, spirituality, and recipes. This book has been written from the perspective that the reader will already have some amount of familiarity with the concepts presented about distillation, there are plenty of books out there written for the novice and those new to the art are better to start there. I should warn as well that this book may speak of illicit activities, none of which do we want to encourage and nor does the author of this book admit to administering or participating in such activities. Where such an activity takes place in this book it should be notated that it is for the sake of the story, fantastical and theoretical and not something actually practiced as such by the author, his friends, family, or business associates. This book is dedicated to those who will soon light their first stills and to those who have lit their last already, may the art never die!

“What is a Carpetbagger? Someone with all the money and none of the talent!” Alan Bishop

Death and Taxes………. but first Liberty!

I’ve never been one to think I had to have some sort of special permission to live and pursue my happiness.

Nor that I should have to ask some ward of the state to give me permission to do as I see fit so long as it doesn’t hurt someone or infringe upon their rights or liberty. 5

Nor have I been inclined to feel guilt, remorse, or otherwise have I felt inhibited by the states want of making a farmer pay taxes multiple times for the same product, particularly if it is meant for home consumption. There isn’t much I can do LEGALLY to make a LIVING that isn’t wrapped up in bureaucratic bullshit. I just do as I and my people always have.

A government doesn’t own me and I owe them no more than what they have earned by working for me and for the people in general. In recent years that isn’t much.

For years there has been a surge in the push to legalize home distilling, something I don’t see happening as the tax man has far too much too loose as do the big corporations. Many have made a lot to do over the safety of home distilling, as they should, but if you think for a moment the government ever outlawed home distilling because of safety or kept it outlawed due to safety you should just go right on sucking on that government teet. NOTHING in the history of distilling regulation was ever about safety. It has been taxes from day one and nothing but it.

The unfortunate reality of the world at large is that TRADES such as distilling not only have a place in the here and now but may in fact come to be necessities in the near future. It’s only a short turn to the left or to the right before we fly right off the cliff of modern living, a choice that you have no say in whatsoever. When that happens, we will quickly separate the wheat from the chaff and realize how few have useful talents. How few understand and can utilize the art of the cooper, the rhythm of the blacksmith, the plight of the seedsman, the timing of the orchardist?

While I do not and will not encourage anyone to break the law and I myself too shall abstain from such, knowledge itself is not illegal and is in fact integral.

-A Distillers Screed

Alan Reed Bishop

Of Spiritual Alchemy (a master will appear when the student is ready.)

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To reach the core of distillation in both its most literal and metaphorical meanings is to have an understanding of where distillation came from. Not only a grasp on the science involved but also on the history and its ties to the alchemical and spiritual world which inspired its very creation. To witness the first distillation is to stand on primordial earth as water evaporates, forms clouds and atmosphere, and then precipitates back down onto the planet in turn feeding the microbes which in time will become everything else. Simple observation amongst early philosophers would have revealed the nature of all matter (to their eyes) as being made primarily of the elements; Pneuma (air), Fire, Earth, and Water. Each of which could in turn be transformed by natural progression by the most vital of the elements; Fire. Fire which Prometheus granted to us to enliven us and ensure our prosperity. Fire which is ubiquitous in Alchemy and Eastern mystical schools, both of which we owe a great deal of gratitude for the creation of distillation as we now know it.

The earliest practitioners were likely the Dionysian cults and Hellenistic Egyptians who would have used distillation as a form of initiation into their spiritual rites and later the Gnostics who would have passed the information on into Persia and in turn onto the Arabian Alchemists where it would later have trickled down the silk road making its way across Europe as the Aqua Vitae Treatises. These mystery schools would have seen distillation as a gift from their chosen Gods and one not to be tampered with by the uninitiated (hence why no concrete descriptors for distillation were written at this time and instead only vague recipes that would simply “remind” a practitioner to “do as you know how” as the methodology and practice would have been handed down orally and in practice). Prime examples existed amongst the Menaids, well known in their time for creating spontaneous fire both from quick lime and sulfur wrapped torches doused in water which would ignite them and in their rights of Baptism by fire which were later a hallmark of most Christian Gnostic groups. From the outside these rites would have seemed quite supernatural and to the practitioners the fact that they worked at all showed them the favor of their god.

In these earliest of rites wine would have been the base to be distilled and the resultant brandy may well have been perfumed extensively (or have been from highly aromatic grape varieties). The distillate would have been 7 made on a very simple still, something akin to an Alquatar (Sochu) still but yet more primitive, perhaps as simple as a vase with a series of inverted bowls with holes placed in the top of each to allow the vapor to travel from chamber to chamber and condense to some extent inside the lips and domes of each one. The spirits were likely not palatable in any appreciable way and nor did they need to be (Although the Gnostic Pistis of Sophia does describe a rite wherein Jesus creates a “living water” for the third baptism from wine and “incense” using Juniper which sounds suspiciously similar to creating a modern-day Gin). The action of distillation itself was seen as being just as holy as the Aquavit (water of life) it created. For the followers of Dionysus distillation of new wine was seen as literally the rebirth of their god from his constituent parts (the wine/his blood) that were ripped to shreds by the Titans. For the Gnostics, the Pneuma (air) was the important constituent as the waters were separated between the upper world (light, and again; fire) and the lower world of darkness with the transformed “living water” seen as having trapped the light from the firmament above (as demonstrated by the ability of the distillate to flame though it has the appearance of simple water).

Both of these cults used a similar methodology to stunning effect; lighting sulfur on fire and dropping it into a bowl of distillate whereupon it would flame the liquid, the liquid would extinguish the flame once the ABV dropped to around 35 proof at which point the distillate was poured upon the heads of believers and lit on fire (hence Baptism by fire!) whereupon it burnt out without leaving a mark or causing pain to the initiate. Again, this solidified their belief that their god had smiled upon them. Other Gnostic groups had rituals similar to modern Christians with a baptism in a local body of water, however, once the practitioner was placed under water, high proof distillate was lit in a container and thrown upon the surface of the water so that when the practitioner was reborn from the murky depths they were surrounded by flaming water, in simpler times this was seen as an act of god. It is from the descendants of these groups, the Cathars of southern France (Gascony) that I believe we can trace the evolution of spirits, all the way down to the spirit they created; Armagnac. Of course, spirits and religion have long journeyed together as spiritual and physical medicine and as trade and barter to fund religious institutions such as monasteries (Benedictine and Chartreuse come to mind). Later, as those learned initiates traveled west and subsequently converted to more socially 8

“acceptable” views they would find grain based “wines” (Barley wine) more common than the fruit of the vine, could it be that the spirits we know as Irish whiskey, Potcheen, and Scotch evolved from those traditions as well?

Distillers tend to be a superstitious lot to begin with. The Irish likely more than any other group long ago matched many basic distilling principles with their superstitions such as throwing the first cup off of a still over their left shoulder using their right hand which it was said was done to appease the fairies, least the little folks take their children and leave a changeling in their place. Of course, we know this was to remove the toxic fore shots from the finished distillate but I would be a liar to say I too have not practiced this tradition from time to time. It is with this history in mind that we should always approach distillation as the venerable tradition it truly is.

Historic Note: The fear of the first-born boy in the family being taken and replaced by a “changeling” was a very real fear. Many of the royal families of the British Isles suffered from physical maladies due to inbreeding and would hire locals to steal young boys from peasants and leave their own malformed children behind in place of the healthy child. In Ireland as well, it was common practice to dress the little boys of the village up as girls is you were an illicit distiller as the worry of abduction was so high and moonshiners were the likeliest culprits to have offended the little people.

“For the Mysteries of life there is god and for the mysteries of god there is whiskey!”

Alan Bishop

“Non-drinking distillers are a lot like vestigial tails, fucking useless.” Alan Bishop

Of the appropriate situations for still sites and markets

Before you venture too far down the rabbit hole you should take a few moments and obviously understand your objective. I have not written this tome just for those interested in playing with the art at home (those who just wish to distill for themselves, not that there is anything wrong with that) but for those interested in perusing the market anywhere they might 9 see fit, be it legal or illicit. Obviously, I’m not encouraging you to make a go of doing anything illegal and if you were to do so I have a word of advice; Get in, get good, keep your mouth shut, get out, get legal (for yourself, or someone else, doesn’t matter).

The first thing you need to understand is who you will market to and why. You need to cover every variable here and understand that all forms of moving liquor will require “marketing” skills. Once you’ve identified that market you need to figure out what you’re going to provide to that market and its price point/profitability. From there it truly is a matter of honing your skills to fit your market.

There are far too many variables to cover the appropriate situation for setting up a legal distillery and there are many engineers much more versed in this than I. What I will tell you is that distillers don’t build distilleries, engineers do. That said it doesn’t mean you can’t put your engineer hat on and get to it. Just remember, sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know and it’s never necessary to be an expert in all trades (Particularly not when you can barter good spirits for favors.)

For those interested in more traditional moonshining I have a few thoughts: I could ramble through the romanticism of finding a nice wooded spot along a creek for pages on end but unfortunately in today’s world you will more than likely get busted if you fall back on some of the old tricks. Too many people no longer care about property boundaries and though hunting and root digging is not as popular as it once was people do still wonder the woods. More important/invasive is the preponderance of drones which have fallen into the hands of many nosey sons of bitches who will not mind their own business, the entire marketing strategy for drones available to the home hobbyists is centered on sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Of course, late summer flyovers looking for Marijuana pose dangers as well. Therefore, in my opinion finding cover in an old outbuilding on your own property or the property of a consenting partner (never attached to a residence and never by way of trespassing!) and keeping your mouth shut is of high importance.

Also, I don’t care how safe/leak proof you THINK your still is, if you run it in a home you are an idiot due to both fumes from gas (if used) and the danger of explosion/fire. If you run the still in your home and it is attached 10 to other homes (an apartment) you’re an irresponsible prick that doesn’t need to be in this line of work.

So, what is necessary for making good mash and distilling?

-Good, sound, clean, fresh water free from iron and chlorine. Tap water will usually work obviously depending on your municipalities treatment and use of chemicals. Hard water is best as Limestone and Magnesium provide appropriate yeast nutrients, although liquor has been made all over the world. You never want iron in your water as it can turn liquor black in a barrel and give off a sulfur smell. If you are using a municipal water source my advice is to allow the water to stand for 24 hours or boil it to remove chlorine. PH should be about 5.2 – 5.5 although municipal sources can run all the way up to 8 or higher. This can be adjusted using citric acid. After mashing in the PH should be somewhere around 4.0-4.5 for still beer. Brandies are substantially different and vary depending on what style (juice vs mash) but for apple: 3.2-4.0 for most Vinifera grapes 3.0-4.0 (on the high side for things like Muscat or Muscadines which you want to develop the tropical/floral terpenes they are famous for) and for Labrusca (American grapes) never higher than 3.5 or you will notice an increase in the “Foxiness” of the varietal that can come off like diesel fuel.-Cold water that stays consistently cool to chill your condenser and that you don’t have to worry about losing pressure

-Access to sanitization materials, barrels for mash (wooden, plastic, or glass), and glass or stainless containers for collecting spirits (never put your spirit in contact with plastic for extended periods of time)

-Safe storage environment

-Privacy

-Access to fuel sources

-A level area for your equipment (particularly the still) out of the elements (as best as possible) and equipped at the very least with a good, reliable, fire extinguisher.

-No nosey neighbors 11

The Character of a Distillery

Distillery Character isn’t often spoken of in the United States distilling culture but it is a concept of vast importance in understanding distillation. The character of a distillery is defined by the type of distillate produced and the methods by which it was fermented and distilled but also the effects of the individual stills and the environment those stills are operating in.

Essentially every variable imaginable in a distillery or at a still site can and does affect the finished product and although distillates can be fairly consistent from batch to batch (either due to the skill of the distiller or due to blending) any small change can affect the distillate in a positive or negative direction. A lot of distillers make a bit “to do” over their secret family recipe or special yeast strain but the truth of the matter is that any distiller could reveal his entire process to you and you would never ever be able to replicate his results due to both distillery character as well as sensory evaluation of the individual distiller.

The character of a distillery starts at the very beginning of production, from the grain or fruit itself, with both where and how the raw material was grown as well what varieties are chosen. These factors will have major effects on the outcome of the spirit (Think Terroir in grapes). From here the subject of character only gets more complicated. How was the grain or fruit processed? What kind of grind on the grain (Fine? Coarse?) How long did the juice remain on the lees? On the skins? Fruit juice or Mash? What yeasts? Lactobacillus? Brettanomyces? How long and at what temperature was the fermentation?

In Kentucky, the Sour Mash method rose to prominence as a methodology for controlling and correcting PH, but also giving a certain character to the distilleries using the process, subsequently the Bourbon Whiskey Style was born (although not all Bourbon is Sour Mashed). Other methods were once prominent including making mash with no PH adjustment or using Citric acid which helps preserve and illuminate more of the fruity esters. Elsewhere lactobacillus is often used in fermentation leading to

12 much darker and earthier tones in the distillates of wine and beer. Often a distillery will make multiple products using the exact same mash/wash bill but with slight alterations to method or process which give each of the products a tonality unique to itself. Perhaps one distillation of a mash bill containing 70% corn, 20% wheat, and 10% malt is corrected with citric while another is corrected with Lactobacillus (which naturally drops the PH and converts Malic acid into the softer Lactic acid) but are otherwise fermented, distilled, and aged identically; once tasted the difference is drastic.

Short and hot fermentations give more sulfurous base wines and beers with more “meaty” flavors and depth while long and cold fermentations give more fruity and nuanced character. It is important to note here that despite current American contentions some compounds we perceive as negative are actually a big part of traditional distillation character for certain products, the two most notable are inherent to fermentation parameters and are Volatile Acidity or the production of acetic acid/vinegar and H2s/So2. Both of these compounds are common in old world spirits (Acetic in Polinka/slivovitz and Sulfur compounds in Islay malts) and are very noticeable in the wines/beers thereof. Sulfates are even noticeable in the still house as they will turn copper a dark and nearly black color.

Of course, the stills themselves have a major impact on the character of the spirit as well. You could literally set up three identical pot stills and run the same mash bill with the same ingredients and the same distiller on all three and each of them would still yet turn out spirits substantially different from one another due to the effects of small differences in the still and in the environment surrounding the still. Copper of course is commonly touted as the best material to build a still out of due to its purifying properties and its ability to conduct heat quickly and thoroughly. However, having a copper bodied still is not always necessary, warranted, or wanted as copper is only necessary in the vapor path of a distillation but also because sometimes copper heats up far too quickly.

The breakdown of long chain fatty acids and esters that lead to flavor profiles that pot distillers favor in their distillate (esterification) is tied directly to the duration of heat during a striping run and subsequently the longer 13 you can apply heat (although not the hotter) the more of those long chain fatty acids you will break down. A copper still will heat at a rate almost 2:1 faster than a stainless] steel still meaning that the fatty acids are not exposed to the heat for nearly the same duration in the copper still. Low wines from stainless will almost always give you a heavier and richer distillate than those from a copper still and from these low wines you can rectify further in your copper doubling still to retain more of the essence of what made the raw material what it was prior to distillation.

Another chance for the building of long chain fatty acids and subsequently flavor occurs when and if the still is heated by direct fire as opposed to steam or passive heating of the vessel. When heated with direct fire as opposed to indirect heat the heat is far less displaced from the product meaning that some of the wash can become super-heated and cause a chemical reaction called the Maillard effect. This happens when carbonyl groups react with amino acids to create a new mixture of compounds and acids of various complexities. It is most common in foods that are “browned” from cooking but not quite caramelized. The reaction is highly visible and possible in a pot still operating on an open flame, particularly if that still takes a while to come to temperature due to its composure being of stainless steel. The Mallard effect is responsible for Sulfurous or toasty compounds as well as Furfural.

The type of condenser makes a huge difference as well. A traditional serpentine coil cools much slower than does a tube and shell (shot gun style) condenser allowing one to blow off more unwanted elements as gas to further refine the distillate. Of course, whether this condenser is copper or stainless will make a difference as well. The cleaning regimen for the still and collection tanks are major factors to consider as well. How often and with what are the tanks/stills cleaned if ever? If they are not cleaned have the receptacles built up a layer of fatty acid? That definitely contributes character.

Even minute aesthetics in the still will affect character and flavor; dents and dings that allow a bit more surface area for natural reflux (and catalization of sulfates in copper) are good examples. The temperature of the distillery and whether it is exposed to outside elements changes things too. Colder temperatures mean that the copper will heat slower and create 14 more natural reflux during distillation, further purifying alcohol and raising the proof even if only slightly.

One of many daydreams I often have is of starting a small legal operation which would include a 150-gallon wash/striping still and a 50-gall doubling still. Both 100% configurable with different heads of differing widths and height as well as rectification capabilities with a set of bi-passable retorts/thumps and the ability to switch between shotgun condenser and worm and tub type. This would give the distillery the full flexibility to mimic any type of spirit or even potentially “clone” out of production spirits. To this I would add wooden open top vat fomenters and stainless closed top fomenters for yet more diverse styles of production.

Of Building a simple pot still

A simple pot still is an effective tool to have on any homestead, particularly in times of great abundance of grain or fruit crops and I think we will find it quite useful in times to come should we ever end up in an emergency. A still does not need to be a complicated undertaking nor does it have to be made from copper. I have run some very convoluted mechanisms in my time and have been able to craft just as fine a spirit from the most basic of these as I ever did off of a $300,000 Vendome pot still.

I can’t and won’t address a million different designs here, but instead will focus on the design elements of the last personal pot stills I built. First, let me address again that burning question about copper in my own folksy/nonscientific way.

Copper is not necessary in the body of the still. Copper acts as a catalyst to impurities in the VAPOR of your distillate. It is electromagnetically charged and scavenges Sulfur based (H2s, So2) impurities in alcohol vapor by trapping them in its matrix and then dropping them out of solution. Copper also binds Thiols which give off vegetative aromas and cause the blackening of copper inside a copper pot or in the catalyst packed in the vapor path of a still. As well, copper is efficient at Oxidizing cyanide anion, which has long been thought a carcinogen and which is present in many malts as well as many fruit mash brandies from pome fruits (apples and pears) where cyanide is a component of the seed. 15

Although copper may look smooth it is actually quite imperfect with many hills and valleys. Interestingly enough when impurities are dropped out so is some small amount of copper, every time you run a distillation your copper sacrifices some part of itself to the greater good. This is why copper stills wear thin in areas of high flow and must be patched, replaced, or otherwise repaired. Furthermore, copper is much harder to clean and does corrode and create verdigris, the patina you see on old copper pieces which is copper sulfide, a heavy metal. This can be removed using acids such as citric acid but you never want this in your distillate and you will find that you are having to acid wash a copper bodied still quite often whereas a stainless bodied still only needs a simple acid pacification from time to time to keep it “food grade” worthy. This is not to knock the value of copper pot stills, more to illuminate why stainless is sometimes wanted, preferred, and warranted although a good copper still gives another option and heats quicker.

I will add, never ever build a still of anything but copper or stainless steel! No other metal is suitable! Stainless is cheap, easy to come by, and often in a form already usable for the manufacture of a good boiler body. Enter the Sankey keg!

Although stainless Sankey kegs aren’t as easy to find as they used to be if you keep your eyes peeled you can pick one up from a recycling center, curb side trash, yard sale, or craigslist fairly commonly. The most I ever paid for one was 100 dollars and for a small pot still it works a charm. The ferrule on these kegs is exactly the same size as a two-inch tri clove (even though it is a tight fit and might require some finagling) which means that if you have a keg and order a simple two-inch pot still head from mile high distilling you are quickly in business!

You can of course get a bit pickier with it and go all out; buy a tri-clove compatible ferrule and cut off the existing ferrule and weld the new one in place. Order 2-4 two-inch brewing sight glasses (made of Pyrex, pack the bottom one with copper gauze and lay copper pipe fittings on top of the gauze and stack them full and then pack the pot still head with copper gauze. The only problem I have with the two-inch head from Mile High is that the tube and shell condenser Is too short to properly condense product (and I’m not a fan of tube and shell condensers in the first place) so to 16 compensate I built copper serpentine coils for mine that were just a gauge higher than the existing stainless tubing at the end of the pot still head. They are sealed and held in place with gas line PTFE tape (yellow color, white works but is for liquid and not gas) I still run the tube and shell but I run the output (hot water side) through a plastic tube back to the serpentine so as to essentially create a condenser and product cooler in one.

The sight glasses are fairly expensive and you need to keep them from cold air drafts while distilling. I have only ever had two crack on me and neither of them leaked. Both of the cracked glasses were always at the bottom of the column where the heat is highest so I replaced the bottom glass with a 2 inch to 2-inch stainless steel ball valve connector which alleviated the problem. This too is packed with copper catalysts.

