Howdy,
For those of you who have been here a while you’d well know my first adventure into making a decent Irish whiskey using mainly plain crushed barley and malted barley as a sugar based wash…let’s just say it wasn’t too good. In short it was way too bitey and did kamikaze runs on your tastebuds that truly hurt.
Since realised using plain unmalted barley as the primary grain was and remains the culprit… not nice in this at all. No amount of spirit runs, months of ageing or different timbers fixed it.
I’ve been pushing along with another version for the past 7 months now and am finally happy with the results. So here it be...
Background/side issues
Spuds aren’t spuds… the high starch varieties are what we need here so simply put don’t use waxy skinned or red potatoes due to their lower starch levels and higher water content. That leaves you with the normal plain white spud we see mostly…great news!
Spuds when boiled and preferably peeled(cos peeled it releases more starch) break down into Amylose another glucose bit but the good news is it’s broken down by our good mate the enzyme α-amylase found in malted grains. Btw human saliva has one of the highest levels of Alpha but I wouldn’t recommend a spit into the pot :handgestures-thumbdown:
The bill
The ideal mix depends on your prefs. I’ve tried several ratios but have settled on 1 which to me balances yield and flavour and efforts. You could choose to use more spuds/malt and less sugar.
60lt fermenter
4kg white spuds
2Lt Barson Galaxy pale malted barley or just malted barley. I use Galaxy as it's one of highest diastatic malts (makes more sugars if you like)
6 kg sugar
1/2 of DAP and Epsom salts
Process
¾ fill your fermenter to give water a chance to lose the chlorine
Put a stock pot on heat with enough water to cover spuds
Peel and cube spuds, pop them in allow it to boil to the soft stage as you would normally.
Remove from heat, mash the spuds with a little extra water, top up with water so you get down to the first enzyme break temp beta at 55c
While gently warming it add the barley and stir in well, bring the pot up to the 62c mark which gives Beta a chance to turn the starches. Leave for 30 mins or longer.
Bring it up to the 67c – 72c range for Alpha to convert sugars. This is when Amylose from the spuds gets converted. 72c being point at which alpha has quit the game
Leave for at least 45mins or longer with occasional stir, check temp/heating. I’m more like a good hour here….in no rush
You can check starch levels with the iodine test. The pot will progressively get sweeter to the taste.
Once happy pour into fermenter, I add ½ teaspoon of DAP and Epsom salts so yeast will be happier, but it's optional really.
Dissolve your sugars pour into fermenter adjust temp to yeast start 30c – 31c for a Lowan’s baker’s yeast.
Dam good stir or use the drill and paint stirrer whatever, pop the yeast in. Allow 15mins for lag phase of yeast stir it in allow a good 15 mins. with lid off for early growth phase of yeast.
Get your fermenter heating sorted to your preferred temp I run at 28c on with fermenter lid and wrap up fermenter…4.5 – 5 days she’s done.
I run it through one of the bubblers but nothing wrong with 2 x pot runs, strip and then a spirit.
Cuts as normal, air for about a week, water to 65% abv.
For timber I use a mix of raw uncharred and medium toast timber that’s been soaked in sherry. Sherry adding more depth.
The choices here are personal as I want a light colour drop but the raw timber takes the edge off and “turns” the spirit faster imho. You could choose to go a char timber if you prefer stronger colour but it will make it much the sameness in terms of flavours.
Will need a good 3 months to get real nice…if it lasts!
bt1