Corn Distillate

[Konzo]

So I am new to the mashing side of things, I have been doing a bit of research and wish to discuss corn distillate. From what I can see on youtube etc is purely corn ground and mashed, sugar and yeast added, then distilled. Is this correct? Does it always have corn and sugar?

[MacStill]

So you want a good corn drop hey ?

Check this thread out

Traditional Appalachian (U.S.) sweet mash corn whiskey

Yeah baby :music-deathmetal:

[Konzo]

That looks good. Ill read it a few more times to get my head around it.

I was thinking of making a Canadian club style whiskey, with light char barrels.

So my thinking would be from what I've read.

85% corn distillate
15% of fermented rye, rye malt and barley malt.

Thoughts?

[Andy]

That grain bill will make a nice bourbon.

Canadian club would have far more rye. I would go as far as saying a cc clone would b 50% rye. But I'm yet to find a good recipe. There should b a rye bread recipe on the forum u could try. Maybe blend with the bill u suggested

[Konzo]

From what I have read and seen, Canadian Whisky is made up of 80-90% corn distillate, with fermented and malted rye the next biggest ingredients, followed lastly by barely malt.

So guess the trick would be to find out exactly which is best combo. So hence why I was thinking 85% corn distillate, with maybe 2-3% barley malt, the remainder the rye :-)

[Dominator]

There is a goid list of grain bills here. Unfortunatly no CC.

[Konzo]

There is a goid list of grain bills here. Unfortunatly no CC.

Yeah saw that one thanks though :-)

[bt1]

A Canadian is usually a blend of two runs.

A base run from corn and some 6 row malted barely for conversion of starches but mainly corn and a rye whisky 51% + . The two are blended after ageing.

bt1

[Andy]

from canadianwisky.org

"The recipe for this version, Canadian Club Reserve, includes about 30% rye and rye malt. These, along with corn and barley malt distillates, are blended together as new spirit before being put in barrels to age.
About 40% of the blended spirit goes into new oak barrels which emphasize the spirit’s aggressive rye notes. The rest is matured in re-charred Jim Beam barrels. After ten years, the mature whiskies are brought together and re-blended before final bottling. So, even though the spirit that goes into CC Reserve is “barrel blended,” the whisky in the bottle has elements of both new and re-charred oak in it, and this is what makes it such a winning combination."

[Konzo]

Thanks BT1 and Andy.

So can anyone confirm, corn distillate, is it purely corn or sugar as well? Because I keep reading different things and it is the one part that's confusing me :-(

[bt1]

hello catcher,

The commercial distillers would use corn and 6 row malted barely for starch conversion. A AG corn is a beast to make and requires corn to be gelatinised = near boiled, cooled to 65c first then 70 - 71c for ages with the barley malt added to work on starch conversion and corn sure has plenty of that. If your using 2 row malted you'll lack the enzyme grunt to convert all that starch. You really really need to understand what a good malt is about here.

Corn cooks are painful = sticks , hard work and highly dependant on the quality and type of corn used. I've tried em but can not be bothered with the work or cost.

I still cook corn but on smaller scale. 3 - 4kg treated the same way then use 8kg sugar in 60lt fermenter is a quarter of the work about a tenth of the time and don't really taste a whole lot different once aged. Given a corn wash and spirit is only one side of this new Canadian whisky love affair...start simple would be my advice.

A rye well that's a different story and a passion I've been chasing for years. Issue with a good malted rye is it takes a fair time to turn before it's drinkable or in your case blended. The new RC/Doc aeration process is certainly helping but it's a long termer.

Admirable aim a good Canadian... stick with it but you need to have plenty of patience.

bt1

[Dominator]

start simple would be my advice.

:text-+1:

[Andy]

simple would be some uncle jesse or mas bourbon whiskey knock off.

you can also add enzymes to the equation. i think there is a thread of the forum. (i haven't looked into it yet as im trying to keep it simple)

[bt1]

Not for mine,

if your going to chase a specific spirit as a clone you need to get as close as you can first time....It takes time, a lot of time to then work that base closer to the taste you want. As example I've 2 years invested in an Irish and can only very recently say with some degree of pride..."it will do me"

bt1

[Bushy]

Not for mine,

if your going to chase a specific spirit as a clone you need to get as close as you can first time....It takes time, a lot of time to then work that base closer to the taste you want. As example I've 2 years invested in an Irish and can only very recently say with some degree of pride..."it will do me"

bt1

Well don't stop there mate. How about an irish thread. I for one would be keen to hear about it.

[bt1]

Bushy,

Better pm me your postal and send some up first.. proof is in the drinking..

cheers
bt1

[tipsy]

Not for mine,

if your going to chase a specific spirit as a clone you need to get as close as you can first time....It takes time, a lot of time to then work that base closer to the taste you want. As example I've 2 years invested in an Irish and can only very recently say with some degree of pride..."it will do me"

bt1

Well don't stop there mate. How about an irish thread. I for one would be keen to hear about it.

:text-+1:

Unless your going to send us all a bottle :D

[Konzo]

hello catcher,

The commercial distillers would use corn and 6 row malted barely for starch conversion. A AG corn is a beast to make and requires corn to be gelatinised = near boiled, cooled to 65c first then 70 - 71c for ages with the barley malt added to work on starch conversion and corn sure has plenty of that. If your using 2 row malted you'll lack the enzyme grunt to convert all that starch. You really really need to understand what a good malt is about here.

Corn cooks are painful = sticks , hard work and highly dependant on the quality and type of corn used. I've tried em but can not be bothered with the work or cost.

I still cook corn but on smaller scale. 3 - 4kg treated the same way then use 8kg sugar in 60lt fermenter is a quarter of the work about a tenth of the time and don't really taste a whole lot different once aged. Given a corn wash and spirit is only one side of this new Canadian whisky love affair...start simple would be my advice.

A rye well that's a different story and a passion I've been chasing for years. Issue with a good malted rye is it takes a fair time to turn before it's drinkable or in your case blended. The new RC/Doc aeration process is certainly helping but it's a long termer.

Admirable aim a good Canadian... stick with it but you need to have plenty of patience.

bt1

:text-thankyoublue: a quality reply that has really helped clear it up for me, i appreciate it :-)