I also welded a two-inch stainless ball valve into the bottom of the keg for drainage and a stainless threaded nipple into the top to accommodate a thermometer to keep an eye on mash temperature. Ideally you would weld another two-inch tri-clove compatible ferrule to the top of the keg to accommodate a fifteen-lb. pressure relief valve as well…….

To this I had a stand welded up to hold the still at a height that would accommodate a propane fryer for heating which I then dry stacked brick around to retain heat for a furnace. Do not try to stand one of these stills on a turkey fryer unit, you are asking for disaster. I use a stainless-steel pot to collect my distillate.

Altogether these little units are perfect to learn your craft on or hone it in. They can, depending only on the skill of the distiller, make product on par with anything from any still I have ever seen. These are low maintenance and require no “luting” or “paste” made of various forms of messy flour that almost always still leaks. You need only tri-clamps and silicone gaskets. The parts are rigid and short of gaskets should last a lifetime or longer. You will spend some money to set one up, but it will last, and should shit ever hit the fan they will hold up to direct flame from wood or coal fires. About once a month it is worthwhile to boil out a tank full of water with half a cup of citric acid and powdered brewers wash to pacify and clean the stainless and then rinse with hot water, refill with water and 17 boil out again to remove residue. The copper packing mesh is good for as long as you can keep it clean (with citric acid) and maintain its integrity. I ran the same copper piping pieces for years and never replaced any.

Always order copper mesh from a reputable supplier as most of the copper cleaning mesh you will find at chain stores is only copper coated.

Mile High Distilling also sales a stainless thump keg, a basic 3-gallon milk can with inlet and outlet, 2-inch bottom drain, and removable lid, which is a good investment for making traditional chaptalized (sugar added) no cook moonshines and rums. It is easily put in line between the pot still head outlet and the worm inlet (although you need to remove the water to the pot still head shotgun condenser so you don’t condense liquid into your thump barrel). I will talk more about “thumpers” or “doublers” later.

I did create a similar although larger setup similar to this as well. All the same concepts apply except I used a fifty-gallon stainless steel barrel as the body to which I cut a hole to accommodate a stainless keg I had cut in half to serve as the pot still head. To this I added a Sankey keg as a thump barrel equipped with the top of the thump keg (tubing and two-inch blank) that came with the Mile-High thump barrel to which I attached the appropriate diameter and length of copper to the stainless tubing to reach the bottom of the keg for proper operation.

The small keg stills are also great for heating up strike water for making your mashes.

The most important thing for anyone learning to distil to know (other than how dangerous it can be) is that you cannot make a good solid “cut” on anything smaller than a 10 gallon still as the distillate run is very compressed. Therefore, due to ease of use, cleaning, and the ability to obtain the boiler, the keg still is, in my opinion, the way to go for most beginners and hobbyists. After you master the keg then you can move up to copper and expand your stylistic repertoire.

Of Luting Stills

Luting refers to a substance and methodology used to seal stills. In the pot still mentioned above no luting is necessary but in my earliest experiments I 18 got pretty good at making Luting (and a lot of it). My favorite and most reliable version:

Half a bag of non-rising wheat flour

One cup of Oatmeal

Mix well and moisten until pliable but not sticky.

I found this to answer to all my gasket needs on that earliest ten gallons still and still use this on my little one-gallon copper alembic when producing essential oils (although PTFE tape is preferable). The biggest problem with Luting is that sometimes it dries, cracks and falls away and other times it comes in contact with your spirit in the vapor path and lends unwanted flavor to your distillate. It is also messy and yet one more thing to have to worry with while getting a still up to operating temperatures, this of course can become a distraction to you from the real work necessary and keep you from focusing totally on your senses which you need to make the best cuts possible.

Of course, having parts that accept tri-clove connectors and silicone gaskets is preferred now days and is much safer!

Of building furnaces

I have always been a fan of still furnaces for those running on an open flame. This obviously won’t apply to those using steam heat and heated jackets but it is an important and relevant step for the home producer running on propane. Home distillers/moonshiners typically run a “wash” much more like a Scotch producer, that is, just the liquid beer with no suspended solids from fermentation in order to prevent scorching due to the fact that we are using a simple pot with no outer wall for protection and no agitator for stirring. My home distillations were always on propane provided via a turkey fryer and though it was fairly efficient of its own accord it was improved and made more efficient by adding a simple furnace to hold in and insulate the heat. Our furnace was simply dry stacked brick from an old torn down chimney stacked neatly around the base of our still and up to the bottom of the still. This effectively blocked the wind from blowing the flame around and concentrated the heat to 19 radiate upwards to only the bottom of the still instead of spreading out and being lost to the atmosphere. Sandstone does a good job as well and in places where nothing else is available cinder/concrete blocks will do. Never use limestone as it splits and can be explosive when heated! For an outside wood fired still building a furnace into a hillside is an even more efficient option.

The thump barrel or “poor man’s doubler”

The recent popularity of moonshine culture has made non-distillers much more familiar with the set up and operation of a thump barrel, which itself is not a late comer to the game of distillation as it can trace its origins back to the alchemists and their constant tinkering with efficiency and extraction technology. While I myself am much more of a fan of the “art of returns” or doubling as it is called, the thump barrel certainly has its place in any distillery producing pot distilled spirits and would be easy enough to engineer with a bypass valve on almost any type of pot still system. Doublers are very popular to this day with European itinerant distillers and pot distilled rum producers as well as modern moonshiners. Bourbon distilleries run a variant they call a doubler which looks like a small pot still and connects to their high efficiency (sometimes 100 gal a minute or more) beer stills/continuous stills. Sometimes these are in plain view on the production floor, other times they are more secretive of them such as is the case at the Jack Daniels distillery where they are hidden away in the basement.

First allow me to explain how a “thump barrel” or “doubler”, as it is sometimes known, works. A thump barrel is at its most basic a more modern version of the old rectifying lenses sometimes seen on Alembic style stills. The barrel is attached to the end of the line arm of the Alembic and the delivery tube itself goes into the barrel and near the bottom. The tube is either perforated or has a v cut into each side of it to disperse vapor into the liquid placed in the thump barrel. The barrel has an outlet at the top opposite the inlet which connects to a serpentine or tube and shell condenser. The barrel itself is loaded with a couple of gallons of either still beer, wine, “low wines” from a striping run, or best of all with finished alcohol (it can also serve as a repository for botanicals and fruit/juices to further imbue a spirit with flavor). The thump barrel is generally designed 20 to be at one third the size of the still itself and essentially allows for two distillations in one single pass.

The concept is fairly simple, as the heat from the primary still rises and vapor begins to pass over it is introduced into the cold unheated liquid of the thump barrel which soon boils from the heat of the primary distillation, as the thump begins to boil the thump barrel begins to pop or thump depending on the material it is made of (copper, stainless, sometimes actual whiskey barrels repurposed for this use) as the pot reaches equilibrium the sound begins to subside and eventually vanishes. As the liquid in the thump begins to boil and more vapor is introduced impurities and water are dropped out of the incoming and outgoing vapor and alcohol is further purified and rectified into a higher proof vapor that escapes to be condensed in the worm. Generally, unless one is using a dephlemator of some sort) the proof of a spirit from a rig with a doubler is roughly 135 proof on average (for the average run of the hearts) which is the same or similar to a double pot distilled product.

For a long time, I discounted this distillation methodology as a “cheat” or as “training wheels” despite the fact that I learned and perfected my distillation protocols on a still with a thump barrel. I thought poorly of the low man’s thump because it is very easy if you do not closely regulate your heat and keep on top of sensory evaluation to “smear” your cuts between heads and hearts or hearts and tails and ruin your product, however as I became more interested in very high ester spirits in later years (multi-generational sugar shines and rum, check the recipe section) I started to realize how valuable a thump barrel could be.

Obviously, they were valuable to moonshiners of the day as they increased the efficiency and saved time during a process which was already highly illegal and dangerous but I still feel they have a place in the modern distiller’s repertoire. Some of the best spirits I have ever made or tasted have been made on a single pass with a thump barrel, but the legitimate best spirits in my opinion are made on a pot with a thump and then run back through a standard pot still again for a triple distilled product. This works very well with some of the more “artisan” malts as well as oats and wheat for Potcheen style or Scotch style products. 21

Thump barrels are also prevalent in heavy bodied rum production where they are known as retorts. Generally, these systems include a pot still linked to two retorts, one which is filled with the “high wines” or heads from the previous run and one which is filled with the “low wines” or the tails of the previous run and through which the alcohol vapor of the current run travels for rectification. The bigger the still you have the more parasitic heat/time it will take to heat the retort/thumps so these are often “pre- heated” to a temperature close to the boiling point of alcohol to speed the distillation process. Sometimes a preheater tank for incoming mash/wash is placed in an elevated position where the lynne arm of the still can pass through the liquid to preheat it before the still is dumped of the remnants of its previous run and refilled via gravity by the product heater.

Lynne Arms and Head Shapes/Natural Reflux

Every factor imaginable effects the way the whiskey you distill tastes. One factor that is often overlooked is the size and shape of the head and Lynne arm of a pot still.

The head can have a tremendous effect of flavor as the steam rises and the shape of the head and size can and will determine how much natural reflux you get from your still. A larger, bulbous style onion head or brandy head allows for the steam to expand and come into contact with a lot of surface area that is cooler than the rest of the pot and allows for condensation and further natural reflux whereas a straight, narrow, or short head does not allow for so much of this steam expansion and not only will not allow a heavy amount of reflux but will run faster than a still with a larger wider head as the steam is directed to its destination (unless of course a dephlemator or height is employed as is the case in a column design).

In my systems, using a keg still, I always found it expedient to have a tall head, almost columnar but with no reflux, at least 14-24 inches tall, this allowed me to pack the system with copper and to slow down the flow of steam to the lyne arm and subsequently the thump and condenser. As the steam rises the top of the still is still cool, as is the copper packing, which forces the steam to condense and reflux heavily back into the pot further cleaning up and clarifying the distillate and compressing the heads 22 cut. There are pot still heads on the market now with dephlemators or water jackets on top of a plate less column. Such systems could be used to produce the desired effect by keeping the water flow in the dephlemator low and allowing for a small amount of reflux with no plates in the column to restrict flow. The proof of the product would rise slightly but so too would the purity while not sacrificing much in terms of flavor. For maximum flavor in a pot still it has been my experience that the average proof of the finished product should never exceed 145 proof, although 135 has always been my aim.

The Lynne arm itself and the angle at which it exits the still also greatly effects flavor. A 45-degree angle downward allows for no reflux back to the still and will make a heavy bodied and subsequently heavier flavored spirit (unfortunately this angle also greatly increases the possibility of puking the still via foaming). An arm which reaches straight across allows for minimum reflux if any, and a 45 degree up allows for a much greater degree of reflux. In my systems and since I use a tall head I have always opted for a 45 degree down angle. I want clarity but I also want flavor.

Water Catchment and filtration/spirit filtration

In other areas of this book I speak of water for making mash and or wine which is of deep importance obviously, but the water that one uses for proofing down a spirit is just as important and more often overlooked or undervalued. Most distilleries of the legal variety now days use R.0. Filtered water for proofing their spirit down to barreling or drinking proof and home distillers often use bottled water. While either is acceptable and will work neither is to my mind ideal. While you do want good clean water with no minerality or flavor to it and obviously no chlorine it seems to my palate that filtered water or bottled water has no quintessence or life in its character. It is flat, basic, tasteless, and does not give any sense of terroir.

My preference for cut water is to use that which god provides us by making a water catchment for rainwater runoff from tin roofs or from greenhouse roofs. Not only is this water natural and vivid but it too is a reflection of the place it is from and does not contain any minerality to contribute to off flavors. The water should be stored somewhere cool and dark and not for a long period of time. It can be fortified with Eau-De-Vie until it is ready to 23 be used if it is not longer than a couple of weeks and stored in a food grade container with an airtight lid. It is always worthwhile to filter this water through a bed of charcoal and possibly a piece of felt before it is used to proof your spirit down with.

As I mention elsewhere snowmelt can also be used and to me it is preferred, it seems to me to be softer and silkier once married to a white spirit.

I catch my water in 55-gallon plastic food grade drums directly from the guttering of my building of preference. These drums have spigots I have drilled into the bottom for taking samples of the water and what is not used for proofing is used as irrigation water for my greenhouses or for my gardens.

Filtering Spirits

Over the centuries many methods have been devised for spirits filtration for multiple outcomes. Since herein we focus on pot distilled spirits and not spirits of a neutral character we will only focus on those that are applicable to our own passion.

As a general rule of thumb, I am not a huge adherent to heavy filtration of pot distilled spirits although I will admit that some spirits do tend to benefit from heavier filtration as it shapes and molds their characteristics into something far more linear and may apply the focus of the spirit to the area initially intended by the distiller.

Typically, a distiller should strive to perfect his or her fermentative and distilling abilities to avoid any unwanted flavors or oils in the distillate from the get go, that said, having a failsafe and at least minimal filtration is always a valuable tool to the distiller. The distillate coming from the condenser is a very good starting point for filtration and one where many “problems” can be caught early on. Many early distilling manuals speak of using flannel to catch fusel oils from fermentation prior to the distillate collecting in a container for testing and blending. In much later days felt (including the hat of the moonshiner overseeing the operation) was used to accomplish much the same and is still by many home distillers and professional operations. To this felt, often lining the bottom of a copper 24 funnel, is often added charcoal or activated carbon. This small charcoal bed, particularly if not already charged with liquid to activate its caption abilities and crushed to a small size to increase its surface area, is at best ineffective in drawing out the fusel oil of the distillate.

Many of course are aware of the Lincoln County process that Jack Daniels made quite famous (also known as the Robertson County method, although less so, as the method of sweet mashing whiskey fell out of favor) is efficient because of the surface area provided and works very well. A similar small-scale filter can be made if a cleaner spirit is wanted by taking a 5-foot length of copper pipe, covering the end with felt that is secured in place and pouring through it your distillate. Do not however pack the charcoal or reduce the size more than that of the size of a bean or pea as this will make a heavy bed that will severely strip the flavor of the distillate. Another method for doing the same thing would be to use a vessel with a drain cock on the bottom and line it with felt or even a felt bag which was then filled with charcoal. It is important that the charcoal be washed free of ash and debris prior to use with good filtered water which will also charge the substrate and make it susceptible to picking up the oily substances you want removed from your product. For most whiskies and brandies my preference is to use the simple felt filtration method, filtering once as the product comes from the still and once after proofing and prior to bottling the product.

Five cuts are better than three! Or the proper method with which to run a pot still

Running a pot-still/Alembic is entirely about sensory perception and the notion of retaining, intensifying, and clarifying the aromatics of the base material. Distillation is not now nor will it ever be something that can be taught. A good apprentice/still hand has to have some level of appreciation for the philosophy, technology, and methodology of distillation as well as natural talent to identify different aromatic and flavoring constituents or he/she is not worth teaching. To have the opportunity to be trained/schooled in distillation one must earn it, as keepers of the ancient flame, we as distillers must always choose only the very best to carry on the legacy. 25

Before we talk about cuts we should mention speed of distillation. The speed of distillation is the speed at which you will run your still during a spirits (doubling) run. I cannot stress enough the importance of a slow distillation on any and every product you run. Just because your still can run X gallons a minute doesn’t mean you should distill in that manner and in fact if you do you will simply destroy what would have otherwise have been a fine product. A still can be brought up to full temperature until it reaches about 150 degrees at which point you should cut back to perhaps 30 percent of capacity until your heads are over, once you have begun collecting heads you should cut back again to 20 percent of capacity and run the still there until you are into the tails. Running slower like this allows you to take the time to focus more attention on making appropriate cuts and to better analyze the components coming over in your distillate and their constituent parts and uses and whether there are any defects, as well, it allows for more natural reflux to form in the still itself resulting in a purer and crisper product in the long run.

There are of course exceptions to this rule, the most major one being the temperature of the distillate itself. I have seen countless examples of folks claiming that colder is better, this is patently untrue. The appropriate temperature range for distillate collected from a doubling run is between 55-70. Cold enough to knock the vapor down into a condensate but warm enough to allow unwanted volatile gases to escape from the end of the worm or condenser.

95% of distillers will explain “cuts’, the fractions of a run, in a very rudimentary manner. They will simply mention heads, hearts, and tails and the constituent parts and use/re-use of this liquid with no real eye towards the philosophy of using these liquids. Again, this mostly harkens back to two attitudes, both related to one another, the classical dickhead carpetbagger with all the money and none of the talent and the equally talentless Peacock who will strut around as though he is something to see and has something to say. The two traits are not mutually exclusive, as a distiller who started out in the woods and moved into a distillery I have seen it time and again in both environments.

My distillation methodology is a bit different, of course this depends on the base material to be distilled, but in general I make five instead of three cuts. 26

The first thing a distiller should focus on is making sure his pot still is clean! A dirty pot still will produce a dirty distillate and though there may only be a bit of film on the inside one must remember that distillation will magnify those impurities nine times! The second notation should be the speed of distillation as beautifully fermented beers, washes, and wines can and will be ruined by running the pot still too quickly and not allowing the vapor the time it needs to pass naturally through the apparatus or the distiller the time needed to define good and well thought out “cuts”. A still can be brought to full fire upon starting up but once the distillate is close to running (on a doubling still this is generally around 180 degrees, I start turning down at 150) you need to reduce your heat and maintain it there until you are into the tails. Running in this fashion will allow each component to be well separated and for the distiller to take advantage of natural reflux of the vapor within the system in the higher portion of the cut, further refining the components found therein.

The first cut I make in distillation harkens back to my days in the woods, a quick, decisive, and deserved foreshoots cut which is thrown out of the distillation completely. On a 15 gal., still this might only be 4-6 ounces; on a 350 it’s closer to two gallons. A lot of sources will cite from 30-50 ML which is a pretty liberal number but safety is always first. This cut serves two purposes; the first purpose is to clean the serpentine/worm of any leftover distillate or copper sulfide from the previous run. The second is to remove the very first fraction of distillate which is heavy with methanol and impurities which we have no purpose in adding to the next distillation. I can tell you as a distiller that I can in fact tell a difference in a distillate where the foreshoots were added back to the still in the next run. Cut it, toss it, forget it! (a quick note to add here that methanol breaks down with heat and re-distillation, this is why even when heads, which themselves still contain a fair amount of methanol, are added back to a batch system you never see an increase in the output of this fraction of alcohol.)

The next cut is the Heads cut. This cut is entirely based on sensory/organoleptic analysis of the distillate. Heads obviously smell like finger nail polish remover. This smell is caused by two compounds: Acetyl Acetone and Ethyl Acetate as well as a number of other minor alcohols. Heads are defined by their fingernail polish remover tonality (although to me, particularly in apple and grape brandies, Ethyl Acetate has an over ripe 27 red raspberry aroma and can be somewhat deceiving.) A heads cut on most grain alcohols and grape brandy should be somewhere between 1.5- 3% of a total run (due to pectin, in apples and other fruits, the heads cut is usually substantially higher if one has not used a pectin enzyme to break this material down or a low acetone producing yeast). This of course will vary based on the distiller and is one of many things that gives each individual Boilluer (distiller) his characteristic taste and style. This will also vary based on whether you cut a spirit for fresh consumption or aging. An aging spirit with no heads or tails (I’m talking tiny, tiny, fractions) included will lack character and be found wanting as these components will esterify with time in a barrel. A white spirit should be as cleanly cut as possible. A smaller still will usually give a visual indication (indicated by the speed of distillation and whether the coil sputters) that the heads are coming to an end, though this is not always a case. The nose is the single most reliable factor in making this determination. Interestingly enough some of the components that are in the highest quantities in the heads cut are absolutely necessary as “flavor bridges” in the heart of the distillate, but only in quantities that cannot be picked up organoleptically. Ethyl Acetate is one of those components. It is absolutely imperative that from start up until after the cut from heads to hearts you run the still very slowly so as not to “smear” or “muddy” your cut and to keep it as clean as possible. The heads cut is always saved separately from the other cuts and placed into the next batch (the strip) in order to rectify it and remove the potable alcohol in future batches.

