Why sprout the corn for whiskey? In short, sprouting eliminates the need for added sugar in the mash, allowing you to get a more authentic whiskey. Also called “malting,” sprouting causes enzymes in the corn to convert starches to sugar. [2] X Research source Those sugars then become the building blocks of the alcohol in the whiskey.
Rinse the corn with cool water about every 12 hours during this process to keep it damp and maintain its temperature.
To remove the stems, you can also place the malted corn in a tied pillowcase, then run the pillow case through the dryer on the lowest-possible heat. After, place the mixture in a clean tray and separate the kernels from the stems.
If you want to, you can also use a grist mill to crack apart the corn. You can only do this, however, when your corn is fully dried; wet corn won’t go through the grist mill properly.
At this point, the corn will take on a slightly gelatinous consistency, due to the starches releasing from the kernels. During this phase of the whiskey making, it’s especially important to keep all the instruments and containers you’ll be using clean. A small contamination could ruin the entire batch of whiskey. Be sure to sterilize any thermometers, container lids, and airlocks you might be using, as well as sanitize your hands beforehand.
You can make an airlock yourself quite easily, but buying one is cheap. It’s possible to get one for under a couple of bucks.
Use a hydrometer to tell when the primary fermentation is complete. If the reading on the hydrometer is the same for two to three consecutive days, you’re ready to begin distillation. [12] X Research source
If your mixture is still producing bubbles, let it sit for another 2-3 days in order to complete fermentation. At this point, the wash has about 15% alcohol by volume. Distilling the wash will increase the alcohol content greatly. For best results, get a pot still. If you’re especially handy and have the time, you can build a still yourself.
Why this temperature? Your wash contains methanol and ethanol, which can be lethal to consume. Luckily, these compounds boil and evaporate at about 174 °F (79 °C), so heating the mixture to above that point will boil them off. But keep the mixture just above that temperature and not much higher, to avoid boiling off the liquid.
Throw out the tails. Continue collecting the body until the thermometer on the condensing tube begins reading 205º F (96º C). At this point, the evaporated liquids you start distilling are fusel oils, which should be thrown away. Turn off the heat source and let the pot still cool down completely. Allow your distilled moonshine to cool off as well. [17] X Research source
Be sure not to confuse the proof and tralle readings on the hydrometer. Your proof will always be two times the amount of the tralle.
Whiskey is generally aged in oak barrels. The barrels can be carefully charred or toasted first, or can be sourced from another distiller that’s kept another spirit in the barrel for added flavor. If you want to add oak flavor to your moonshine but don’t want to have to spring for a barrel, you can also add toasted oak chips to your whiskey. Toast your oak chips over low heat (200º F) in the oven for an hour, until they are aromatic but not yet charred. Remove and cool. Transfer to a sterilized glass bottle and steep for 5 - 15 days or longer, depending on your tastes. Strain the whiskey through cheesecloth or a clean pillowcase to catch all the wood chips.
Congrats! What you’ve just made is actually considered bourbon, a variety of whiskey made with at least 51% corn mash. Or at least, it’ll be bourbon so long as you age it in a charred oak barrel and bottle it at 40% ABV, and don’t add anything to it during fermenting and distilling. There are plenty of other varieties of whiskey, like scotch (a barley malt distilled in Scotland), rye whiskey, Irish whiskey (a grain malt originated by Irish monks), and even Japanese whiskey. [22] X Research source Experiment with the grains you use for your malt and the barrels you use to age your whiskey in order to achieve different flavors and varieties.
