Sugar head Scotch

Sugar wash info and questions

Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby WTDist » Thu Feb 18, 2016 6:23 am

sounds good. ill give it a go but there is so much in my line of tings to do it may be quite a while but a sugar head scotch is on my list eventually.

did you not go past 3 gens because of 40% backset and the PH? wonder how a 4th and 5th would go if the ph was stable enough for a full ferment.

i did a WB wash with nearly 50% backset, gen 2 and it is still slowly going after 2 weeks. nearly 990 but still 995+. no sure if ill try a gen 3 this way.

whats the ruff cost of the wash?
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby Cols15 » Thu Feb 18, 2016 8:27 pm

I've only run 3gens because I've been experimenting with different recipes and it cuts down on fermenting time.

I bought 2 25kg bags of grain at $80 each, you would be able to get them cheaper at a decent hbs.
At that price the grain works out to be $6.50 for the 1st wash and $3.20 for every gen after.

I'll wait impatiently for you to try this sugar head scotch WTDist, but i know what its like to have more distilling to do than time on your hands.
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby WTDist » Thu Feb 18, 2016 9:20 pm

haha yea, i have a 2" ill soon upgrade but the time i have to ferment and distill while having 3 kids and full time engineering studies it is quite hard. im flat out doing 1 distill a week with a constant 120L on the go in fermenters. always something to run just never the time :angry-banghead:

whiskey drinker myself but a few scotch mates so this will be one for me to try when i can
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby warramungas » Fri Feb 19, 2016 6:48 am

WTDist wrote:haha yea, i have a 2" ill soon upgrade but the time i have to ferment and distill while having 3 kids and full time engineering studies it is quite hard. im flat out doing 1 distill a week with a constant 120L on the go in fermenters. always something to run just never the time :angry-banghead:

whiskey drinker myself but a few scotch mates so this will be one for me to try when i can


Do what I do and set your still up where you can see it from your study area. A run doesn't usually require you to be sitting next to it, just close enough to watch it and change collection jars occasionally. Strips are easy with 5 liter (or larger) demi's.
But I'm hearing you with the Billy lids and the trouble and strife usually needs you to watch them sometimes too.
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby scythe » Fri Feb 19, 2016 9:29 am

No one on this site should advocate being out of arms reach of your still when running.

It can go bad very quickly.
Just ask Mac.
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby WTDist » Fri Feb 19, 2016 9:57 am

my computer and study area actually is no more than 3m from where i have the still lol, and its always visible and making noises i can hear. Ive worked with a laptop sitting next to my still once too.
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby WTDist » Fri Feb 19, 2016 9:58 am

plus he did say where you can see it lol.
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby Bundaboy » Fri Feb 19, 2016 10:15 am

I was on my last spirit run late-ish last night, trying to get that stage finished, decided to read up here on my next recipe when... I fell asleep... :scared-eek:

As it turned out 2 things saved me - I was running my air still on half power (and that's why I was up late - it takes twice as long) and so it would take hours and hours to boil dry and I am not sure it would even then - but of course an Air Still has a boil dry cut off as well.

I woke up in time to only have 1 or 2 jars tails worth in the spirit - I was going to redo it but decided against it as it's a tiny amount compared to the over all yield.

None-the-less it has shaken me - I wouldn't want to do that once I have the MacBoka up and going... :naughty:
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby WTDist » Fri Feb 19, 2016 11:00 am

there is the fire scenario, controllers cant get too hot. electrical fires with the controller or the still can happen
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby WTDist » Thu Apr 07, 2016 10:50 am

Wondering with this recipe, in the BWKO it has 4L of grains but doesnt mention the kg value, how many L of grains are in the first gen of this recipe, blended or whole ? Need to plan which grain recipe ill do in a few months weather it be single malt or not. after alot of flavour so i wonder if i add a few more grams of grain will it make a difference
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby bluc » Thu Apr 07, 2016 1:42 pm

I can say the bwko has plenty of flavour as is. So does mac whiskey :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby Cols15 » Thu Apr 07, 2016 4:53 pm

I don't know how many lites of grain are in this recipe as I've never measured it that way.
Upping the amount of grain on the gens gives a stronger flavor, try using 500g more.
Also I've changed from using 3kg to 4kg of sugar per 20lt of wash. I didn't notice any difference in the final product by doing this, i just get a larger keep per spirit run.
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby captainmorgan36 » Tue Jun 14, 2016 9:01 pm

Hi, I would like to give this a try. Is there any specific 2row malted barley that you would recommend using?
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby ekul » Fri Jun 17, 2016 7:36 am

This isnt necessarily a sugarhead but its quite easy to do and uses very little equipment. Its 50% grain and 50% sugar. This is for a 40L batch. It can be scaled up or down accordingly

You will need:

A way to heat water (big w sell 20L pots for $20)

A 1.5mx1.5mm square of swiss voille (go to spotlight, they will know you are using it for homebrewing and direct you to the right area pretty quickly)

A thermometer

A big plastic bucket or bin of around 50-60L (chop down a drum from stock places for a cheap one or just buy a bin)

Bull dog clips (cheap from newsagent)

Grain

4kg peated malt (milled)
1kg pale ale malt (milled)
5kg white sugar or dextrose

put 30L of 70C water into your plastic bin. Put in your swiss voille and hold the edges in place with bull dog clips (its like a giant tea bag)
Chuck in your malt. Temp should be around 63C. As long as its between 62-68 you're fine. Stir it up to get rid of any lumps

Let it sit for an hour.

Use the the swiss voille to pull out the grain like a big tea bag. Squeeze the shit out of the grain to get as much juice as you can (wearing dishwashing gloves helps with this)

Add 5kg sugar and stir to dissolve

Top up with cold water and seal the lid (garbage bag held in place with a big rubber band). Let this cool down

ONce the temp is below 35C pitch your yeast. I'd stay away from bakers yeast personally, it gives the whiskey a bready taste.

This needs to be run as soon as its finished fermenting or it WILL get infected.

Tip- if you chill down some water in the fridge over night you'll get to pitching temps quicker. You can also use ice bags but this costs money.
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby youngy » Sun Oct 30, 2016 8:04 am

any updates on the sugar head scotch im interested in trying this recipie
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby Cols15 » Fri Feb 03, 2017 10:04 pm

Alright, I know its been awhile but ageing takes time.

The first run Caramalt whisky was very strong (not to my taste, over malty) to begin with but after 12mths on oak it mellowed. It wasn't what I wanted as a "scotch". I did blend it with some grain whisky and it became much more palatable.

The second run with all grain came out much closer to a standard "scotch" (or my impressions of scotch).

I did learn that using used oak is very important, the spirit is easily overpowered by oak. I used both French and American oak ex BWKO.

Currently I'm using a 4kg grain bill with 85% 2row 15% heavy peated malt (3.4kg/600g) and 8kg sugar for a 50-60lt wash for a SG 1060-1070
I grind the grain to a grist and stoop the new grain in backset before adding it back to the fermenter. I'm still using a US05 and Lowans yeast mix.

I have recently bought a 4 plate bubbler so comparing my old sugar head from the pot to the bubbler is a variance I've been trying to allow for.
Next wash I will probably up the grain bill to 5kg total at the same 85% 15% ratio.

Has anyone else tried this recipe?
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Re: Sugar head Scotch

Postby Cols15 » Tue Feb 14, 2017 5:29 pm

Just to keep this updated my current wash is -

3.75kg of 2 row malted barley and 1.25 heavy peated malt for 40lt

I'm hoping this amount of grain combined with a 3plate run will give me the flavor I'm looking for. When i ryn it I'll report back.
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