A note on methanol, many old rumors of poorly distilled moonshine exist wherein the end user has gone blind from methanol poisoning, while methanol can temporarily blind and high concentrations of it are incredibly toxic (Methanol, or wood alcohol, converts first to formic acid and then to Formaldehyde in the liver!) it is unlikely that the methanol that caused this blindness was from poorly distilled spirits as opposed to spirits which were tampered with or cut using industrial or denatured alcohol. Methanol has a tight azeotrope bond with water and distills over in small quantities throughout much of the run including into the hearts. Drinking high proof ethanol will dilute methanol out of your system as well (the side effect obviously is drunkenness) l. I mention this because “safety” in making the cuts on a still is often cited by critics (read: pussies) who would prefer not to see home distillation legalized. If one is obsessive about making a fore 28 shots cut mathematically, depending on the raw material distilled, a subtraction of 22-30 ML per gallon of wash in a spirit still is sufficient.

Next is the hearts cut, the true proof of one’s prowess as a distiller, this is the most important part of the distillate, the Water of Life that will be either drank new or aged in barrels or on wood! Once a solid cut has been made there is no going back without redistilling and subsequently loosing flavor so getting it right is of upmost importance! Go slow, be decisive, trust your senses, trust your instincts and all will be good. On a pot, still you either have it or you don’t, and never doubt that a still will humble you, constantly. I have never run a distillation that did not give me a problem of some sort, so continuously paying close attention to what is going on in front of you is a must. Focus, constantly smell and taste. Close your eyes when smelling, where does the distillate take you? If you find something in the hearts you don’t like, cut it out into the seconds and go on, don’t question your instinct. As you approach the second’s portion of the run focus harder, you will need it.

Once you begin to reach the seconds you will begin to notice a slightly boiled squash or green bell pepper note, as soon as you notice this note you should begin your cut. Again, trust your instincts. The seconds and the tails are both still good alcohol, they just need further rectification.

The seconds would be regarded in this country as a part of the tails; it is in how they are re-used that we differ. The seconds will essentially be the first half of your tails run and you will collect it separately from the second half. The seconds will be re-run with the low wines in your next doubling run while the tails will return instead to the stripping still (along with the heads and beer, wash, or mash) to be further rectified (yes, this means that fractions of your “double pot still distillation” are actually distilled four times!) The tails are generally collected from 50 proof down to 20 proof and will usually turn a hazy opaque coloration due to the fusel oils apparent in the distillate.

Another sensory method for distinguishing hearts from seconds or tails is by the way the alcohol feels between your fingers or palms or your hands as good alcohol in the hearts when rubbed between the thumb and index finger will leave a “dry” feeling and will evaporate quickly while the oils from 29 the seconds will feel immediately slick or greasy. Once your distillation is finished you should always immediately vent your still (be careful of the steam!) by opening the lid or removing the cap, to prevent it from air locking and possibly collapsing. The still should then be hosed down (with hot water if possible) to remove surface sulfates or solids. If the still needs further cleaning a small dose of citric or some other type of acid dissolved in water can be ran through the still or soaked for a short time inside the still and subsequently rinsed well. This will remove some amount of copper and any Patina (Verdigris) on the surface but is always worthwhile, make sure your rinse it good afterword’s. This is also helpful for stainless steel as it needs to be pacified from time to time to avoid rust issues, again, rinse well.

Always take rigorous notes on your distillation; you will be surprised how much it will improve your art in coming years. I have always made 20- minute notations on striping runs. My notations include time, temperature of distillate, and proof and I always track the lunar phases and outside temperature, humidity and barometric pressure. Of course, the yield by gallon, temperature, and proof of the distillate is also recorded along with any observations regarding the distillation run or anything “off” I have notice organoleptically. I do the same for doubling runs although I add a notation of where I made my cuts and take relevant tasting notes and make notations of any issues I have with equipment or settings. You can’t write enough down. I should note here that if you are a home distiller that your need to write things down should be balanced by how well you can hide your notations in the case of getting caught! Always remember, rumor mills wreck stills!

Methods of Pot Still Distillation

Charentes

The Charentes, or double pot still distillation method, has long been the tried and true method of most American folk distillers as well as the farmer- distillers of many regions around the world. The methodology is fairly straight forward and requires only simple pot stills in which to distill the product. A first distillation is performed by simply “stripping” off all of the available alcohol in a given mash, wash, or wine. Usually no cuts are 30 made on this run unless a small proportion of foreshots is removed as the distillate first comes over both to remove methanol and also to clean the condenser of the previously run product.

A second distillation is then affected upon the stripped alcohol (low wines) whereupon cuts are made to the product or perhaps botanicals may be added to a gin basket or the low wine in the still (this can actually be done with a third run and is recommended so that you don’t lose any of your botanical oils in your heads cuts). This second distillation becomes the most important act in distillation to require the work and effort of a skilled artisan.

This is the method used in Cognac and amongst most small craft distillers in the U.S. and Europe and is traditional in Polinka and Slivovitz production as well as in black pot Scottish whiskey and Irish Potcheen production. This was the preferred method of moonshiners and early whiskey makers in the U.S. prior to the introduction of continuous column still distillation and prohibition when the need to speed the process up became exaggerated. The majority of my work in distillation at home and in the professional field has followed this method.

Single Pass

Single pass distillations are affected a few different ways. The first is nearly the same as the “stripping” run mentioned in the Charentes section with no rectification in the still and by making heads, hearts, and tails cuts to the low wine. This produces a low alcohol product with a lot of impurities and is generally not recommended for most products. However, brandies that are particularly volatile (blackberry, raspberry) can be ran on a single pass pot still distillation and give good results.

The second version of the single pass is the method followed in Armagnac and Calvados. Small crude Alembic stills with short columns that contain copper plates with raised copper bubbles that have small holes in them (for the passing of vapor) and some amount of reflux from a small condenser at the top of the column allow for a single distillation that effectually cleans up and purifies the distillate while raising the proof via reflux (the return of alcohol to the pot for redistillation/the movement of alcohol vapor through liquid alcohol) which produces a product often described as more “rustic” 31 and full bodied and which retains more of the volatility of the starting mash/wine/wash than a traditional double distillation.

2.1

A 2.1 distillation allows the distiller to retain much of the volatility with a much cleaner product profile and far less fusel oil. Essentially a series of stripping runs is performed and the product of those runs blended together into the still for a final run to which 1/3 the volume of wash/mash is also added. From here tight heads and tails cuts are performed to clean up all the distillate that is produced. This allows the distiller to retain more of the volatility of the raw product but to keep the distillation parameters tight and clean.

4.2

Essentially the same concept as mentioned above but utilizing a retort/thump on all the runs. Heads and tails cuts are made on every distillation. The final distillation sees the still loaded with 2/3 volume of a double distillation and 1/3 volume of fresh wash/mash.

Both of these methods can also employ the redistillation of heads and tails as well so some fractional components may be distilled more than the base.

Of Sensory Perception

The art of distillation relies heavily on all five of your senses; Sight, Smell, Taste, Hearing, and Touch and as such you should be as in tune with your senses during distillation as you can be. Obviously smell and taste are hugely important but the sense of touch will aid you greatly (even if you have a thermometer) in telling you much about the way your still runs. I still rarely use a thermometer on my still (only in the distillate when correcting proof to 60 degrees on a hydrometer) but often find myself feeling the still, head, line arm, and worm as the vapor moves through the process to determine where the distillate is and how soon it will “be over.”

Though it may seem arbitrary to the art, your sense of hearing cannot be overlooked either, obviously, you will need it if you are engaged in-home 32 distilling in order to listen for any sign of uninvited guests intruding in your space but it is also very vitally important while running the still and any equipment. This is true whether at home or in a professional setting. Everything has a status quo “hum” and when something interrupts that status quo you know something is wrong. Same for sight, watching your proof, watching the behavior of your alcohol flow (is it too fast? Too slow?) and looking for leaks. Distilling requires 100% of your attention 100% of the time.

There is a sixth sense in distillation as well and unfortunately it is the most overlooked of all. The sense of intuition. Distillation is by my definition: 60% Hard Science, 30% Dark Arts (the shit you make up to sell a product) and 10% Intuition. Lots of folks have the 90% covered but lack the 10% that matters. If you don’t have a natural sense of intuition you do not need to be in this industry or hobby.

Avoiding spicy food and smoking before and during distillation is always recommended as well as anything alcoholic or strongly flavored. I’m guilty of not heading these rules at all so I won’t harp on them here. Suffice it to say you should have some personal way of compensating for your bad habits. Keeping your sinuses clear and at a baseline is very important as 90% of what you taste is interpreted through your sense of smell. The best way to keep your sense of smell fresh is to “ground” yourself by smelling something you are intimately familiar with, particularly if you find your sense of smell getting dulled during a run. Most distillers will use the inside of their elbow and smell themselves in order to “ground” their sense of smell. Me? I prefer coffee, just black, but not strong (tannic) coffee. I have always found it to do the trick for grounding my sense of smell and taste.

One way to bring forth more hidden elements in the aroma of a distillate is to heat it up slightly using your body temperature. Essentially put some distillate in your palms and rub your palms together quickly to evaporate ethanol and then smell your palms, this body heat will allow the aromatic profile to expand and you will be able to tease more from the sample than just by evaluating distillate in a glass.

Good glass wear is necessary as well. Glencairn glasses are fairly well industry standard as they have the correct shape to present the true 33 elements in the aroma of a distillate without magnifying them nor dulling them.

When smelling a distillate, it is important to remember that you are not smelling something gentle like a wine but instead are smelling a high proof alcohol that can and will burn your nose and begin to dull your sense of smell rather quickly, as such it should be treated with respect. Instead of sticking your nose in the glass and breathing in deeply through your nose, hold the glass an inch or so away from your nostrils, part your lips and breathe in through your mouth and out your nose. This will avoid the ethanol burn and will allow the aroma to spread out nice and evenly over the organ through which you perceive the smell. Also, it may sound silly, but people do tend to have one nostril that is dominant over another so feel free to move the glass back and forth in front of your nose and smell from different angles as this will allow you to find your strong spot and know your weak spot.

Adding water to a distillate helps tremendously as well. Tasting at high proof is pointless as after a couple of sips you will have effectively have numbed your taste buds and made them useless. Bringing the proof of a spirit at least to 90 and preferably to 80 will allow you to more fully analyze the flavors you perceive. These flavors can further be intensified by bringing the distillate as low as 40 proof. Dropping the distillate to 40 proof will also reveal the presence of tails as the spirit will cloud.

Another important notation that should be made here. When a distillate first leaves the still it is imbued with many volatile elements, some of which will off gas after sitting out open to the atmosphere for a time. The best analysis of a spirit that can be made is accomplished by leaving a spirit in stainless steel or glass overnight and exposed to the atmosphere where it can “off gas”, fresh insight is gained by sampling the spirit first thing in the morning when your senses are at their height.

Of Lunar phases and distillation

Distillation, particularly that practiced by the “Independent, Amateur Distiller”, has always been tied closely to the moon. The very word Moonshiner derives from the English word Moonracker (similar to “moonlighting”) which was used first to describe those who illicitly moved 34 barrels of brandy across the English Chanel from France to England and much later in reference to the act of “illicit” distillation.

As one who has made his share of alcohol by light of the moon it can’t be helped but that this entry may ring with some romanticism, however I encourage you to make your own informed observations during your experiments and to begin keeping in you records the phases of the moon at the time of fermentation and distillation so that you too may see the effects that I have noticed.

It is also true that the art of distillation has always benefited from the simple observation of both the initiated and the common folks involved in its labors. The farmer-distiller in particular has played an immensely vital role in the art of simple Alembic (Alembic/Pot-Still) distillation over the centuries. Farmers dotting the countryside of the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas and their simple observations have increased the efficiency of distilling and the legacy and legends that surround it by untold multiples.

The most interesting of these principals falls directly in line with planting cycles using the moon and signs as a guide. Yes, indeed, some will shun such observation as superstition but once one has experienced the effects of the moon on distillation or upon farming it is hard to deny that there is some level of interplay between the two. Luna effects everything on this planet, why too would she not also effect pot still distillation? After all, at the heart of distillation are the principals of natural sciences and the attempt to replicate, in a very small way of course, the effects of evaporation and condensation in a closed “atmosphere” (the still). It stands to reason then that anything that can and does affect the natural cycle and order of things outside the still could affect what happens inside the still as well. It also stands to reason that those effects will be more noticeable in a more basic system such as a pot still than they would be noticeable in a more advanced system and thusly may have no effect in a column still wherein vapor is forced through plates flooded with alcohol liquid in an industrial process and where there is no repository (pot) for large amounts of liquid to be affected by La Luna in the first place.

Just as the moon affects the tides so too does she affect the speed of distillation and fermentation, even when those variables are controlled via 35 cooling units or measures of steam (the effect is less noticeable but still exists). Some in the world of wine have embraced such concepts leaning on the bio-dynamic farming phenomenon (which I admit I am not “sold” on) which uses Lunar observance as a tool for fertility and growth. Unfortunately, it seems few in the distilling industry short of those of the old world and those on the illicit side of the fence would admit to their peers the observances they may have noted. I have made my stance known for a long time and will actively argue my observations with anyone who has at least as long a history of record keeping including the moon phases as what I do.

Among the observations, I have made regarding lunar phases, the most dynamic relates to the speed of distillation. A pot still will always run faster (even with the heat regulations, alcohol content, and fill level of the still the same as any run in another part of the lunar calendar) when the moon is in its Waxing phase and subsequently will run slower in its waning phase. The height of the lunar effect of course falls on the full moon (subsequently the new moon causes the still to run slower). Sometimes this effect is quite extreme with notable differences in the speed of distillation numbering in hours! An observant distiller will tell you that he on more than one or a few occasions has likely had to turn the steam rate or the gas rate on his pot still down substantially on a full moon to slow the still run down and subsequently could have (though he never should!) turned the rate up substantially to produce the same effect in the Waning Moon and New Moon phases of the lunar calendar.

A primary example I have notated in my journals was recorded in October of 2015 during an absinthe distillation at my former employer. What at that time should have been a standard 7-8-hour distillation turned into a five- hour run, despite the fact the same amount of alcohol was added to the pot and the boiler was tuned exactly as in previous runs at other points in the Lunar calendar. This was experienced during a full moon/super moon event with all other details of the run matching closely to previous and future distillations of absinth at that time. For this I have no other explanation than the effects of La Luna that evening.

The same is true of fermentation as the action of the waxing moon seems to cause fermentation to commence and finish far more rapidly than that of 36 the new moon. When I was distilling at home I often timed my fermentations to start, take place, and finish during the waning moon/new moon as I wanted a long, slow, and cool fermentation (aided by the help of a root cellar) that did not finish quickly and had time to create the valuable fatty acids and esters that I was longing for. Most of my fermentations would run two weeks in order to allow the yeast to finish and the lactic bacteria to start naturally and finish their primary fermentation prior to distillation. Having effects of the lunar cycle on my side during the waning phase, which is generally two weeks in length, made for nearly perfect circumstances. Fermentations in the waxing phase always finished 5-6 days quicker putting me distilling during the waning phase which subsequently slowed the still down and caused me more of an investment in time and fuel to complete a distillation.

Of course, there is romanticism tied to this notion of Lunar distillation and perhaps if not for my notation I would be obliged to admit some “want” for this effect to be factual outside of observed occurrences, fortunately however I have multiple years of records from which to draw my observations and perhaps one day I will publish those in a neatly digestible form. As the French, would say; life is short and the art is long!

Another unrelated but natural effect upon the still is noticed relating to barometric pressure. When the pressure is low, as before a storm, a still will come to a boil faster and be observed then to run faster than if under high pressure as the pressure causes the vapor to stay lower in the still longer and the vapor has to fight this natural element to leave the still.

Proofing Spirits distilled in a pot still:

The very reason I have dedicated my passion and subsequently this book to pot-still distillation is due to its increased inefficiency. In the simplest of terms, it is easy to understand that a pot still only has a limited methodology with which to separate ethyl alcohol from other components in the starting mash or wine and the retention of those components is what gives a pot distilled spirit it’s heavy and rich character. While the goal of alchemical distillation may be to capture the quintessence (the essential or “pure” part of something) it is easy to see how high levels of rectification accomplished in more technologically advanced stills would easily remove 37 from a spirit its unique character which entirely defeats the purpose of our art. After all, we are not just attempting to extract and purify alcohol but instead we seek the very “spirit” of the base material, our goal, in fact, as alembic distillers is to enhance and refine that spirit and to preserve that spirit for those times when we long to experience a moment in the past (particularly in the case of brandy) or to even stand in a place in time.

Unfortunately, in some of our steps towards creating a potable alcohol, those “impurities” can cause their own set of problems, never more than in the proofing stage of a spirit. A spirit that is cut to proof too quickly experiences a shock at a molecular level than actually creates saponins (soap like molecules) which taint the flavor and aroma of a spirit and destroy what we worked so hard to retain in distillation. In order to avoid this problem, it is important that two things happen; first, that the water that we proof with is nearly the same temperature as the spirit we are proofing which is easily accomplished. Second that we don’t proof down our spirits too quickly. Instead, take your time and add proofing water slowly to a white spirit over a number of days or weeks, dropping only 5-10 proof points at a time. The same is also true of proofing a barrel aged spirit but you have a much longer window with which to proof if you simply replace the evaporative portion of the spirit in the barrel with water once a year or again it too can be vatted and proofed slowly over a number of weeks. This will avoid shocking the spirit into saponification. Saponification can also be visibly discerned by the cloudiness that appears when a spirit is dropped in proof too quickly.

Even after proofing is accomplished it is vital that the spirit is not consumed immediately as everything in the mix needs time to marry and go through a slight “curing” process. Amongst the Kentucky Bourbon elite what I am about to say would be sacrilegious, luckily however I am not paralyzed by the conjecture of tradition that limits innovation or avoids influences from world and regional traditions; A spirit can, does, and will age in glass and stainless and spirits most assuredly can and do experience a form of “filter” or “bottle sickness” akin to wine. The longer the spirit can sit in glass before consumption the better it will be at consumption so long as it is in no way tainted, nor the seal broken, this is because the individual components of the sprit need time to come together and form tight bonds and new bonds with one another, this is also why a spirit will always taste 38 different coming off of a still than it will only hours after distillation. It is also well worth practicing a bit of vatting in stainless or glass that is not in any way “air tight” prior to bottling. This vatting will allow some of the more volatile ethanol fumes to escape from the spirit and allow the aroma of the distillate to become the predominate characteristic when the bottle is opened, this can be improved as well by aeration of the spirit by simple mixing or the addition of an air sparge. The best way to explain this is seen in many modern bourbon examples; some otherwise great bourbons on the cheap end of the market suffer from this rush to bottle, Old Granddad bottled in bond is a prime example, if one were to poor a glass straight from the bottle and give it a quick sensory analysis they may find the odor of the ethanol vapor completely overpowering and think of the product as being nothing more than a cheap rot gut whiskey, however if one were to poor that same dram and allow it to sit for five or ten minutes they would notice the ethanol nose dissipate and what is left is hands down one of the single most unappreciated sipping bourbons on the market at a fair price. Far better in fact than many of the top shelf “story” bourbons.

Proofing water is very important, commercial distilleries already understand this and subsequently use any number of filtrations to create purely sterile and mineral free R.O. water (or in some craft circumstances “distilled water”) this however is not only a mistake in my opinion but it is a place where a truly great moonshiner, home distiller, or craft distiller can take advantage of creating a legitimately local and possibly better product than any of the big houses of production. The problem with any of these filtered waters is that they are not “living waters” they are one dimensional and not the product of any particular piece of terroir or creativity of a blender or distiller. It is also important to avoid well water as well as creek, spring, or pond water as we want no minerals whatsoever present to affect the taste of the finished product. So then, what to do? Rain water or snow melts water! Rain water typically has a slightly sweet taste to it and just enough impurities from the local atmosphere (don’t do this in the city obviously!) to give it some liveliness and texture, in my experience snow melt water is even better (see the section on Snow Whiskey). With this “living” proofing water one still would need/want to do some amount of filtering to refine it slightly and remove any particulates gathered from the rainwater catchment system or from the atmosphere (obviously collect in only food safe containers!). My answer to the filtration concern is to buy (though it is more 39 authentic to make) sugar maple charcoal, grind it very fine (and wash it well with collected water so you don’t leach the carbon color and taste into the finished water) and then place it in a five-foot copper tube with a one to two-inch diameter, at the bottom of the tube place a piece of felt attached to the tube with a rubber band. Pass the water through this filter as slowly as possible and collect the cleaned water for your proofing needs. This same filter can be used to refine whiskeys in a method not dissimilar to the Lincoln County method popular in Tennessee whiskeys which slightly sweetens a distillate and leaches some of the heavier oils from it.

