Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

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Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby RuddyCrazy » Wed Sep 02, 2020 5:44 pm

G'day Guy's,
Today I took some of my brandy samples with me and on old friend was at the place we went, so I pulled out the box and said well it time for you to try my brandies. All three the Orange Mulled Brandy, the Apple brandy and a sample of a bottle of chilli vodka where I put put a couple of oak chips in and left it for 5 years. Being only 40% the oak didn't darken the spirit but the taste compared to the straight chilli vodka is polls apart.

Now the discussion got on medieval distilling and basically the peat bogs in Scotland are only this moss compacted over time and it was only local to the area. So what locals down south would do is make some whisky then add some of this moss and let it soak up and macerate for a month. Then they would strain it and run it thru another distillation and the final product would have that earthy peat taste.

This recipe is out the 1700's and I do think it is time to revive this old trick to get a peaty whisky without being in Scotland.

So the plan go to the garden shop and buy some dried moss and macerate it with 3 bottles of my cornflakes whisky, I still have a couple more of the same batch to compare the result. Now if it is a total loss it was on cornflakes whisky and on sampling my all grain on oak there is noway I'm going back to using breakfast cereal to make my hooch.

For distilling this I'll use my minime pot still and do several runs so I can different things in the thumper, like some of the moss in 40% neutral and the moss in some of the macerated product and finally just some 40% neutral.

It will either be an interesting adventure which may prove successful or a total failure, but anyway this first trail is only with cornflakes whisky.

Cheers Bryan
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby Wellsy » Wed Sep 02, 2020 7:52 pm

Hello Bryan
Its experiments that we all learn from. Someone had to try corn flakes for the first time and we are all grateful to them sharing the results. Unlike the guy who used rice bubbles for whiskey and was never heard of again lol
Good luck mate
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby MartinCash » Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:54 am

I personally find the character of live Sphagnum moss to be very different from that of peat. YMMV.
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby bluc » Thu Sep 03, 2020 1:59 pm

Pretty sure you can buy real peat on amazon..
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby RuddyCrazy » Sat Sep 12, 2020 10:15 am

Well the fun has started with this project, SWMBO got a block of moss so I cut 5 grams off then boiled it to sterilize it then as I was drying it cut it up with a pair of scissors. Added to a litre of 40% CFW, the one I aged for 12 months and isn't a patch on the one I aged for 18 months.

I'll let it macerate it for a day then strain it and run it thru my minime, one may say I'm just polishing a turd but if you don't have a go you will never know either :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

Cheers Bryan
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby bluc » Sun Sep 13, 2020 6:26 am

Bryan have you read the peat reek thread?
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby RuddyCrazy » Sun Sep 13, 2020 7:32 am

bluc wrote:Bryan have you read the peat reek thread?



got a link mate as the search bring up buggerall :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby Wellsy » Sun Sep 13, 2020 8:37 am

http://aussiedistiller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=4062&start=20#p79070

I found that not sure if it is the one you wanted
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby bluc » Sun Sep 13, 2020 8:50 am

Thats the one
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby bluc » Sun Sep 13, 2020 8:52 am

No images Dam photobucket :handgestures-thumbdown:
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby Wellsy » Sun Sep 13, 2020 9:26 am

Yep, looks like the original recipe is now gone.
Hopefully someone will remember the process
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby RuddyCrazy » Sun Sep 13, 2020 9:45 am

Well I gotta admit I didn't see that peet reek thread before and anyway I do like to experiement and this method was told to me as I said above from the history books. The beaker has taken on a much darker colour aswell so I'm thinking of straining the moss so only the liquid goes into the boiler and steeping the moss in some 40% low TPW wines for the thumper. I'm sure by doing this I can extract the most flavour where it being a good thing or not but we will see.

I'll take a pic of the beaker a bit later after all the farm jobbies are done and as I have a 4 day weekend due to lack of work this arvo I'm decanting some of my single malt AG and trying a blend with the generations. Well one does need a heart starter to all these mundane farm jobbies :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

Cheers Bryan
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby RuddyCrazy » Sun Sep 13, 2020 6:26 pm

Ok ran this project after lunch after I found all the bits and took 750ml in cut jars, the boiler had 1 litre and the thumper about 400ml of 50% TPW low wines just enough to cover the moss. The green can burner went wonderful and after 20 minutes and a quick beer run back to the house when I got back within a short time it was running. Now taking a DP :teasing-tease: the taste is different.

Gotta let it air for a day them temper it to 65% and onto French Oak it goes just like the CFW did.

Now to test this project out it is going to Zac heres a shout mate :teasing-neener: or Sam if he down town or another Adelaide member to come and taste the difference as my word alone won't hold an ounce of credit.

Cheers Bryan
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby RuddyCrazy » Fri Sep 18, 2020 3:02 pm

It's been on French oak for a week now just had to have a sample, first had a dram of the normal CFW then about an hour later had a sample of this project and man what a difference in taste :teasing-tease: :teasing-tease: :teasing-tease: Now for one that never tasted a peated whisky this one sure does have a different flavour and all for the better.