Distillation Math:

These are general formulas that I have committed to memory to make my day to day work easier, it is important to remember that I am neither a chemist nor a scientist as I mentioned in my opening so these formulas are not always exact sciences but instead are general rules:

To determine the amount of proofing water for a distillate:

Take the proof of distillate you have, minus the proof you want, times the volume you have, divided by the proof you want.

As an example, the proof of your existing distillate is 135 and you want to get to 90 proof. You have 30 gallons of spirit to proof.

135 – 90 = 45 x 30 gal. = 1350 Divided by 90 = 15 Gal H20

Specific Gravity is a measurement of dissolved sugar in water and is used to determine the potential alcohol of a solution as well as in determining the amount of alcohol in a finished fermentation.

Brix is a similar system, mostly used for wine.

An important component of mash bill design is deciding on the target gravity of your mash/wash, as an example a target gravity could be 1.070 from which we can determine the amount of potential alcohol a 1.070 mash would provide. To do so you simply divide the last two numbers of gravity (70) by 6 which gives us 11.6 percent potential alcohol?

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To determine the finished alcohol in a mash after fermentation you simply take a reading of the finished mash with a triple scale hydrometer. Take that number minus the starting gravity and multiply by 131.2

So, if your mash finished at .998 and started at 1.070 you would say .998- 1.070 = -.072

So

.072 x 131.2 = 9.44%

Mash Bill Design

In designing a mash bill you are employing the art of the brewer. Each grain has a specific point value assigned to it. This point value is actually nothing more than the last two numbers of a specific gravity that results from one lb. of that grain dissolved in one gallon of water. There are charts available for this online and in beer brewing books but common values are:

Corn 33

Wheat 35

Rye 27

Oats 35

Barley malt 35

To formulate a mash bill we focus on one grain at a time. For example, lay out a percentage bill you find appealing such as:

70 percent corn

20 percent wheat

10 percent malt 41

Next decide on a specific gravity. Let’s say 1.070

We need to know the volume of your cooker so for this example let’s assume you have a 50-gallon cooker.

We will start with corn. Take the volume of your mash cooker x the last 2 numbers of your specific gravity x the percentage of grain.

So

50-gal x 70 x .70 =2450

Now we will divide this number (2450) by that grains points (33) = 74.2 lbs. of corn

Repeat this process for wheat and malt. And you now have the exact lb. of grain of each type to hit your intended specific gravity and subsequently potential alcohol.

Of Enzymes and Malt

Grain is essentially composed of long chains of sugar tied together, this is called starch. Starch itself is not fermentable by yeast and must be broken down into short chain sugars by a process of heating and the use of Alpha and Beta Malaise enzymes which chop the chains into fermentable sugars making them available for yeast. Highly efficient synthetic enzymes are commercially available and many use them. All have different dosages and temperature ranges to secure best results. I will focus here instead on traditional mashing and enzymes which are provided by malted grains.

Malted grain is nothing more than grain that by way of moisture and heat has been tricked into germinating. When the grain germinates the embryonic plant inside is dependent upon sugar that has been freed from starch inside the grain to feed itself. Some of this sugar was released during the germination process but the remainder must be freed from its long chain form. Luckily the germinating seed also produced the necessary enzymes to convert its own weight and sometimes a weight of unmalted grain as well. The malt is kilned and dried to stop the germination process once rootlets develop from one to two inches long. 42

Some malts, particularly those that are roasted such as caramel, coffee, or chocolate have little or no enzyme left in them as the enzyme is degraded by temperature and is only active between 135-150 degrees fare height. These malts should only be used for flavoring and never relied on for enzymatic power.

The enzymatic power of a malt is known as Diastatic power and is measured in degrees lintear. Charts exist online for the lintear value of different styles of malt. Since beer brewers and single malt distillers rely mostly on all malt washes/mashes they are capable of getting by with malts with far less lintear power than distillers who use a large proportion of adjunct (unmalted) grains in their brewing. Beer brewers typically use a lower protein/lower distaste type of malt derived from two row barley varieties while distillers rely on higher protein/higher diastase six row malts. A diastic power of 30 is generally recognized as being self-converting. This means a malt variety of 30 degrees lintear will convert the remaining sugars in its own substrate but none of the starches from any other grain. Subsequently knowing the total Diastatic power of your mash bill is very important as a total Diastatic power under 30 will not convert all of your starches into sugar.

To figure out the Diastatic power of your mash simply take the sum total of all of your lbs. of malted grain and multiply it by the sum total of all the Diastatic power of your malted grain and divide the given number by the total lbs. of grain in your mash bill.

A few common malt lintear/Diastatic numbers:

Malt corn 30

Marris otter malt 120

Rye malt 190

6 row distillers malt 250

So let’s say you decided on distiller’s malt and you are using your 70 percent corn, 20 percent wheat, 10 percent malt recipe from above. You 43 only have one malted grain and you decide to use distillers malt which you have 10.6 lbs. of according to your mash bill.

Distillers malt has a lintear value of 250 so 10.6 x 250 = 2650 divided by the total weight of all the grain in your mash bill including malt (95.4 lbs. total) meaning that your total Diastatic power is 27.7 Nearly enough to convert all the starch.

If you divide the Diastatic power (27.7) by the power needed to convert all the starch (30) you will see the percentage converted (92.3).

Some inefficiency in a pot still is warranted and wanted as those unconverted starches will provide flavor to the matrix of water and ethanol to be distilled. If you want a full conversion it will require either an increase in percentage of malt or the use of artificial enzymes. If you use artificial enzymes it is important to use those with no “side activity” as once these enzymes break down starch they then begin breaking down cellulose which produces wood alcohol (also known as methanol, a waste product covered earlier in this book which is poisonous and also leads too off flavors in whiskey.

Regarding Brix and chaptalization

To determine brix just like specific gravity requires a specialized hydrometer. You can get a good reading of brix however by simply dividing the last two numbers of specific gravity by four. To raise the Brix of mash or wine by one brix requires the addition of 1.566 ounces of sugar per gallon. To determine the total addition, you simply start by selecting a Target brix (brix divided by 2 gives potential alcohol). If as an example you have a wine at 12 brix (6 percent pot. ABV) that you would like to raise to 18 you would subtract 12 from 18 and multiply by the total number of gallons to be chaptalized and then multiply this number by 1.566As an example. You have 50 gal of apple wine at 12 brix and you want it at 18 18-12=6 So 6 brix times 50 gal. Times 1.566 ounces per gal= 469.6 ounces of sugar to determine lbs. divide this number by 16 = 29.36 lbs. sugar. However, for every 13.5 lbs. of sugar you add to the volume of your tank you have added 1 gallon of liquid volume with no brix value whatsoever. In order

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to determine the number of gallons with no value divide the number of lbs. of sugar added (29.36) by 13.5= 2.17 gal. Now multiply the gallons with no value (2.17) by your target brix (18) and then multiply that number by 1.566.

So

2.17 x 18= 39.06

39.06 x 1.566= 61.16

Divided ounces by 16

61.16 divided by 16=3.82 lbs. sugar

Attenuation: Attenuation is the ability of a yeast strain to convert sugar into ethanol and CO2, not all yeasts are well Attenuated to their environment but a good rule of thumb in the beer world is that a yeast should have 60- 80% attenuation, these numbers are available from producers To figure out an observable (not exact) attenuation you can use the following formula:

(Original Gravity-Finished Gravity) / (Original Gravity – 1) = X%

This book having been intended for those already somewhat familiar with the alchemical arts I won’t delve too deeply into the intricacies of simple beer brewing but instead will offer my advice and my philosophies regarding the brewing of still beer.

The biggest part of beer brewing is in converting starch into simple sugars so that yeast may then digest those sugars and create from them ethanol and co2. In recent years very, specific enzymes have been isolated which make this job much easier although they can lead to an inferior product for many reasons, of that I will right shortly.

The primary traditional source of enzymatic activity comes from malted grain, mostly barley, of which there are two main types: 2 Row Brewers Malt and 6 Row Distillers Malt. Malt is essentially a grain which has been germinated and allowed to sprout roots about 2 inches long before the drying process begins killing the plant as it is being formed. When this 45 seed germinates a number of chemical reactions occur in order to produce energy for the growing plant, chief amongst them starch is turned to sugar and a number of enzymes are produced which will continue the process of breaking down the remaining long chain starches in the grain into short chain sugars to feed the young plant.

The enzymes available in barley malt vary depending upon its protein content with 2 row varieties being lower in enzymatic power (Known as diastatic power and measured in degrees Linter) in general when compared to 6 row varieties which tend to be much more efficient. Some malts have no diastatic power whatsoever if they have been roasted for a particular flavor profile. Malt producers generally make available lists of the diastatic power in degrees Linter of their malts so the distiller has a good starting point.

Unmalted grains obviously have no diastatic power and must rely on the enzyme provided by malt for conversion of their starches into sugars (in beer brewing these grains are known as adjuncts). A good brewer/distiller should always know the linter of his malt as well as weather he or she has enough diastatic power to convert the majority or all of the starch in his base beer.

30 degrees Linter is considered self-converting which means that enough diastatic power exists to convert all of the starches in the base beer into sugar and therefore 30 degrees linter is the number which we aspire to formulate our mash bills to. To figure out the diastatic power of your cook you simply take the weight of each of your malted grains and add them together and take the linter value of each of those malts and add those together separately. Multiply the two numbers and then divide their sum by the total lbs. of grain in your mash bill.

Most base beer malts have a linter value between 120-160 while distillers malt tends to have a linter value of 220, even at the higher value malts used in a traditional proportion for distillation such as in Bourbon (Scotch is a whole different animal and much more efficient) conversion is still very inefficient as a typical malt addition is only 10 percent of the total grain bill which means at best you will convert maybe 80 percent of the available starch into sugar. 46

As you will recall, pot still distillation works because it is inefficient, water carries more flavor than ethanol and therefore inefficiency should be strived for to some extent greater or lesser. The same is true with preparing a beer. Artificial enzymes exist which will give 100 percent conversion but it is my experience that 100 percent conversion sees a corresponding loss in the flavor and definition of each individual grain in the mash bill as all the starches are converted to sugar and subsequently ethanol leaving little of the initial substrate in the resulting beer to macerate in the water which will be distilled and create a unique profile. If one were to use artificial enzymes they should at the very least leave them a bit inefficient by design to maintain some starch derived flavor compounds and they should be sure that the enzymes have no “side action” meaning that once they convert starch to sugar they don’t start working on another material such as cellulose which creates dirty/woody flavors and a preponderance of heads in the distillate.

A traditional distillate is by far a superior product and should at best efficiency give 3.5 gallons of distillate per bushel of grain.

The Brandies or Burned Wines

Of Apple Brandy and Other Fruit Based Spirits

In the early days of brandy distilling in this country it was customary to use whatever fruit that you may have had available to you until such a time that orchards became reliable producers. Building an orchard took many years and the shape and form of an orchard was largely decided by what cultivars and propagation methods existed locally in commerce. As the nursery trade came more into vogue named varieties became far more common and preference was shown to particular varietals, however, in the interim many distillers and cider makers depended upon trees grown from the seed (pips) of apples which were available freely to those close to an apple mill or press. While it is true that an apple tree grown from a seed will not likely come true to type or may in fact be entirely different from its parent stock depending upon where it was grown and what was used as a pollinator, it is also true that these trees often give good apples for the production of cider and subsequently brandy as we aren’t exclusively looking for the common sweet traits associated with modern production 47 apples when we are producing an alcoholic beverage. In fact, apples that would seem to have no redeeming qualities when meant for fresh eating or cooking most often make the best apples for brandy production. Small apples are also somewhat favored (whether genetically related to a particular trait or entirely the product of the nutritive properties of the soil) as they will give more skin contact which adds more tannin to the base wine but also because they tend to be far more aromatic than larger juice type apples. A prime example of these type of apples is those found in the Normandy region of France wherein Calvados is the prime spirit (usually composed of a majority of apple cider and a small addition of pear cider to adjust PH and increase complexity in the spirit). The apples of Normandy are generally not of a prime edibility (in fact because they don’t ripen completely in the climate, ironically the same reason that grapes aren’t grown in Normandy!) but make a world class spirit. Calvados producers generally use varying proportions of bitter, bittersweet, and sharp apples to shape the character of their spirit. Unfortunately, in the United States apple brandy is generally fairly one dimensional due to the preponderance of commercial edible apples in the blend due in no small part to prohibition putting a nix on apples for everything but fresh market and long-distance shipping. Small farmer-distillers would do well to either purchase or graft named varieties for cider production or to full bore go about creating an orchard instead from the discarded pips of apples from local orchards (or the store) where they are available as they will contain some genetic material already well adapted to the local region. To do so will require that the apple seed be stratified or to go through a period of chilling (winter) to break the dormancy of the seed. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, the simplest of which is to create a well-drained raised bed lined with gravel for drainage on the bottom and then filled with loose soil or compost of good constitution (peat moss works well mixed with 10 percent compost and 20-30% sand and if available good quality pine bark) whereupon the seeds may, having already been dried, be spread evenly and then lightly covered with the same soil and watered in while paying close attention not to overwater the bed or to let it dry out. After winter, has passed the seed will begin to sprout and by the end of the first summer of growth, if well fertilized, the trees should be large enough (8-12 inches) to plant out in well-marked orchard rows. In 7-10 years, the first crops should arrive whereupon you can begin the task of evaluation of your selections for their usefulness in your endeavor. Good trees should be cloned onto disease 48 resistant/tolerant rootstocks and shared with other farmer-distillers, winemakers, beer brewers, ETC.

Recently the USDA ARS-GRIN system began introducing scion wood and seed of selected Kazak apples with very interesting traits, these too may be of value in an orchard suited to apple brandy production.

Regarding the addition of pear brandy or pear juice to Apple brandy or cider for distillation it is generally accepted that the Williams or Bartlett pear is the best selection for distillation as it distills very clean and tasting of its namesake although does not hold up well to aging of its own accord. A 5- 10% proportion of aged pear brandy into an apple brandy of equal age should be significant to create some character outside the lines and a bit of acidity. The same would be true for a clear brandy as well. Pear brandy can be made by the same methods mentioned of apples above. Quince is also sometimes turned into and Eau-De-Vie but contains an inordinate amount of pectin and must be gelatinized by cooking prior to use.

Regarding the fermentation of Apple brandy:

The commercial aspects of apple brandy production have already been well established elsewhere, so here for you I publish instead a more “folk” oriented DIY version of apple brandy fermentation and distillation. There are a few methods of fermentation that I have found to fit the bill for my purposes. All of these fermentations should be completed in a cool dark area such as a cellar or in a barrel dug ½ to 2/3 into the earth to take advantage of the consistently mellow ground temperature. At home, I usually try to let all of my fermentations go for two weeks so long as I don’t detect any faults from bacteria in the mash/wash, this lets me ferment to dryness and my well used wooden casks are already inoculated with natural lactic and other characters that I can rely on to create consistency and keep my wine in good order. I should add that I have no temperature control for my mash barrels and that they ferment at the ambient temperature plus/minus whatever fluctuations the yeast themselves provide as the yeast eating/propagating creates its own heat.

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The Obvious:

Obtain apple juice free from preservatives (I have however used store bought juice and never had a problem) and sanitize your fermenter very well. PH should be 3.0-3.8 and one gram per gallon of yeast should be added to the must which has previously been sterilized by heat or campden tablet (potassium metabisulfate). Apples are fairly low in fermentable sugars and generally high in pectin which during fermentation gets transformed into Methanol (heads) so you have some variables to consider. 5-6% abv is max on free run juice. Adding sugar to your wash will cause the loss of some number of volatility/aromatics but it will up your yield and can be made up for by using very aromatic varieties of apples. Pectin can be reduced using a pectic enzyme or you can rely on the time-tested formula of using sensory evaluation to remove heads from the run. The heads from a run of apple brandy will be almost twice the volume of that of any whiskey you will likely ever distill. Generally, when Chaptalizing I use one lb. of sugar to one gallon of juice and typically aim for a SG of 1.060.

The advanced:

In Calvados, the cider is produced and allowed to age in very large European Oak vats for nine months to one full year before it is distilled. This causes the apple cider to go through both primary and secondary fermentation and quite often Malo-Lactic fermentation (a bacterium which converts sharp Malic acid to the softer lactic acid) which tames down some of the fruiter elements of the base wine and creates a rich and creamy mouthfeel. I have many times used a method similar to this by making use of a nearly spent bourbon barrel in which to make my wine, dosing it with lactic bacteria and aging my wine one year before distilling it at which point I leave maybe 10 gallons of wine in the bottom of 50 the barrel and add the new year’s cider back to the barrel (similar to a traditional Solera) and then fortify the wine with a bit of the newly distilled apple brandy. I also generally add a few botanicals and spices to the blend by way of a previously prepared concoction using apple brandy as the base in a glass one-gallon jug with the inclusion of cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, licorice and vanilla bean in small proportions which distill over more as subtle hints than overwhelming botanical characters.

The Traditional:

This is how apple brandy in America would have been made in the earliest of days (minus the sugar addition) and how it is still most often made in European countries by Folk distillers (ie. Not Calvados). Take a fifty-gallon wooden cask, add two bushels of your selected and cleaned apples, use a well sanitized instrument (I use a sledge) and bust the apples completely and wholly apart. To this add 50 lbs. sugar and 50 gallons of water and 1 gram per gallon of yeast. Ferment to dry. This is what is called a “fruit mash” brandy and is generally the way that early American distillers would have accomplished their labors. It is still popular in parts of Eastern Europe where traveling “distillers” or Boillieur De Cru operate public workshops and is my preferred methodology. You will read that apple seed contain a cyanide precursor which may scare you away from this method, but while this is true they are not freed by distillation in quantities considered harmful. This method is also improved by cooking that apples at a simmer for one hour to further break down the cell walls and allow for extraction, the same can be accomplished by freezing the apples before use.

If a sugar addition (Chaptalization) is made to the cider/wine I highly encourage you to use a 10-20% proportion of brown sugar. The brown sugar gives complexity to the spirit due to its impurities resulting from molasses being added back to the rectified sugar. The heavier/more impure the sugar the better. In fact, molasses, honey, maple syrup or raw brown sugar would be even better for the development of the esters you will be after in distillation. In fruit mashes, I use the rule of thumb of one lb. of sugar to two lbs. of fruit. 51

Regarding Malo-Lactic. I often use Malo-Lactic when I don’t have a wide selection of apples to choose from in my base, particularly if I don’t have apples or juice that is highly aromatic. Malo-Lactic is fantastic for mouthfeel in a spirit but can severely inhibit bright or otherwise high aromatic notes and often should be avoided in favor of fruity aromas where available, at least in a spirit meant for immediate consumption.

Regarding the distillation of Apple brandy:

Calvados again being the traditional “folk” methodology it might be important to look to that region for some tips and hints. Calvados can be double pot distilled in the Cognac style but is more often than not made in a type of primitive column still called and Armagnacs which is usually equipped with at least four distillation/rectification plates (sometimes you will see a traditional Alembic with a single rectifying “lens” on the swan’s neck, particularly in eastern Europe), these plates act as rectification mechanisms providing the crude equivalent of a separate distillation for each plate. There is no doubt that a single pass distillation strips less of the aromatic character of the spirit and leaves plenty to savor in the flavor department but it can also be a tad “rustic” or “rough” as well. Making clean cuts between heads, hearts, and tails gets blurred anytime a method for rectification is used to create a single pass product. It is important to remember that traditional Calvados is almost always aged for a very prolonged period of time like most French brandies; “We drink the spirits of our fathers and make the spirits of our children.” As such natural valorization (the angels share) will remove from the aging distillate naturally by evaporation most of the compounds associated with the heads portion that do end up in the barrel.

In the eastern European departments, the method is most often that of “returns” or doubling in a copper pot still. Generally, the mash and liquid are all put into the still to be distilled. If the itinerant distiller has an agitator for his still this is the most common method and if not an ingenious method for keeping the mash from scorching has been devised whereby the distiller will line the bottom of the copper Alembic (usually a Ban Marie or water sealed double boiler) with straw for the fruit mash to lay on. A stripping run is affected with no cuts and then a doubling run is made. Some of the itinerant distillers do use thump barrels or doublers from which a good 52 product may be obtained as long as strict attention is paid to keeping the run as slow as possible so as not to “smear” the heads and hearts cuts together, this again is particularly important for a clear spirit to be considered palatable.

I’ve tried a number of methods including double pot still, thump barrel, and my personal favorite what I call a 1.2 distillation which retains the concept of a single pass brandy while further rectifying the bulk of the liquid.

I generally used a 15.5 gal still built from a SS keg (see “The Distillery” section in the earlier pages of this book) and would perform two stripping runs, using only the wash from the fruit mash brandy (though I did squeeze the apple bits for all the expendable free flow wine I could get) to collect 5 gallons or so of “Broullis” (Low wine) which I placed back in the still with another 3-5 gallons of fresh wine. From this I ran slowly and made my cuts using organoleptic profile (sensory perception). This means that 2/3 of my apple brandy was from a single pass distillation while 1/3 was the result of a tradition Charentes style double distillation. This allowed me to keep the aromatics of a traditional Calvados style while cleaning up more of the impurities. The cut here is very important as we want to rid ourselves of all of the “heads” and “tails” portions of these types of runs as any overlap will be immediately noticeable as a fault in the finished product.

After obtention (collection) of the Eau-De-Vie it is important not to proof the spirit down rapidly as this will “shock” the spirit and subsequently encourages the development of waxy or soapy molecules that deeply affect flavor, this flaw is known as saponification. The spirit should be brought to proof no more than 5-10 proof points at a time with good quality water. Rain water or snow melt water filtered through activated charcoal is the best. The Eau-De-Vie should be placed in bottles or jars or carboys (glass is preferred but stainless works nearly as well) somewhere cool and out of direct light and allowed to mellow for a period of weeks or months up to a year before consumption. This gives all the constituents in the blend time to marry one another and for the nose to become more aromatic than ethanol fueled. These same methods mentioned above may be applied to any of the fruit-based spirits with the caveat that not all are created equal as many fruits are far too volatile to ferment and distill and their unique 53 character is often lost in the process. (see general recipes for Peach, Plum ext.).

Part of my fascination with distillation as can be seen from this book is its tie to agricultural production and spiritual alchemy. My goal has always been to combine the two of these contexts together as much as possible by creating a sustainable piece of land from which I could harvest food and raw material for transmutation. Survivalist in the case of cataclysmic events more than plays its part in these preparations as well. A home distiller may not have the options available to me but one should always be aware of local resources and put them to good use. As an example, identifying and securing local fruit sources (nuts and botanicals or grains as well) via the commons or from local farmers. One of my long-standing traditions is to identify fruit trees not currently used by local gardeners and offer the landowner trade or barter in exchange for access to what they don’t use. Sometimes this has been monetary, other times I’ve traded my wine or Eau-De-Vie or for seed, plants, poultry, or whatever else is at hand.

Catawba Brandy: The Original American Brandy:

Digging through any number of historical accounts of winemaking in the early United States will undoubtable show that for all the promise of the new land and opportunity, the prospect of commercial viticulture was, at its best, in this hot humid country, a doomed proposition from the start. Disease and pests dashed any hope of traditional Vinifera vines prospering prior to root grafting and most of the native varieties contained “musky” or “foxy” notes the settlers were unfamiliar with and didn’t care for. Many years and many entrepreneurs in the new world perused the dream of producing fine American wine on the east coast and in the south and eventually the Ohio and Mississippi valley to no avail until the Catawba grape, a pink skinned cross of the American Vitus labrusca and the European Vitus Vinifera from unknown parents originating on the east coast, was introduced into the wider Ohio valley region where it thrived.

While it is true that the Alexander grape (another Labrusca x vinifera) had proceeded the Catawba, it was rarely ever successful and when it was, it wasn’t for long and generally this was replaced and succeeded in all ways by the now familiar Catawba. While “First Vineyard” in Kentucky and later 54

Vineyards in Vevay Indiana were aware of and utilizing Catawba it is Nicholas Longworth of Cincinnati, Ohio who would create the first truly successful commercial winery in the United States to which we owe most of our debt of gratitude for the wide expansion of Catawba grape viticulture. Longworth introduced the cultivar into heavy cultivation in his home state of Ohio and from there introduced both a still and a sparkling version of the wine that was sold all across the continent. Longworth’s success caused the cultivation of the Catawba in large tracts all up and down the Ohio river valley and then up and into the finger lakes region of New York creating a glut of the gorgeous pink berries from which wine and brandy were produced. Unfortunately, the partial Vinefera parentage opened Catawba up to problems with both Downey and Powdery Mildew and new varieties such as Concord and Delaware came to prominence over Catawba, although Catawba does remain a mid-west mainstay.

By the late 1850’s Catawba brandy was becoming quite popular as a unique spirit in the Ohio Valley and it’s “medicinal” virtues touted in numerous medical texts while it was also commonly entered into competitions all over the continent. Cincinnati became the hotbed of Catawba brandy distillers (ironically also Blackberry brandy distillers) creating a spirit that oftentimes was cited as being “on par with or exceeding brandy of the French methods.”

So, well-loved became the Catawba and its products that the poet Robert Browning paid it and the Ohio River region homage in his poem "Mr. Sludge, the Medium" (1864)

Very good in its way Is the Verzenay Or the Sillery soft and creamy; But Catawba wine Has a taste more divine, More dulcet, delicious, and dreamy. There grows no vine By the haunted Rhine By Danube or Guadalquivir, Nor on island or cape That bears such a grape As grows by the Beautiful River. 55

Catawba brandy distills incredibly well, coming across with big grapefruit notes and a much-subdued foxiness compared to its other Lambrusca relatives (Niagara smells of “diesel fuel” and Concord makes a distillate that tastes like cheap bubble gum). Some foxiness will be apparent before proofing but diminishes with tank or glass aging and dropping of the proof in stages. Catawba should be around 18 brix with a PH around 2.8-3.4 Higher PH values increase the foxiness of the grape tremendously and produce and very inferior product.

Of “Compound” Brandies

While you may never have heard the term “Compound” brandies they were at one time all the rage prior to prohibition (particularly blackberry in the wider Ohio Valley) and to this day they are still widely produced in Eastern Europe (Kirshwasser is often a compound brandy) and are yet another trick up a well learned distillers sleeve.

Certain fruits do not in any way distill well due to their flavoring constituents being highly “volatile” or unstable, while the wine may have plenty of character as a table wine once it is distilled much of the aromatic material is blown off as a gas leaving behind only the very faint impression of the base fruit. Peach is a good example (although truly great traditional Peach and Cherry brandies do exist, see Fleenor Peach in this book), as are cherries, apricots, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

In a time when people are like water and seeking the easy way out we need only run down to the local liquor store or look at the millions of posts from small American craft distillers to determine that the consensus seems to be that to capture these flavors we should do a post distillation infusion of these various natural flavors and then sweeten them up to match the palate of the American Public with highly refined sugars. This however is not necessary and something that I do consider to be a short-lived trend, particularly in a world where the common man is tired of being sold a bill of goods and is instead searching for true Alchemy, meaning, relevancy, and most importantly authenticity.

So, to you, those who read this book, I implore you to please look into the methodology I am about to explain for producing a more natural version of 56 these flavors for yourself and your consumer, you should always take immense pride in your work as Alchemy is always equal to Quality over Quantity!

The production process is not at all dissimilar to the processes of Gin and Absinthe distillation. The first step of course is to decide on an alcohol to use as our base. My preference is either a light whisky (think oat which can give an almost “Cobbler” like effect to fruit), Grain Neutral Spirit, or even a sugar wash. Whatever is used as a base the more neutral the flavor the better the end product as the focus should always be on the material being distilled. Understanding that water is a flavor carrier and alcohol is not being of prime importance to the proof of the alcohol you use for extraction and distillation. In almost all compound brandies and botanical distillation my desired base proof is 72. This is high enough alcohol to facilitate breakdown of material and enough water to carry over the flavor compounds we want from the distillation. Never enter alcohol above 100 proof into a still as the risk of “flashing off” to much vapor at once is a very real threat! Extraction can be amplified by a couple of different methods, enzymes, as commonly available to home distillers and professionals are available but the good old “moonshiner” in me still relies on and prefers to use the most natural approach possible, freezing. Freezing fruit (this works well for wine making and true brandy as well) and then thawing breaks down the cell walls and allows for efficient and easy extraction of juice and flavor. Approach a compound brandy in the same way you do Gin by first Macerating the desired base in this 72- proof alcohol for 18-24 hours. Longer is not necessary as often times you will begin to extract compounds that you do not desire. One hour of this maceration should see you raise the temperature of the still to 90 degrees for proper digestion of the material, after this distillation in pot still mode may commence. In terms of raw material of fruit or berries I have found that two lbs. per gallon is sufficient for a product of high quality with the fruit well represented in the finished product. You can of course also add any number of botanicals to the still, gin head, basket, or thump barrel if you would like to further enhance the profile. Typically, the more common baking spices are best (nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, clove)

Just like a true brandy you must take the time to proof this distillate slowly as it will precipitate oils and specify easily. It is of upmost importance that 57 you let this distillate sit in glass or stainless steel out of the sun and away from heat for some weeks to let the constituent pieces marry well. This distillate can also be placed in barrels or casks for aging, generally a medium or medium plus toast is more than enough to soften the edges of the distillate and to work in conjunction with it without over powering the nuances of the Eau-De-Vie.

Uisce Beatha

Guaranteed Whiskey:

Lots of Distilleries and moonshiners tout their spirits as something quite special, unique, rare, boutique, or the dreaded “craft” but how do you know what your getting is as advertised? Either that it’s not been tampered with by “corporate” interests or that it’s truly what the distiller says it is, there is after all a difference between “craft” and “crafty”. I can honestly say that having worked extensively on both sides of the law over the years that the legal industry is far more dishonest than any moonshiner I ever met (not that there are not shady characters out there and bad distillers to boot!) and subsequently that reflects badly on all of us. A distiller should have pride in his product, hone his/her art and always try to one up themselves. As a farmer-distiller this is very important to me, I have pride in what I do and I want my customers to trust me. If I make a guarantee, it has to mean something, I have to be able to honestly look you in the eyes and repeat my guarantee and I can confidently say that there has never been a time in my career when I could not do that.

This has been a concern of distillers and customers for as long as the craft has existed. In the United States, a couple of men took the guarantee of good spirits, bourbon in particular, to new heights; Col. E.H. Taylor and George Garvin Brown. Much has already been written of these two men and the work they completed in the industry so we will just stick to the basics of their “Guarantees”.

Col. Taylor, who was the main force behind the bottled in bond act which gave a defacto guarantee to the customer that any product labeled “Bottled in Bond” met the requirement that it be the product of one distillation season (January to December) and one distiller at one distillery and as well must be aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government 58 supervision for at least four years and bottled at 100 (U.S.) proof (50% alcohol by volume). This was the mark of quality that your grandparents and great grandparents used to distinguish good whiskey from swill although it had until recently fallen out of favor due to a demand for lower proof “smoother” spirits it has recently began to shine as the diamond it is.

George Garvin Brown of the famous Brown-Forman (then Thompson) created a guarantee of his own in his early days in the business. Before bottling bourbon became a thing it was sold in bulk via the barrel to distributors (usually stores and pharmacies) where it could be tampered with and adulterated or blended with lesser whiskies and substances drastically effecting its quality and ruining the reputation of the advertised distiller. Brown wanted a medical grade Bourbon (going so far as to pay a doctor “Forrester” to endorse his brand “Old Forester) and needed a way to guarantee its quality. He found what he was looking for in sealed bottles (a rarity up to that point) and the following guarantee:

“This Whiskey is bottled by us only, and we are responsible for its purity and fine quality. Its elegant flavor is solely due to original fineness developed by age. There is nothing better in the market.”

Both of those guarantees and ones crafted thereafter have done much to secure quality spirits and a good image thereof in the U.S. but with the “craft” business burgeoning there are always those out to make a quick buck which brings us all down a notch or two unfortunately. The good news is that we are quickly approaching a pinnacle where “local” spirits are becoming the norm and regional distilleries can really provide a “homegrown” approach to spirits much like farmer’s markets changed the food landscape in the 90’s and early 2000’s.

The real benefit of this is that most small distilleries allow you to get closer to the creative process that gave birth to the new spirits you already know and love and those you soon will by allowing more access via tours and meet and greets with distillers who can, will, and do love talking about their products. The best guarantee you can get is that that comes from knowing the distiller you are purchasing from. Much like the best guarantee on food one can get is by knowing their farmer.

59

Of Course, we must remember, the industry is young and perfecting the trade takes some time, not all distillers are “created” equal, so there will be and is vast quality variation, the free market will sort out that lingering issue as well as dedicated distillers further honing their craft and continuing to learn by working with others, taking classes, and reading voraciously.

This brings me to the close of this installment and subsequently to my Guarantee as a distiller:

What I do is craft honest spirits for honest people. I preserve and enhance agricultural integrity for the social lubrication of my peers. I am who and what I am, my product reflects that. This toast is to you, the working folks busting knuckles every week; I hope to bring you something special to ease your weary days at a fair value and high quality.

An Observation/Theory:

In my many years and thousands of pages of distillation research as well as my own personal experiences (from a family that could legitimately disown you if you made "government whiskey") I've often seen historical references or heard first person about the wholesomeness of homemade whiskey used in moderation vs. the pitfalls of legal whiskey. I think I've come to a conclusion I've not seen elsewhere; my family, of Ulster and Highland extraction tend to be critical of all commercial product and call a spade a spade, they lived through the historical period when much "rectified" and adulterated whiskey (think creosote and tobacco spit) was on the market legally. I wonder if that old phrase "if your whiskeys too red it will swell up your head" balanced by the wholesomeness of homemade came from experience gained from drinking legal but adulterated whiskey? Phrases like "not a damn headache in a gallon", "it will only make ya want for branch water/spitting cotton balls in the morning" and "that mountain whiskey didn't make ya sick like this red stuff" seem to verify this story. Bear in mind, this is from a niche of people not in a hurry to make quick money, so they spent more time making their whiskey/brandy (3 or 4 times pot distilled in some cases. But the idea that legal whiskey was unhealthy due to impurities in the past (late 1800’s) seems to hold some weigh. 60

Of Botanical Distillations

A Note about botanical spirits and Maceration and Digestion and Vapor Distillation: There are recipes for Absinthe, Aquavit, and Gin that call for other methods of infusing flavor into the spirit including fermentation or adding the botanicals to low wines as opposed to high wines (obviously dropped to a safe proof) prior to distillation. There is merit to these methods but they do not in my opinion create the optimal flavor profile for a number of reasons. Fermentation: I have avoided this particular methodology for most of my career for a number of reasons. Chief amongst them is that many botanicals you will be using in botanical distillation are incredibly volatile meaning that the more heat and processes they are exposed to throughout production the more aroma and subsequent flavor will be lost, as well, with double pot still distillation you would be processing the botanicals multiple times leading to multiple chance to either loose flavor and aroma or distort flavor and aroma and create vegetative off flavors. The second reason I avoid fermentation is due to enzymatic activity. At home I never use isolated enzymes and always use malt, however in a commercial distillery yield is an important part of paying the bills and most distillery owners will require the use of enzymes, as mentioned elsewhere in this book many of these enzymes have “side activity” and will attack cellulosic material and begin to convert it into wood alcohol or methanol. Low wines: This method is avoided as the secondary distillation will require you to make a large heads cut to “finish” the base spirit. Each of these botanicals has a specific range of temperatures wherein the constituent parts distill the most noticeably, as such you will lose some flavor to the foreshots and the heads. The flavor in the heads cut is recoverable upon adding your heads back to the next run of the product but again would be subject to more heat and subsequent degradation or distortion of aroma or flavor profile. My method has always been and will always be to finish a base spirit via fermentation and double pot still distillation and to subsequently proof down the resultant base to between 70 and 100 proof and to add the majority of the botanicals to this distillate wherein they will macerate (soak) for 18-24 hours or more prior to distillation (going longer can release lots of cellulose into the matrix 61 as well or phenolics if you work with fresh fruit with seeds such as blackberry or raspberry and should be avoided where possible). Most botanicals are better macerated such as roots, leaves, bark, berries or fruit while floral and citrus elements are better vapor distilled in a gin basket where only the lighter oils are extracted and none of the heavier and subsequently “soapy” materials are distilled. The first step of the maceration process is digestion wherein the still with finished alcohol and macerated botanicals is brought to a temperature of around 100 degrees for one hour. These methods have been used by alchemist for centuries. A similar but secondary option for the home distiller is to use the thump barrel to provide the same service as the post still by impregnating the alcohol solution in the thump barrel with the botanicals/fruits you prefer to flavor your product with. Botanicals should generally be crushed or pulverized but never ground or turned to powder as the subsequent surface area is often increased to greatly and too much of the essence of the botanical is taken into the product. This is particularly true of Ceylon, Licorice, wormwood, and pepper of all types. I do not include here my full absinthe recipe as I regard it as a well-kept secret, needless to say there are excellent resources out there to search and I have given the base botanicals of the triumvirate from which your own customized variant may be composed.

Of Absinthe

I’m pretty passionate about my absinthe. It is a spirit close to my heart due to its romanticism as well as its history but more so because of its difficultly to distill. Absinthe Blanche (and the vapor distilled alternatives; citrus, lavender, ginger) was one of the first projects I was put in charge of at my previous employer as well, although to be fair it was more of a Pastis, even so we have a history together. If Absinthe is done right, there is in my opinion no other drink pre or post dinner that can compare with its effects nor blend so interestingly into such a diverse cocktail range. It is one of but a few botanically influenced distillates that actually stimulates a hunger response and is a nice repose to my Aquavit and Gin experiments.

Absinthe is always an interesting social drink. Many come to it with high expectations fortified by their reading and viewing of books and movies that 62 have woven tall tails into its physiological effects. You can always tell when you’re dealing with someone well initiated into the absinthe circle, while they may get nerdy on you they won’t ramble on about hallucinations and Alpha Thujone, perhaps a passing comment, but that is all. Absinthe is one of those drinks you either love or hate (or, perhaps the next morning you love to hate it!) There is no gray area. This is almost always due to the fact that at its core, much like Ouzo and Rakia and Pastis it is an Anisette. If you don’t like licorice you won’t like absinthe plain and simple.

The history of Absinthe is quite complex and convoluted, far more pages should be written detailing the history of this product but I won’t try to get it all out in this volume, instead I’ll focus on a bit of a Blanche/Le Blue Primer and give the enterprenuing Absintheur a few tips:

After the Prohibition, De Absinthe took effect in Europe many Swiss distillers decided to continue production of the now illicit spirit. Think of them as the Moonshiners of the Alps if you will, hardy people with a tradition that made money that they would like to continue. Many distillers moved deep into the countryside and set up clandestine distilleries, often growing or wildcrafting (gathering) the trinity of herbs and botanicals (Grand Wormwood, Green Anise, and Fennel) as well as any modifying botanicals they may want to use. These recipes, many very individualized, were well regarded secrets. Distilling Eau-De-Vie was not illegal so the ever clever Absintheur often settled on distilling an absinthe sans post distillation maceration (and its Verde coloring effect) so as to conceal his clandestine product. Often times what had been considered traditional coloring herbs in absinthe Verde were now added to the distilling pot instead so as to concentrate their flavor into something familiar to the absinthe drinking masses. The result? A product the Swiss often said reflected the color of their Azure sky; Le Blue!

Absinthe may be made of any base alcohol so long as it’s flavor does not clash with the botanicals, as well, if one were to use a base whiskey or brandy you would be best or served to do a strip and a double and make your cuts on the second run and then return this liquid (reduced in proof to around 70 and never above 100!) to the still with the botanicals so as to avoid losing any of the precious botanical volatile components to a heads cut. As a general rule when dealing with botanicals any seed, root, or pot 63 is macerated for 18-24 hours in the distillate prior to distillation and floral and citrus characters are relegated to a gin basket or a carter head some other device where the vapor is allowed to pass over the botanicals and extract only the lighter more floral oils (Lavender is almost always terrible to distill for drinking purposes as it contains a lot of camphor and can give a soap like taste and texture to a drink, however if used in small quantities as a bit of contrast it can perform well)

The Holy Trinity as it is known tends to be used in similar quantities across historic recipes and has always worked well for me in the following range.

Wormwood: 20 Gm/Gal

Fennel: 15 Gm/Gal

Anise: 40 Gm/Gal

These numbers are of course presuming you will do you research and learn via trial and error about how other botanicals work and react and blend flavors. In general, you must understand that building a botanical spirit is much like cooking a bowl of Chili, some things scale well, others do not, and very small amounts of spices like black pepper, grains of paradise (which is almost always preferable to black pepper as it is “cleaner” on the palate), nutmeg, cardamom, and Cayenne go a long, long way. Never start with more than say 1 gram per gallon of any of those

Cinnamon Eau-De-Vie

I have spent a lot of time creating and perfecting many botanical spirits over the years. Botanical distillations are always challenging, particularly if you are not a fan and in my case absolutely shun the use of artificial flavor or extracts (cheating is cheating!) and would instead prefer to focus on perfecting your skills. One of my favorite distillations that works well with any good whiskey base or apple brandy or neutral grain spirit is Cinnamon Eau-De-Vie. Think of this as a natural version of the popular artificially flavored cinnamon whiskies. This will not have the thick glycol-syrup texture nor the intensity of those cheap adulterated spirits but will instead have a nice warming effect on the palate and stomach. 64

You will distill cinnamon in both a maceration in the pot still as well as in the gin basket. I will not tell you exact proportions but this recipe can be drastically improved by the use of both common cinnamon as well as the much more expensive Ceylon cinnamon. The cinnamon is the only thing in the gin basket.