Cheers Bryan
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby Wellsy » Fri Sep 18, 2020 4:13 pm

That’s great news Bryan
Nice to have a peat convert to the fold lol.

You won’t feel like a peat one all the time but when you do noth8ng else quick scratches that itch :)
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby RuddyCrazy » Wed Dec 30, 2020 10:49 am

G'day Guy's,
Well Tubbsy was the first to try this initial project and said it's missing the smoke flavour :angry-banghead: Now his samples turned up this morning so yet another diversion has turned up :laughing-rolling: In order to get that smoke flavour one has to bubble the smoke thru the liquor :music-deathmetal: so my motto is if ya gunna do something just tool up :laughing-rolling:

peat fire.jpg


Ive just expanded up some 1/2" tube so it sits on the funnel and that will go into the 5 litre demi with 3 litres of my single malt AG which has been aging for 7 months. I've left it @65% as I do think it accept more of the flavour.

Now Ill putting some moist moss on the top rack and the smoky fire will be using those end grain French Oak chips that are good for nothing but burning for this project :laughing-rolling:

more to come and I may even try my hand at a youtube vid if this cheap phone will let me :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

Cheers Bryan
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby tubbsy » Wed Dec 30, 2020 11:34 am

Watch out for embers and other hot stuff going in to your spirit. I did it once, but used an aquarium pump and a 3m length of 1/4" copper tube. I could feel the heat move along it's length and when it got about half way I called it quits. I only bubble smoke through low wines at ~25-30% now.
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby RuddyCrazy » Wed Dec 30, 2020 12:04 pm

Just as I expected but hoped it wouldn't happen the funnel is too much of a restriction and no smoke is going up at all so this hair brained idea is a total fail :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

O'well the wheel wasn't invented in a day so as I thought if I'm going this method then it needs to be morted in so the smoke will go up the chimney and instead of all the leaks in the bricks.

Cheers Bryan
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby RuddyCrazy » Wed Dec 30, 2020 4:16 pm

Well while crying thru my beers thinking about today's failure I'm going to redo that fire place and mortar the bricks in so the smoke can only go up the chimney and I'll put 2 doors on, one for the moss section and the other for the oak fire section. Now I only went one brick high today and found the flames were shooting over the top grid so the next one will be 2 bricks high so the flames won't touch the top grid which is going to need a panel beating to get flat again. I do have a heap of 75x10mm lintels I got ages ago and they will be fabricated to strengthen the grids plates and be a mount for the doors. I'll make a new chimney with a tee-piece on so I can regulate the smoke.

Now the concept i'm using is for the moss to be smouldered as the smoke that goes into the spirit and the firewood being French oak should also be OK to go into the spirit. Now if I have this concept wrong chime in as always I can stand to be corrected as none of us are perfect( crazy but not purfect) :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

SWMBO did say up at Mt Crawford forest we can get sphagnum moss in abundance so that will be a day trip out for the family. I have a few of those big black tubs so the goal will be to fill all of them so I have plenty to play with. SWMBO said we just need for the next big rain to happen and it may be an idea to take some of the earth under the moss as there would be generations of moss overlapped.

Just a few drams today of Tubbsy's samples this morning has me hooked so time and thought is needed as smoke and moss is my target for my whisky from now on. I do need to get more barely to do more malting and do more single malt runs as I want to make enough over time so the supply of aged smoked/peated whisky become a staple drink.

Everything I do will be put on this thread for all members to read and for those members that are doing this :violence-smack: Tubbsy :violence-smack: get your method's on this thread mate :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

Now I'm not sure if this subject has been touched on this forum before and if so can the search guru's link threads if there are any :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers Bryan
Last edited by RuddyCrazy on Wed Dec 30, 2020 4:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Postby tubbsy » Wed Dec 30, 2020 5:31 pm

Everything I do will be put on this thread for all members to read and for those members that are doing this :violence-smack: Tubbsy :violence-smack: get your method's on this thread mate :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:


Righto, righto, here it is!

EDIT: This isn't my idea. Someone on a different forum used a similar method.

The peat I have is from behind my shed. At least it looks like peat. It's just decomposed plant material that probably isn't very old, put looks the part. I've had a bit drying for months and is bone dry now. When burnt there is hardly anything left.

20200519_151751.jpg


I then break it up and dampen it a bit and put a handful in this contraption...

smoker.jpg


The white box is a small aquarium pump which pumps into a coffee tin which I have added a couple "ports". Air in from the pump and the 1/4" copper tube out. The tube is around 3m long and the end sits in a container of low wines. I've only done one run so far, but I ran it to air for 30 minutes to clear whatever out, then bubbled through the low wines for around an hour. From that one run, it seems to work pretty good.

The peat I have adds more of a campfire smoke that traditional peated whisky, but is still pleasant. It's fairly heavy on the smoke and only a few drops of it in a non-peated whisky adds noticeable smoke. Happy to send some of the peat to whoever wants it.
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Last edited by tubbsy on Wed Dec 30, 2020 5:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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