Cinnamon in pot 100 gm/gal.

Cinnamon in basket 24 gm/gal

Vanilla Bean 3 gm/gal

Cardamom .04 gm/gal

Gop .04 gm/gal

Cayenne .08 gm/gal (this is for contrast, cinnamon without pepper has no heat)

Licorice Root 2gm/gal (licorice root is one of the biggest cheats in botanical distillation as it doesn’t provide much licorice flavor but gives an implied sweetness and is similar to gum aerobic in that it gives increased mouthfeel)

Black Pepper .04 gm/gal

Nut meg .04 gm/gal

Various Recipes

A note of interest here for those interested in moonshine. It is my humble opinion, that despite my warnings earlier in the book about taking to woods or streams outside of a building to make moonshine that “moonshine” of any quality and repute should not be made with anything other than “branch” water, spring water, or good well water. That is, what nature provides to you. I say this because “moonshine” is about two things, utilitarianism and terroir. Using local water is utilitarian as it gets and identifying a good source goes a long way in a survivalist setting as well. Obviously, this is not always practical and one must be careful where 65 they are taking the water from; mindful of any surface runoff pollutants or other impurities. In recent years the commercial distilling industry has taken the importance of source water away from making good liquor (I should also note I use liquor in reference to commercial product and “Likker” in reference to moonshine) due mostly to the “craft” industry who for all the good they have done have eroded a lot of the qualitative properties of distilling in the US because they NEED to take shortcuts. Some have even claimed R.O. water to be just as good if not better, something I take strong issue with. Kudos to the big guys that maintain their ancestral waters indeed! For the hundreds of years that whiskey distilling and fruit mash distilling has existed the water source has always been paramount and for me it remains so. I have run liquor and likker on every type of water you can imagine (including as indicated earlier; Tap water) and I can tell you that every spring, creek, and well, even those located on the same property, will make “likker” substantially differing from one another. This is Terroir in Its purest form and it ties back into the issue of distillery character as mentioned earlier to the extent that most Scotch distilleries are named after the Glenn or creek they source their water from.

Making Corn Malt

While corn malt does not have the Diastatic (conversion) power of the better-known barley malt or of artificial enzymes I feel it is important for those of us in the U.S. in particular to know how to make it as corn is by far the most predominant, convenient, and well adapted grain that we have (Grain on a handle!) and is essential to the character of traditional corn whiskey/moonshine. Typically, a recipe will call for 10% malted corn which some old timers used as a yeast source. The Diastatic power of corn malt is only 25-30. Barley enough to convert itself, so as a source of enzyme for unconverted grain it’s fairly useless unless you make a 100 percent malt corn whiskey.

Picking a corn variety: While any type of whole kernel corn can and will make malt, it is also true that every variety of corn provides a different profile and character to the finished spirit. Typically, my malt is made from either the same corn as the base of the rest of the whiskey or something contrasting flavor wise. You will run into a lot of false information about not using hybrid corn (this alone is a book all its own) because it won’t 66 germinate (not true, it very much will) or about only using white or yellow corn (a division that runs back to the civil war with the south issuing white corn meal and the north issuing yellow corn meal) when both will in fact work. The color of corn doesn’t ultimately matter in any meaningful conversation other than those of sensory preference as each color of corn has a different flavor due to the amino acids present that produced those colors and each type (flint, dent, flour) of corn has a different profile as well but also differing starch contents. There are a number of truly great corn varieties out there and readily available as seed to the true farmer distiller, many of which I will discuss in detail later.

I use an old Appalachian methodology to make my malt. First and foremost, it should be understood that malt is nothing more than germinated seed that is dried in order to activate and preserve it enzyme content as well as to convert some of the starch into fermentable sugar. As a seed germinates the starches tied up in the matrix begin to break down into simple sugars to feed the emerging seedling (and subsequently to activate the Alpha Amalayse enzyme that can convert unmalted grain to sugar as well. and it is at this stage that we want to stop this natural progression for our own use. Understanding this allows one to see that the conditions necessary happen to be the same conditions needed for starting a good crop of corn. Heat, moisture and drainage. As such I only make malt in the warm part of the year and subsequently make enough to last through the year. Malting will not turn the majority of the starch preserved in the kernel into sugar but fully 1/3 of a lb. of well malted corn can be expected to have been transformed into fermentable sugar.

First put your corn in a bucket and cover with good spring, well, branch, or if necessary tap water (whatever water you use for mashing you should also use for your malt). Allow the corn to soak for 48 hours. Spread straw upon the ground and over this place an old bed sheet. Spread your soaked corn upon the bed sheet and spread it thin and then cover with another moist bed sheet upon which you will place another layer of straw. Check the malt daily and mix it with your hands so that it doesn’t develop mold. In a few days, you should start to see some rootlets emerging, allow these to grow until they are 1-2 inches long at which point you may remove the malt from the sheet and take it for drying. I have built a three by five-foot table with raised sides made of untreated 2x4’s and a piece of 1/8-inch screen 67 on which to place my wet malt to this I add a fan to aid with drying. Dehydrators can be used as well but I prefer the old-fashioned way of making my malt. Once the sprouts dry down you then rub them off of the kernels by hand and winnow them out using a fan (if you leave the sprouts in it gives the liquor a green, grassy flavor) malt can then be stored for the season in sealed plastic buckets or feed bins for later consumption.

To make a smoked malt whiskey: Follow the above steps but do not dry the corn. It will be necessary to make a Kiln of some sort with which to dry the corn malt using your preferred wood or peat. Think of this as a type of smoke house which can be made by building a chamber with wire shelving to hold the malt which to it is connected piping to direct the smoke and some of the heat from the fuel into the box. The fuel should never be on fire but instead only smoldering, this is accomplished a few different ways, the most efficient and the one I prefer is to build a fire, allow it to die down to a coal bed, split your smoke wood into small pieces and soak it in water and add this on top of the coal bed, if necessary control the fire by spraying it with water so that it continues to smolder. Continue to smoke the grain until it is dry and precede the same as advised with regular malt. Hickory smoked malt has long been used in Southern Indiana to add an additional dimension to corn liquor.

These same methods may also be used for other varieties of grain malt, although due to Ergot the home distiller in my opinion should avoid the use of wheat and triticale for malt production.

The only down side of malted corn is that it only produces enough Alpha Amalayse enzyme to convert an equal amount of unmalted corn in a cooked mash. So, ten lbs. of malt will only convert 10 lbs. of corn, this said, if corn whiskey is your goal a high proportion of malt corn or an all malt mash makes a nice sweet and slightly earthy product on the cheap.

Now, a few recipes from the repertoire, some of these are fairly simple, some more elaborate, some are true Moonshine recipes and others resemble those used by commercial distilleries. All of the recipes given in this book are wash recipes (beer with no grain) and not mash recipes as I had no agitation in my stills and solids should be removed from anything to run in the still by way of screening unless otherwise noted such as is the 68 case with botanical spirits. As well, all of these recipes are catered to fifty- gallon batches as my fermenter of choice is a straightforward used oak bourbon barrel. Like any art in the world there are several ways to reach the same conclusions, these just happen to be my favorite methods of travel…

Sourcing your ingredients and variations:

Obviously, I have put much emphasis on “involvement” in the process into this book. Involvement essentially being defined as how deep into the process the distiller becomes, the more involved, the better the end product. Sourcing ingredients is very important and taking stock of local resources is vital. There is never a time when I am driving through the countryside that I am not taking stock of local resources; neglected fruit trees and bushes, farmers with grain for sale, etc. More than this I keep my eye out for hardware that can be converted to equipment at the curbside and also for sales at the local stores for much needed ingredients. It’s important to know where you can buy things in bulk without people asking too many questions. Sans bulk food stores the next best bet are the discount stores that sell “off” brands as it is not uncommon for people to buy in bulk from these stores as their prices are generally substantially lower but the product just as good. Sugar and canned fruit fall into this category.

Moreover though, if you can, you should be growing or trading for some amount of your supply and creating a reliable chain through which you can accomplish your work and perhaps even move some product at the same time, it’s also never a bad idea to build a good storage area and get ahead of the game instead of having to fit buying supplies into a schedule that might already including mashing in and distilling on the same day.

Understand how ingredients work and visualize what the end goal is, constantly research, learn, and refine.

My Fermenters

I have used many different types and sizes of fermenters over the years to make my mash/wash but my go to is a standard 53 gallons used oak bourbon barrel, while they are not easy to clean they can be well scalded 69 with a good fire made up of hardwood if/when/where needed. Since most everything I run at home is a sugar-based shine recipe I find (much like most rum distillers) that once I have the microflora I actually want thriving in the wood of the barrel that I don’t have much problem with bacterial infections. Lactobacillus was always common in my home distillery and I welcomed it as it has an acidifying effect and creates a softer acid profile in a wash. Plastic drums are widely available and often come with tops that screw or clamp down and are easily cleaned using any number of solvents available at home brew stores and allow for the addition of “airlocks”. For wooden barrels I simply cover my barrels over with a plastic barrel cover with an elastic ring in which I poke small holes to allow air to escape. If a fermentation is going well and quickly it should be putting off enough co2 to push most contaminants away from entering. There are some out there reading this now that shudder at the thought, I can only recommend what I like and I wouldn’t damn say something if I hadn’t had luck with it. Traditional distillation is at best “messy” and I don’t care for metal, plastic, or closed top fermenters in a traditional atmosphere as neither do many Scotch or Rum producers or traditional European brandy distillers. Distillers were producing great drams long before marketing companies came along pushing sanitization supplies and we are after all making spirits, not wine or beer so impurities often provide dimension and character to a spirit. One must be aware however that there is a very fine line and we are not in the business of feeding acetobacter and making vinegar.

Yeast

Coming from a brandy distillation background I tend to view yeast selection a bit differently from most distillers. While you will often see me reference Fleishmans bread yeast (which I have often used in everything from all grain mashes to fruit brandy) my preference is almost always on using yeasts catered to brandy or wine production in distillation depending on what kind of character I want to bring out of a spirit. Since my style of distillation tends to focus on the fruitier and more estery elements of a given raw material these yeasts suit my needs incredibly well and I have found them to answer for all types of distilled product over the years, be it legal or illicit, fruit or grain based. 70

EC-1118, K1V1116, and VIN 13 are all three good choices as they are all fast working and very competitive yeasts that generally beat out any unwanted microbes and produce a respectable alcohol level while retaining heaps of flavor. I have in recent years more often than not begun to shun EC-1118 as it produces an inordinate amount of Acetyl aldehyde and subsequently H2S and SO2.

Of “Making” Your Own Yeast

In the early days of distilling capturing yeast was a necessity as commercial yeast preparation were either hard to come by or nonexistent. The extent of this is revealed by the fact that in those early commercial distilleries the head distiller was often labeled as distiller and yeast maker. Often the distiller might purchase or trade for his yeast from the town baker or brewer but many times he would just harvest what he could locally. Some relied on wild fermentations from yeast present in the air or on the grain or fruit while others attempted to culture a strain well suited to distillation. Once a good strain was found care was taken to maintain it and many of the old distilleries once had Donna rooms complete with copper vats for maintaining the mother strain.

I have captured many yeasts over the years and propagated them myself as well. Yeast is constantly changing, particularly in the non-lab like setting of a home farm distillery so that in a few yeast generations you no longer have exactly what you started with. That said, if the yeast continues to give you the character that you want in your spirit and makes a good and palatable product you should/could continue to run your own strain. Everyone’s method for doing so is somewhat different but keeping equipment sterile is necessary. Of course, capturing a yeast is easy, whether it makes a good whiskey or not is another story entirely and will require much experimenting on your behalf.

I make a very thin mash of barley malt and corn or a wine base, say a 1.040-1.050 Specific Gravity, after I have identified an area where I think a useful yeast might be (say a long abandoned local distillery/mill) and from there I tend to look for fruit trees in the area. Fruit trees tend to harbor the type of yeasts we want/need for our purposes. I will find an apple or a pear or crabapple which I then dip into the augur (The barley wash) and cover 71 the flask with aluminum foil which I then set in a cool dark place to develop (Nowadays I use a true copper Donna or mother jug). This can be done with wheat or rye or corn flour as well. After the yeast develops I feed it some sugar and then multiply it by making a standard mash of five gallons. Once the mash has finished fermentation I use my senses to observe the yeasts effects and if it is good I will keep a starter jug of it in a fridge or the basement and well covered where I will feed it sugar from time to time. You can do this with the lees in the bottom of your fermenter as well by harvesting post distillation and culturing in a Donna jug.

Yeast can also be harvested from commercial products in which you know the yeast is left alive; beer and traditional (non co2) sparkling wine/Champaign are good examples. Simply harvest lees from the bottle or pour some of the product directly into the augur.

To make a dry/powdered yeast that will last a long time prepare a well-fed concoction of your yeast along with some wheat flour mixed with sugar. Work the flour to a dough ball consistency using water as well as the liquid from your “Donna”. Lay the flour out on a piece of wax paper and roll it paper thin. Place in a well sterilized dehydrator and set the temp. for about 90 degrees. Once the yeast is dried you can either wrap it in wax paper and place in a freezer bag somewhere cold or you can run the flour through a food processor to make granulated yeast which you can store in a jar somewhere cool and dark where it should last 6 months to 1 year.

I have mentioned previously that the primary function of copper in distillation is in removing sulfates and sulfides (So2, H2S) but I had failed to make mention that Sulfur should never be added to any grape meant for distillation as it becomes bonded to certain principles in the distillate that will not be entirely removed by distillation and will lead to a distillate with a nose that smells slightly burnt or toasted and is not in any way desirable. As well, you should generally aim to keep your fermentations from developing natural S02 or H2s to the best of your ability. These elements are actually created by the yeast during fermentation, usually as a response to stress as the yeast begins to die back after reaching its pinnacle alcohol production. Many attempts have been made at producing yeast which are low So2 producers which fail to realize that H2S will still be produced in the mash/wash/wine and that it bonds specifically with Acetyl 72 aldehyde and Ethyl Acetate. Acetaldehyde is mostly removed from the distillate by way of a precise heads cut but Ethyl Acetate is a flavor carrier and is wanted and warranted in the hearts of the cut in undetectable (by smell) amounts which will carry a detectable Sulfurous smell. Finding a good reliable yeast that produces lower amounts of Acetyl aldehyde is the key here as it will not only reduce the number of heads that your mash produces but will significantly lower the bonded Sulfur compounds in the finished distillate allowing them instead to be dropped out of solution during distillation or tied up in the catalyst in your still. This type of yeast would not be ideal for say a sweet mash or a mash/wine/wash corrected for PH with citric acid as you are looking for bright/fruity esters but would work incredibly well with those mashes that rely on malolactic fermentation for souring.

Harvesting Yeast: For many years, I saved my yeast from the lees at the bottom of the barrel and often used this in all of my mashes. This is easily affected by simply taking a good sample of the lees, placing it in an appropriate container with an airlock, adding some good distilled water, and then feeding with flour and sugar. I would typically also re-mash onto the lees that was in the bottom of the barrel. Oftentimes living but dormant yeast would be trapped in the wood in my fermenter and if I didn’t have an off smell to the barrel or previous mash I wouldn’t even wash the barrel, instead allowing the yeast and other beneficial microbes to build up a helpful community of flora for the next batch. I would mash right back onto the lees as the lees would provide dead yeast cells which the living yeast could use as nutrients and over time I would also continue to increase the available long chain fatty acids/ester count making for some very rich and heavy bodied distillates. This is particularly true is cold mashes that are discussed later in this book where the grain and lees are both used for multiple generations as well as setback/spent wash added to each subsequent mash.

The Hop-Thompson School District and the praise of the yeast maker

In many current cultures of distillation Yeast is not much of a focus, this is much to the detriment of the distiller in my opinion as much variation and differentiation can be obtained via yeast. As an example, in Scotch whisky production yeast is probably the least studied/focused on factor of 73 distillation with the focus instead falling upon the “character” of each individual distillery. Character of course by the Scottish definition is determined by all other variables including, but not limited to: still shape, still size, condenser type, phenolic content of malt (smokiness, if at all), fermentation length ext. The same is unfortunately true of most American Brandy whereupon the only real focus seems to be inherently on pot stills, fruit type, blending, barrel wood, and possibly proofing and water type. Most mid-size or larger Brandy producers are leaving the production of their wine (and in many cases low wines) up to winemakers (who are not distillers) who have a very different take on fermentation as they are typically creating a product for drinkability in a form (wine) that holds onto much more of the raw ingredient as opposed to a distillate which is focused on concentrating those ingredients into a brandy. These arts, wine and brandy making, while having similarities are in fact quite different from one another. In fact, the larger scale producers in the brandy industry are the worst in my opinion, focusing typically on only one type of yeast; Prise De Mousse. This strain is better known to home brewers and wine makers as EC-1118. Unfortunately for distillers and drinkers this strain which does produce high alcohol and retains much of the fruit aroma also produces a ton of acetone and subsequently a larger percentage of “heads” during distillation. The acetone produced by the yeast is only half of the problem itself unfortunately as acetone compounds are readily sought out and bonded to by sulfites, the compounds which cause the smell of rotten eggs or even a burnt character. Without anything to “cling” to these sulfites would ordinarily be volatized during fermentation or dropped out of solution during distillation via copper contact, hence the need and I would think the want for a better, low acetone producing strain, many of which currently exist on the market.

The Bourbon and Rye distillation cultures of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky by contrast have always been very focused on yeast (sometimes to the detriment of other factors) and have long familial traditions of yeast “making” and propagation which were traditionally handed down (up until recently as I don’t know how many facilities even still have a Dona Room vs. those which say they do for marketing reasons) from generation to generation. The knowledge of yeast catching and propagation learned by tried and hard experience that likely dates back to the old countries and “The old Traditions” (read as “How things should be done.”) were highly 74 regarded skills. Elsewhere my friend Michael Veach has spoken often of Jim Beam and his Jug yeast (a term used to denote a yeast culture maintained by a distiller, often stored in or transferred in a copper jug with a stop cock and fount and kept close to the distiller’s vest) which he apparently captured using a yeast starter (basically a “thin” mash beer, we will talk more on this in a bit) on his screened in back porch in Bardstown Kentucky towards the end of prohibition. If my understanding is correct this yeast was passed on to a couple of other facilities with Beam family on staff including Heaven Hill and Makers Mark where it likely underwent slight mutations over the years and became unique in its own right to those facilities. The “foxiness” (diesel fuel like aroma) that permeates white label beam is often attributed to this strain.

Old distilling manuals written in this country such as The Distiller by Harrison Hall and The Practical Distiller by Samuel M'Harry make much of yeast making and really stress the importance of a good yeast culture, preferably in the form captured by the distiller and when all else fails obtained via a brewer or bread maker. Looking back on history one can indeed see that the term “master distiller” is a relatively new invention and Michael Each and Chuck Cowdery have both pointed out that the title of distinction was once “Distiller and Yeast Maker” and making yeast was often the first job tasked to a new employee who it was hoped would move up the ranks.

This operation was paramount as it controlled a vast percentage of the quality of a distillate and while it was a simple process to propagate yeast by ensuring that equipment was sterile, properly feeding the yeast the necessary nutrients (dead yeast cells from previous batches), maintaining PH via Sour Mash or Hopped method (more shortly), and ramping up cell production to produce the critical mass needed to ferment a large amount of still beer, a single mistake could easily contaminate the whole lot and cause the distiller to throw out his characteristic strain, changing in fact the product forever. There were even entire rooms in a production facility dedicated to these procedures, these were called Dona rooms and they were the Holy of Holies of most distilleries. The word Dona may be a derivative of the Latin word for “mother” and this yeast culture would most certainly be the “mother” of the alcohol she produced much like a “mother” culture used in vinegar production. In fact, many of these cultures in the 75 old days probably contained far more than yeast and likely included beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus (responsible for changing acids in an admixture to softer Lactic acid and adding an earthy or nutty tone) and perhaps in some cases Brettanomyces (used in sour beers) and Acetobacter (responsible for the production of Acetic Acid or vinegar), if some of those elements sound odd to you bear in mind that tastes in those days were quite different and remain as such outside of the United States where the devotion to all things “sterile” has not become the mental illness it has in this country. In fact, many fruit distilling cultures readily accept Acetobacter as not just an acceptable component of fermentation and distillation but a desirable one in small quantities.

So, how does one capture a yeast culture? The most common method was by producing a thin mash or beer composed primarily of barley malt (or corn malt or whatever is common) and placing it in a favorable situation to collecting the appropriate type of yeast for alcoholic fermentation. Sometimes this was around the home, sometimes in a vineyard or an orchard and sometimes it was accelerated by simply dipping an apple or other fruit into the beer where the naturally occurring yeast (yeas are very common and are an essential part of the decomposition process nature has provided us with for disposing of organic waste) were washed into the beer. Brandy distillers were mostly making use of the natural yeast found on the fruit and should that yeast prove particularly effective then they would harvest some “trub” (the flocculated yeast cells and cellulosic material) from the bottom of the fermentation barrel for propagation in a similar way. From there one would watch the action of fermentation; how quickly it began, how vigorous it was, what tastes did it create or bring forward, and did it create a pleasing aroma. If the boxes were all checked yes, the yeast was then propagated by pitching into a new thin mash or into a mash the same as the whiskey. Yeast could be stored as a liquid in the aforementioned Dona jugs, often stored in cold houses or cool spring water or could be allowed to flocculate (fall out of suspension) and then folded into a “dough” of wheat or rye flour, dried on parchment, and stored for later use.

Earlier we had mentioned two types of yeast starter a sour mash method and a hopped method. The sour mash method would have used a percentage of spent wash/mash from a previous distillation (usually about 76

10% by volume of container) to feed the yeast via the dead yeast cells in the wash but to also adjust the PH to the proper level around 4.5 or so. The second method used instead Hops, obviously common to beer but not terribly common to American distillation (though beer schnapps and botanical spirits utilizing hops have been common in Europe for ages) the Hops would subsequently drop the PH of the mash which would allow the yeast to begin to propagate itself without the distiller having to worry much about a bacterial infection taking over instead.

Yeast is actually fairly easy to propagate in a Donna jug by simply renewing mash every few days after the peak of fermentation. Backup dry yeast can be made by taking actively fermenting liquid, rolling it into flour and making a dough, this can be pressed then on wax paper and dried in a dehydrator on a setting not about 90 degrees, run through a food processor to turn it into granules and then placed in an airtight container somewhere dark or cool or even frozen.

The distillers of Washington County were fairly diverse and many had families who were traditional distillers going back to the southern coastal states and even into the old world, I have no doubt that many of these men likely brought a yeast culture with them from whence they came and if they didn’t they were very familiar with the methodology of capturing yeast and subsequently with its propagation, what I do know is that the Hop method was never used in Washington County amongst the German and English settlers. The area now known as Campbellsburg and subsequently Cave River Valley and Henderson Park was home to many distillers and it is in this region that a neighborhood emerged known at the Hop neighborhood and later the Hop-Thompson located just south of Cave River Valley and just North of Campbellsburg (distiller Adam Brewer who I have spoken of before is buried here in the community “Hop-Thompson” cemetery along with a few of the souls who owned or operated the Clifty distillery we have written of often), the name is not a coincidence and further verifies our line of distillers not using the method. As reported in Warder Stevens “Centennial History of Washington County”:

Joel Caulkins a New Yorker learning that this new country was full of still houses and that there was a great demand for hops decided to sell his farm back east taking pay in hops which he hauled to this new 77

Eldorado but he failed to find a demand for his hops as he had expected and lost heavily in the venture He settled on section 24 in the fall of 1818 and owing to his hop transaction the neighborhood became known as the Hop District Another settlement nearby was known as Thompsons and when these two were consolidated they were ever after known as the Hop Thompson District and the cemetery a mile north of Campbellsburg bares that title

Owing to the number of still houses once located in this county there are in fact many useful “wild” strains of yeast still to be found amongst the flora and fauna and I have worked with some captured from Becks Mill and Cave River Valley. My hope is to eventually reintroduce those strains into commercial production in coming years as yet another piece of our Washington County Distillation History is brought back to life.

A quick word on still “Puking” or Foaming: Almost all mashes to some extent are liable to foam when heated in a still, particularly malts that weren’t properly protein rested during the cooking stage prior to fermentation but also brandies. Those brandies with a lot of pectin content tend to the be the worst about foaming and apple is notorious. Puking a still at worst will ruin the product and at best will cause the distiller to have to rerun the distillate and clean his worm or condenser thoroughly before the next run. In the legal distilling industry, it is common to use a silicone- based product known as Antifoam to prevent “puking” but long ago the Irish Potcheen makers and Scotch Black Pot producers figured out that good old-fashioned butter accomplishes the same task and is obviously much more widely available to the home distiller. Huge amounts are not needed; just a small slab is plenty for a 10-15 gallon still. Essentially you are only wishing to break the surface tension of a liquid to prevent foaming and it is likely that any food grade oil applied in small amounts to the mash/wash would have the same effect.

Butlers Best Peach Brandy

This recipe comes from a cousin on my grandmother’s side of the family, one of the last few remaining moonshiners in Southern Indiana who was by trade a metal worker and blacksmith. The art was taught to him by an old man, now long gone down around Charlestown Indiana in the traditional 78 corn whiskey/sugar shine style but once he figured out how to make brandy he “gave that corn shit up”. Mr. Bill Butler never sold a drop of his brandy owing to making a vow to the fellow that taught him that he wouldn’t, but by his estimation he gave enough away to “float a damn boat” and he certainly did some legitimate horse trading with it. He distilled all through the 1970’s and well into recent years using a fifteen-gallon square copper pot and then a 15-gallon stainless pot, both of his design. He is no longer in good enough health to continue his trade and I thank him for his legacy and knowledge. His original recipe was a little different in that he only used six gallons of peaches and did a single run on a pot still, having tried the product I can tell you it was good with a lot of peach flavor, but my preference was to refine it a bit and “punch” it up some.

-10 gallons canned peaches in syrup, Del Monte are the best.

-50 lbs. sugar

-50 gm yeast

Specific gravity is 1.060 at start and .998 at finish. Adjust PH to between 2.8-3.3 as with most brandies. Citric acid can be used to adjust the PH on the first run, afterword’s the spent stillage is used as a base for inverting sugar and fixing PH.

Blend peaches in a kitchen blender and pour peaches and syrup into barrel with sugar. Boil 15-20-gal source water and pour over sugar and peaches, stir well to invert sugar. Top up with source water and peach yeast when temperature is no higher than 110 F. Fermentation time will vary but should be roughly 2-3 weeks. Do not let get above 70 degrees F and colder is better (55-60 is ideal!) Run as a traditional double pot distilled brandy or a 1.5 distillation brandy. The lower proof on this one is preferable as it will allow you to hold on to more of the volatility and thusly more of the fruit flavor.

After the run save as much of the spent wash as possible and add back to your barrel, use it to cook in the next batch of peaches and to invert the sugar. Bill, being an old-school distiller stresses the importance of not “crowding” the distillate while you run it, the slower and colder the better. Bill is also a proponent of tasting and smelling as you go to master 79 your cuts. Bill also commented that he stuck with the peach (short of a single distillation of Plum brandy in the 70’s and a couple of Apricot runs) because it was the flavor he liked and he didn’t get “a damn hangover from it”, he compares it to Johnny Walker Red in terms of its next day effects; “just a little dry mouth”.

Proof slowly over a number of weeks, only a couple of points at a time to avoid saponification and store somewhere dark and cool. If you want to get real fancy with it throw a handful of ground almonds into your mash as well for a bit of a bittering effect generally given by peaches with their stones left in. Proof to 80-90 and store in a dark place. To be authentic to Mr. Butlers aesthetics it should be bottled up in Johnnie Walker Red Label bottles (I’m not condoning this just writing it for posterity)

All brandies should be run with light lees intact. Many of the flavor and aroma compounds of fruit brandies are found in these remnants of fruit and yeast. This same recipe works just as well for any canned fruit (Apricot, Cherries, Pears) and can be applied to make something similar to a Palinka or Slivovitz.

I am told that canned pears make a good product made in the same way.

Fleenor Peach Brandy

This is a native Washington County Indiana brandy made from a local peach variety. Nearly every homestead from the east coast to the Mississippi would have had a variant using the local peach variety.

50 lbs. Fleenor or other suitable peach

Water to top off the barrel

50 lbs. sugar (optional)

To get the best peach flavor it is essential to ferment sans any chaptalization (sugar addition) and with whatever weight of peaches you can get into solution in the barrel. However, this will yield a low (5-6% alcohol wine) and very little finished product. Wash the peaches well and then Quarter and remove pits from peaches (a lot of stone fruit comes true 80 from seed and the common method of propagation for old varieties was from seed so save these pits for planting in a nursery bed). Run the peaches through a blender and prepare some boiling source water to pour over top of them to help macerate them or to invert sugar if needed. Top up barrel with water, pitch a good wine or brandy yeast (EC-1119, Vin 13, K1v1116, OKAY) and place somewhere cool and shaded to ferment.

Either double distill or do a 1.5 distillation which is to essentially run a stripping run of wash, save all the low wine and add to the next load of wash for your doubling/finishing run. Collect in glass, add water slowly to proof and store somewhere cool to age on glass for 3-6 months. You can also leave some pits (if you can grind them) in this wash or add almonds for the traditional bittering effect.

Much like apple, this brandy will produce a lot more heads due to the breakdown of pectin in the fermentation. Pectin enzyme can be used to alleviate this to some extent. Fruit greatly benefits from freezing prior to fermentation as well. The freezing and thawing action actually breaks down cell walls allowing more of the flavor to be extracted from the raw material.

John A. Bowman Corn Whiskey

This one is in no way, shape, or form related to the Bowman whiskeys on the market but is instead named after a local Washington County business man of the 1800’s. Bricks from his home, a federalist style mansion of its time, made up the furnace of my stills when I still ran them at home. Occasionally I pay tribute to the man who wanted his mortal remains laid to rest next to the railroad that ran across his farm in order that it would “rattle my old bones” by pouring him a dram or two of what I’ve got left.

Proportions are 80% Corn, 10% Rye and 10% Malt for straight white whiskey. Proportions are the same for a cooked but also sugared whiskey except it becomes 40% sugar, 40%corn, 10% Rye, 10% Barley as in the following example using a starting gravity of 1.075

Starting PH 5.5 81

- 45.5 lbs. corn (I use a corn I bred many years ago, called Amanda Palmer, although any good food grade corn that has not been “gassed” with Sulfur to get rid of pests will fit the bill)

- 30 lbs. sugar

- 10.7 lbs. Maris Otter Malt

- 13.8 lbs. Rye

-Fill with source water (typically I used Springwater from the spring located on his farm)

1 gm per gallon selected yeast. I am a proponent of wild yeasts as well as selected brandy and wine yeast but it’s always up to the producer.

Grist your corn well (I prefer the consistency of corn meal) add to your water. To this add a handful of pre-ground barley malt (this is called pre- malting and prevents you from making dough in your cooking vessel.

Bring the mixture up to 190 degrees. Hold for one hour.

Bring temperature down to 170 add your ground rye hold for 15 min.

Bring temperature down to 145 and add ground barley malt hold for 15-30 min between 135-145.

Cool to 90 and pitch yeast at a rate of 1 gm per gallon. Add sugar to barrel, pour warm mash over top of the sugar, aerate well to invert sugar and give yeast necessary oxygen.

(I have written the recipes here fairly basically for the home producer, presuming that he/she will have already have done some amount of research on brewing and distilling and own proper equipment. If a producer doesn’t have the proper equipment to cook grain in a “mash” then a system can be devised using strike water which is what I always did at home. If you don’t know what “strike” water is or how to calculate strike water temperatures those are good starting points. A good distiller should always check starch conversion in cooked mashes by taking a sample after 82 and adding a few drops of Iodine to it, if it doesn’t change color you have converted the majority of starch into sugar, if it turns black you still have starch and thusly little or no conversion

Fermentation temperature should not exceed 90 degrees or dip below 75 for long periods of time.

This can be either ran on the grain (if you have agitation in your still or still with a heated jacket) or can be ran as a “wash” and the grain left behind in the barrel.

Old timers called a cooked mash like this “first sugar”, they would make a “second sugar” by leaving the grain in the barrel or taking it from the still and adding it back to the barrel and adding to the mixture 10-20 percent new uncooked corn meal and one lb. per gallon sugar.

Simple sugar shine

50% Grain of any type or Mashed fruit or juice (I lb. per gallon)

50% Sugar (1lb per gallon, though I have seen recipes for 2 lb. per gallon)

1 gm per gallon yeast

Water PH

Grain: 5.5

Brandy 3.0-3.5

Fermentation time 7-14 days

Since the grain was not finely ground and this method of “cooking” is fairly inefficient there will always be some amount of starch left in the grain which can still be converted to sugar and subsequently ethanol. As well when you are making a sugar shine you are technically actually making a flavored rum as most of your fermentable sugars are available directly from the cane sugar that you Chaptalized with while the corn and grains are 83 there mostly as a flavoring agent, therefore it is possible to utilize the same grain bed multiple times (four to five if you have cooked your grains, more if you use a cold process which is the same as is mentioned above minus the boiling of the water).

Leave the grain bed in the barrel while removing as much of the wash as you can Save ten gallons of back set (the spent stillage left in your still after a run) and throw this back on the grain bed while still as hot as is feasible to collect from the still to cook in for your next run. This will help further scold the grain as well as give you the heat to invert your sugar while it will also “sour” or acidify the PH of your mash which will make for a better and more flavorful finished spirit while helping you to avoid bacterial infections in your ferments.

This recipe actually works even better with honey or some percentage of brown sugar in the mash bill in order to build up acid/ester production from the impurities within and give further complexity to the drink.

I have run this recipe hundreds of times and really built my skill as a distiller up off of this simple distillation and mashing methodology, as long as you make good cuts you can’t go wrong with this one. It barrels ages just fine as well although my advice is against ever using oak powders or wood chips unless you know them to have come from good “cured” Oak at least 24 months old or you will end up with a slightly “green olive” smell which for me is very off-putting. Aging in a once used whiskey barrel with a couple of French oak staves placed inside produces a fine product with a bit of spice.

I’ve always enjoyed hearing stories about things I’ve made and the above corn whiskey has more than its fair share rolling around. I thought I might share one or two with you. Some years ago, when I was still into distilling at home a friend had taken several gallons with him for distribution. I checked in with him several days later via text message to see how things were going and he asked me if I knew what happened when four grown men drank two jars of my “likker”. I said no of course and his response was classic; apparently, they have a pissing contest…….in their living room. I told him to keep those folks around, they were good customers and he told me he would if the fellow’s wife ever ungrounded him.

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Another time long after I stopped home production I was traveling down a local road and came to a stop at a crossroads, a guy on a little scooter pulled up to the truck window, it took me a moment to recognize him as a former customer and I rolled the window down. He asked if I was still making good “likker”. I told him no, and he said it was a shame seeing as last time he bought a bottle he went to bed married and woke up divorced.

On more than one occasion I’ve been guilty of leaving jars of water in the refrigerator and accidently grabbing the wrong one on a hot day expecting one thing and getting another.

Silk Road Whiskey:

60% Corn

17% Wheat

13% Oats

10% Barley Malt

By far my favorite mash bill and one that has been in production (sans sugar, a true all grain mash) at two commercial distilleries. Oats are the single biggest grain cheat in distillation as they distill exactly as they taste (as does Kasha/toasted buckwheat) and provide a heavy and oily body to the distillate due to the amount of fatty acids in the grain. With a little age in a charred American oak barrel the Oats take on a slightly Peach cobbler type of note. If you toast the oats first you will create a white whiskey with an almost honey-nut cereal note.

All of these grain recipes can be double pot distilled or run with a thump barrel.

Single Malt

Currently in the world of craft distilling “single malt” whiskies are enjoying quite a bit of popularity. These whiskies are the product, generally, of malted barley which is sometimes smoked and contains enough enzymes on its own to convert the remnants of starch in the seed into sugar for yeast 85 to breakdown into alcohol and CO2. Often these malts are smoked using peat, wood, or sometimes botanicals lending them a character other than that of the grain itself, although many flavorful unsmoked malts already exist on the market and make fantastic whiskey all their own such as Marris Otter, Honey Malt, and Victory Malt.

Here we will focus on barley as our single malt:

50 lbs. dried barley malt

1 lb. per gallon sugar (optional) you will get more yield but less “flavor”.

A few technical aspects of traditional malted whiskey;

The ideal grind for malted whiskey is quite a bit different from that which is used for other grain whiskies or for moonshine, you are looking for a much coarser grind with specific proportions; 70 percent grit, 20 percent flour, 10 percent bran. The bran can serve two purposes, the first is to act as a filter if one were to lauter the grain through a false bottom in a barrel to remove only the liquid from the barrel for fermentation. The second is if one were to ferment grain and all in the barrel the bran will rise with fermentation and create a cap which keeps impurities out of the working beer.

Malt does not need as much heat for nearly as long to convert starch to sugar as most of the work has already been done for you in the malting process. The cooking process sees the temperature raised to 130 and stopped for a 15-minute protein rest and then heat reapplied until the temperature is brought to 135-148 for about 30 minutes. The temperature is then lowered to pitching temperature at 90 degrees farenheight. It is important not to raise the temperature about 150 degrees as you will denature your enzymes and then have to rely on purchased enzymes to finish conversion.

The Lauter method is used to extract all the available sugars from the grain and leave the grain bed behind as it will not be run in the still (as is often the case in American Moonshine stills) and is usually followed by a second run of water through the grain bin to remove the leftover sugar from the grain bed and into the “washback” or fermenter where primary fermentation takes place. 86

Potcheen

The most famous and misunderstood of “folk” whiskies as far as I am concerned. The word itself derives from “Pota”, meaning small pot. You want to talk legitimate moonshine credentials? Start with the history of this spirit that was made in an appropriate act of defiance against the English crown who thought they could pay for imperialism on the backs of hardworking peasants. So good was the Potcheen of Ireland in most of the late 1700’s and early 1800’s that the populace much preferred it to its legal cousin (which the Irish in affectionately called “Parliament Whiskey) which was regulated to the extent of being of questionable quality at best despite its legal status. First the tax man laid down the gauntlet by making legal producers pay taxes on capacity of their systems as opposed to the amount actually produced and then they forced them to charge their stills daily! The “Tinkers” of Ireland laughed all the way to the bank, paying their rent to the “Lords” of the land in tax free profit and ostensibly telling their monarch where to shove it!

There is a lot of misleading information on Potcheen out there and even the recipe here isn’t truly Irish authentic. What I will tell you is that traditionally Potcheen was never made out of potatoes but sugar on the other hand, when available, was often used. The grain in the earliest days was barley malt, probably kiln dried using turf (the earliest recipes were actually very similar to Aquavit as opposed to the clear whisky we now think of). Later many types of grain were used but most often a combination of malted barley, green barley, wheat, treacle, and Oats. These were fermented, lautered, and then double pot distilled, traditionally no thump barrel or retort was used in production but later years saw such implements become a commonality.

My methodology is a bit different as I make two separate mashes and marry them through a step-distillation process. Step one is in mashing and fermenting my John Bowman Whiskey, running it through a pot and thump. This finished corn whiskey is set aside in glass.

Step two is mashing and fermenting a mixture of 50% oats and 50% un- smoked barley malt (I’m a huge fan of caramel malt 30L where available). This I place in a simple pot still with no thump barrel until the 87 still is three quarters of the way full, to this I add the finished john bowman whiskey. I run the still as slow as possible and make the cuts from this distillation. The result is a proportion of whiskey (corn base) that has been distilled three times leaving only the sweeter taste of corn behind and proportion that is single pass whiskey made from two grains that distill very well of their own accord their cereal notes. Buttered oats and malt!

I let this rest in glass for some time and proof slowly very similar to the brandies mentioned above.

25 lbs. Oats well ground

25 lbs. Barley malt well ground

50 lbs. sugar

Strike water to 150 and pour over grains and sugar, hold temp for 15 min- 30 min. Invert sugar. Fleishmans bread yeast at one gram per gallon.

Protocol for cooked 50% grain 50% sugar mash 5 lbs. 2 row Marris Oetter or 6 row distillers malt (Distillers will produce more alcohol by far) 8.5 lbs. Oats (Honestly, quick oats work best) 6.5 lbs. Wheat 30.5 lbs. Corn ground fine Get a wooden barrel to use as a mash tun or a plastic barrel wrapped with plastic. These are needed for insulating the mash. Boil 20-40 gallons of water Grind one lb. of malt (not part of the proportion mentioned above) Add this malt and the ground corn to the barrel Cover corn with boiling water. Hold temperature at as close to 190 as possible for one hour. Continuously stir mash. Let cool naturally or add cold water until you get to 170. 88 At 170 add Wheat and oats, both fine ground. Hold for 30 mins. Stir continuously Drop temperature to 145 and add malt, hold 15-30 min. Stir continuously. Make sure all clumps get broken up throughout mash in process. Add 50 lbs. sugar, invert sugar. Drop temperature to 110, take a bucket and add 1/3 mash and cold water until you reach 95-100 degrees. Add yeast to this and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes and pitch into mash at 90 degrees F. Allow to ferment 7-14 days or until clear. Run wash in stripping still and then double on doubling still. Once the strip is done take 5-10 gallons of wash out of still and a couple gallons of spent grain/lees out of barrel. Set the grain/lees aside. Add 10-20% new grain to barrel. Pour hot wash over grain and add boiling water and 50 lbs. sugar to grain bed, Invert sugar, pitch your spent grain/lees at 90 degrees. Repeat up to 4 times. Apple brandy has seen a resurgence in recent years mostly in thanks to creative bartenders looking for a spirit more flavorful than the aged grain spirits more commonly available on the market. Another factor in the popularity of fruit brandy in general has been the resurgence of interest in true small batch and hand-crafted spirits and their history. The west coast of course has been a bit of a mecca for artisan brandy distillers for some time and they make some fine spirits of great quality, however near everyone is using the same methodology which is based heavily on the traditional production of Norman Calvados. For someone historically inclined such as myself the allure of distilling lay in the fact that there are so many variables in production and so much diversity in flavor available within categories if one simply explores all the historic and innovative options available, after all, the Normans weren’t the only distilling culture to have distilled the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Customers too seem to be searching for the next more interesting flavor. I have no doubt that “traditionalist” brandy distillers from the west coast background will be none too pleased with the outlay of production I will introduce here and they should have no doubt that I am not inclined to care too much. The end goal of my outlay is the same as theirs; a good potable spirit of notable quality, happy distillers, and happy customers. The outline I will give here is based upon apple brandy production in the Ohio Valley from the early 1800’s-1914.

89 First a little history about Southern Indiana apple brandy. A vast majority of the settlers who came into the Indiana territory in the years between 1806-1816 were of German ancestry and carried with them a long lineage of brandy production which they put into use on their new Hoosier farms as soon as they could get those farms productive. Vast orchards of both grafted varieties and seedling varieties of apples, pears, and peaches were planted all over the Hoosier hills and more often than not were made up of varieties intended for the productions of Cider, Moby, or Brandy. These German settlers were practical, organized, and very productive people who kept their eye on the proverbial ball at all times and they made great use of all they had on hand. Their production methodologies were consistent with their frugal life style and they wasted little of nothing. An orchard and a copper still made for an incredibly self-sufficient business, particularly when coupled with a distilling service which could trade a share of brandy to a neighbor for a larger share of raw material such as apples delivered by the wagonload. Seeds and pits of the fruits feeding the distillery were often replanted (though they would not come true from seed, in most cases they would make fine feedstock for future distillations) in nursery beds which subsequently were replanted into more orchards. The excess of all this production was shipped to foreign markets, particularly down river to Louisville Kentucky and subsequently New Orleans via the Tarascon Brothers, brokers in all types of spirits from the Ohio Valley. The methodologies employed by these distillers were quite different than those employed by the modern craft brandy distillers on the west coast. They were labor and cost efficient and could easily be implemented with a minimum of equipment by both professional distillers and home distillers and should be implemented most importantly by distillers teaching living history at various parks. The end goal was a delicious spirit, double pot distilled, and well balanced. This method in fact made the quality of Southern Indiana apple brandy (and Northern Kentucky) known the world over and eventually made the 2’nd & 7’th tax districts of Indiana the largest apple brandy producers in the world for 40 years (a tradition broken only by prohibition and the subsequent destruction of orchards by farmers looking to plant a new cash crop). These distilleries were often small and consisted of a larger 200-300-gallon stripping still made of copper (though in the early days wood was common) and a smaller 50-100 gallon doubling still. Fermenters were fashioned from open ended 90 barrels, usually of 50-75 gallons in capacity, and contrary to modern methodology apple presses were rarely used so pure juice fermentations were became the exception and not the rule. Apple brandy became one of the main staples of distillery production in particular because transportation at the time was poor and the apples would rot before they could be shipped to foreign markets, subsequently the number of orchards in the locale meant that apples were very abundant and the distiller could have pretty much as much or the crop as he could process in a good year. Many of these distilleries would eventually reach capacities closing in on 20,000 gallons for a six to eight-month fermentation and distillation season. The pace of work was such that the distilleries ran 6-7 days a week and often two shifts a day. Apples were brought in by wagon loads, hand sorted and usually washed in a large stone trough. Rotten apples were tossed to the cattle and pigs on the periphery of the property and good fruit was sent on the mash man to work his magic. The apples were subsequently treated in a number of different ways depending on individual protocol and the equipment of the distillery. Often the cores were removed and the apples were either ran through a piece of grinding equipment reducing them to the consistency of a heavy apple sauce or they were thrown into a barrel where they were mashed via a long-handled club or implement. Generally, the rule of thumb was at least two lbs. of apples to a gallon of capacity. To this mixture spring water or well water was brought to a boil and was added to top up the barrels and the barrels were left in a cool dark area to begin fermentation via the natural yeast arriving on the skin of the apples into the facility. Distillers who were more deeply involved in their art may have cultivated a specific yeast they liked via a donna jug and kept a strain going for quite some time. This mixture would top out at maybe 5-6% alcohol by the time fermentation had finished in 4-5 days. Most of these fermentations would have been naturally infected via lactic bacteria which would have increased the mouthfeel substantially and have knocked down some of the sharper acids. The apples would have been a blend of anything and everything available at the time and some old grower lists as well as nursery catalogs of the area list as many as 15-20 different strains. Occasionally a second method was used for the production of apple brandy or apple jack, though it appears to have been the minority of production here in southern Indiana. If a press were used on the farm-distillery sites for the removal 91 of apple juice it is likely that the juice was too valuable of its own accord to make brandy from, instead it was afforded for apple sorghum or for apple cider (fresh and fermented) and subsequently the waste from the press itself was used for raw fermenting material similar to modern day grape skins and the production of Grappa. Some historic texts even go so far as to define apple brandy as coming from fresh broken or pressed apples and apple jack as coming from the skins and left-over pomace of the apple crop. This historically seems to be a relatively minor proportion of production however. Both of these methods are still very common, particularly amongst old world European folk distillers and itinerant distillers. Particularly in regards to spirits such as Slivovitz and Polinka. In later years sugar has been used to raise the specific gravity/brix of this fruit mash wine for distillation. Now that we have covered the history you can glean some idea of where this fermentation/distillation methodology is headed for recreating this historic style of Apple Brandy. First, let me say, a wooden barrel is not necessary, however, I have found it advantageous in situations of historic and small batch distillation for building up beneficial microorganisms (to an extent, we don’t want to distill vinegar) as well as for holding the heat from the boiling water to further break down the cell walls of the fruit for better flavor extraction. Wooden barrels are much harder to sanitize and great care should be taken to do as such prior to each use. There are a number of substances that can be used to sanitize the barrels but I have found the method employed by the old distillers to be satisfactory. First, find a suitable and explosion free area outside with little risk of fire, empty the barrel of any and all contents and spray it out with clean filtered water until it is visibly clean, allow the barrel to air dry. Second, fill the barrel ½ full of high quality pesticide free straw and pour over it 1-2 gallons of foreshots or heads. 3. Safely set fire to this mixture and allow it to burn until the straw has been burnt up, extinguish the fire thoroughly with several gallons of water. Rinse the barrel well! Use your senses to determine if any off aromas are still occurring, if all is well fermentation may commence.

92 A quick notation should be made about microorganisms in fruit distillation; in this recipe we will adjust the PH of the fruit mash to a level acceptable for yeast and unfavorable to the grown of microorganisms, however, it is my experience that in most traditional fruit brandy production some level of Acetic Acid/VA is not only present but warranted as part of the profile, we aren’t talking about enough that it is noticeable to the average consumer of the spirit, but it certainly adds something to the character of the spirit. The same is true of Bettenomycees, both of these are considered “faults” by modern American distillers and Vintners (thank your beer brewers for being a bit more open minded) but they are essential components of drinks all over the rest of the world and the American pallet is advancing in such a way as to once again appreciate such “quirks” of finely crafted spirits. Select your apple varieties for fermentation based on taste parameters. Generally, a blend of from 3-7 varieties makes for the best brandy, this selection is obviously influenced by what you have available to you. It is my experience that the best policy if only commercial varieties are available to you as opposed to a plethora of heirlooms is to use as many different types as you can gather. Avoid completely Red and Golden Delicious. Wash the apples thoroughly with water and set them aside to ripen further if purchased from a store (I place mine in a wooden barrel somewhere warm but out of direct sun). Remove the cores from the apples and use whatever tools are convenient to you (blender, industrial grinder, all well sanitized obviously) to reduce the apples to pulp. Leave the skins intact while grinding and fermenting as these will add a pleasant tannic note to the finished distillate Add the pulp to an equal amount of water and bring to a boil or add to a wooden barrel and cover with boiling water. Hold between 190-212 for ½ hour. Stir this mixture often and stir it well. Top up with water for fermentation and make a yeast starter of one-part mash to two parts waters to be pitched when your barrel reaches 90 degrees F. Test the PH of your mash once the water is added and adjust accordingly to between 3.2 and 3.5 PH using either citric acid, lemon juice, or malic acid. Now is a good time to check your specific gravity or brix as well. You will likely be extremely lucky if you reach 1.050 (12.5 Brix or roughly 6.25% potential ABV). A mixture of 90% white sugar and 10% brown sugar may be used to chaptalize the fruit mash and bring it to a high potential alcohol. This should be a small adjustment just to raise specific gravity

93 slightly to yield a bit more alcohol. Brown sugar is vital to this operation as its impurities add just enough congeners to the distillate to provide some contrast To the apple flavor and to make the flavor a bit more pronounced. A good target would be 1.056 or 14 Brix (roughly 7% alcohol). Fruit brandies produce a noticeable amount more heads and foreshots, particularly apple brandy as pectin breaks down into wood alcohol/methanol and aldehydes. To solve this problem, spend some time studying the yeast you will use to ferment with and try to find a type that produces lower levels of aldehydes and subsequently less SO2 and H2S compounds as you will drastically reduce the number of heads produced from your subsequent distillation. Double pot distills the finished wine with a careful eye on the doubling run in order to keep the temperature of your distillate between 55-70 degrees Farenheight. Place a piece of white felt under your worm or condenser for the distillate to pass through prior to collection in a tank during your doubling run and toss all foreshots down the drain. Once your stripping run is finished collect 10% of your fermenter size of spent wine from the still and add this to your next fermentation. This is a method similar to Bourbon sour mashing and will help correct your PH for the next run as well as provide dead yeast cells as nutrients to the yeast in your subsequent fermentation. All collected heads should be returned with new wine to the next stripping run and all collected tails should be returned with low wine to the next doubling run, this will increase mouthfeel and consistency in the brandy. The collected brandy should average 135 proof. This can be barreled as is for ageing or placed in glass or stainless for short term storage where exposure to air will help to mellow the spirit. Proofing should be accomplished slowly over a period of several weeks using as neutral water as you can access (however no distilled water please), I have found rain water to be ideal as it maintains some character without defined flavor.

The infamous Green Dragon…

I’ve always found it entertaining that there are so many in the legal alcohol industry so diametrically opposed to marijuana use. I have worked for a

94 couple of distillery owners that were so averse to it as to see it far worse than alcohol itself. That thought alone is fucking asinine as far as I am concerned.

Over the years I have read a number of forums and have been asked numerous times by those Psychonauts of a particular bend about distilling Marijuana for use. I have even seen a distillation recipe published by a popular “craft” distillery pushing the idea of vapor distillation. Some of you right now reading are probably thinking, well, why the hell not? Because it doesn’t work!

The boiling point of THC (314.6) is far above that of water (212) or Ethanol (172.3) and subsequently the ability to distill the active principal of marijuana into your distillate is limited by FACTS and SCIENCE. That said, THC extraction with alcohol is extremely easy and effective.

The higher the alcohol content the more extraction you get but unfortunately that includes extracting bittering compounds from the plant material and losing the flavor of the distillate (which can be any base you want) as well. My preference has always been Absinthe at 120-135 proof for a few reasons.

The first reason is that Absinthe has a perceived almost candy like sweetness that can mask the bitter flavor of the herb and make the experience much more enjoyable. The second reason is that marijuana makes a fine absinthe coloring herb. The third reason? Well, it’s absinthe, it has a history associated with “free thinkers” and falsely “hallucination”. What better candidate could there be.

Typically, Green Dragon is produced a couple gallons at a time, usually using mid-high-grade Marijuana that is well cured and decarboxylized. Decarboxylation is the practice of making the cannabinoids compatible with human chemistry by activating them using heat. The raw cannabinoid THCA is completely non-psychoactive unless it is processed via heat to convert the chemical into THC. This is done by toasting the Cannabis in the oven on a cookie sheet for 30-40 minutes at 95

250 degrees. Lower heat and longer cooking times allow one to hold on to more of the complex terpenes and subsequent flavor of the preferred strain. Dosage is at a rate of ¼ ounce per gallon. The herb is placed into a tea strainer bag and put into the alcohol where it is allowed too steep for as long as one can stand it (usually a month or so), the alcohol dissolves the THC crystals and the tea bag is removed. The Green Dragon is then coarsely filtered through felt and bottled. It is administered in VERY SMALL amounts only to WILLING participants. Though I no longer partake of this sacrament in any form I can tell you from experience that going too far with it too fast creates a stunning cacophony of sickness inducing color that once found me naked throwing up off the front porch in full view of the highway in front of my house.

A quick story associated with the Dragon, once; many years ago, I had given some friends some samples of the Dragon to take with them on a road trip. In the trunk, they had a couple of bottles stashed away awaiting their destination and in the glove box they had a small sample bottle. Somewhere in Minnesota they were pulled over by local police and asked of course for their licenses and registration whereupon opening the dashboard the small bottle fell out of the dash. The cops obviously reacted asking the couple what was in the bottle, their response was homemade absinthe. The cops knew the couple hadn’t been drinking and had started chit chatting with them about this homemade absinthe, genuinely curious they asked if they could taste it to which my friends obliged. The cops claimed to enjoy it and let my friends go about their day, but somewhere in Minnesota on the fateful day were two police officers having the time of their life being none the wiser.

-Who loveth not wine women and song, He ramaineth a fool his whole life long-

“Reed, that shit will knock you dick stiff” “You’ll wake up and find your hat in the creek.”

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How to mitigate Volatile Acidity in a wash:

As mentioned earlier VA and Brettanomycees are not necessarily true faults and are quite common in many old-world distillates as low levels, however a was that is heavily affected by VA should be done away with unless you wish to use it to make high proof alcohol. You can mitigate volatile acidity with the use of sodium carbonate, not sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda). You can convert baking soda to sodium carbonate by cooking it an oven at 200 Celsius for one hour or find it commercially as pHup. The process is thus:

Distill wash Cut spirit to 45% and add sodium carbonate (1 tablespoon per 10L) Distill again to high proof.

“It’ll make an uglyun pretty for a couple hours”

-William Penn Wilson

Of Agricultural Variety

“The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture; especially a bread grain.” – Thomas Jefferson

As an agrarian distiller with a background deeply and firmly rooted in the soil of my southern Indiana home I have through the writing of this book hoped to bring more knowledge to the homesteader, survivalist, and ultimately the budding distiller. I hope that in the future we will see a deeper regionalism and agrarianism emerge in the alcohol industry as craft and home distillation again begin to enjoy prosperity, more than that I hope we see adventurous products. I’m not simply talking about distilling x, y, and z because it makes a good story. What I am speaking of is the synergy that once did and can again exist between distillers and farmers, between the land and those working it, and between the seed and it’s potential. There is a vast and diverse pool of grains and fruits from which to work that has already evolved to fit its own place and create its own terroir in whichever bio-region that it grows but more than that are the 97 possibilities of breeding new and unique varieties adapted to those climatic conditions and cultural uses as well.

In recent decades, we have seen a huge resurgence in heirloom seed and organic gardening, alongside that have grown and come new plant breeders who are creating open source varieties to share with the world, free of burdensome “breeder’s rights” and separate from the industrialized monopolies creating GMO varietals. I am cut from this cloth as a seedsman and a still man. There is a connection here but it needs a bridge fortified stronger than what one farmer- distiller can make it. The potential for unique and regionalized sustainable products here is massive and of great importance to the breeder, the distiller, the end user, and the local food shed from where I stand.

From a breeder’s perspective, much like a distiller, why place all the work and effort into a variety or type if it has no wider end use? Sure, it’s ok and even commendable to breed your own varieties for private use or to trade amongst a small network, but unfortunately how long will that network keep the diversity of your varieties around? If you can introduce even a single variety with some wider use in the commercial sense that has all the attributes of a quality open pollinated variety but that can also create a commodity product (legal or illegal) you will have contributed something much better to the good of your bio-region than just yet another odd colored tomato that’s hot today and impossible to find tomorrow.

Maize diversity in particular, despite the popularity of bourbon in this country, is far underutilized in the industry and by individual breeders. Most distilleries do use straight up number 2 yellow dent corn. Why? Mostly because it is cheap and easy to come by but also because they may not know that anything more interesting exists. I have had many conversations with distillers in which they lament the lack of diversity in grain distillation and chalk it up to a lack of available varieties or lack of varieties with good stalk strength or yield, driving the price up. Generally, when a distillery is using and “odd” variety, it itself is fairly run of the mill (Boone County White, 98

Hopi Blue, Bloody Butcher) and nothing noteworthy or specific to their region.

Of course, the price for these varieties is always going to be more expensive because these varieties are always going to yield far less than conventional hybrids, require far less plants per acre, and be a bit more of a harvesting hustle for the farmer. This means that it is unlikely that any larger producer of whiskey will pick up these varieties for their mainline items. However, the quality of this grain and the unique taste profile provided via the amino acid content and color of the corn and the uniqueness of the variety and its specificity to a local bio region means that there is plenty of room for this type of grain for boutique and local small-scale production and there are distillers who would handsomely reward plant breeders for foundation seed and farmers for contract farming of such grains.

Not only does color have an effect on taste but so too does type of corn. Dent corn became the go to for bourbon production because it is what was popular and grew well in the Mid-South and Mid-West regions and also its yield is generally much higher and the amount of starch greater than that of a flint corn. Flint corns would be fantastic for the east coast where they have traditionally been grown and many 8 rowed varietals exist for those climates; Longfellow, Gaspe, Roy’s Calais, and though originally developed on the west coast the Cascade Series from Carol Deppe’s Fertile Valley Seed Co. In the Western arid regions, there are many native varieties available from organizations like Native Seeds/SEARCH which would be good choices for whisky themselves or even as the starting point for new and unique varietals for production. Again, there are many colors of these corns to choose from all with a range of flavor; White, Gold, Orange, Blue Red. Solid colors of ears would be best for developing unique flavor profiles matched to specific phenotypic traits.

Flour corn is also generally underutilized. Typically flour corn doesn’t have good standability in wet weather and is prone to many molds and fungus diseases so the yield is much lower, that said the yield of

99 alcohol per kernel should be higher as there are far more starches available to convert into sugar.

This is discounting still yet the diversity of Maize in South America and Oaxaca Mexico that could eventually be utilized

“When the devil says to you: do not drink, answer him: I will drink, and right freely, just because you tell me not to.” MARTIN LUTHER

These writings are the collective work and property of Alan Reed Bishop as of 2/02/2018. All work herein belongs exclusively to Alan Reed Bishop but may be printed or reproduced in whole or in part for blogs or non-commercial use so long as this notation is included along with a link to alchemistcabinet.wordpress.com and [email protected] as a contact link.

Initially we had planned to publish a book of these writings for profit, subsequently we have instead decided to dedicate this book to home distillers the world over and release it as a free PDF. If you would like to make a donation to further our research or simply to support the work of the author please send well concealed cash (inside a card) to:

Alan Bishop

5602 S. State Road 60

Pekin IN, 47165

We gladly accept any and all contributions and are highly appreciative.