Sydney Jones
Understanding the Many Sources of Flavor in Whiskey
Distilling Course
Sydney Jones, supervisor and lead distillery technician at Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Kentucky, isolates the components of whiskey-making, zooming in on all the many decision points that a distiller can use to affect whiskey’s flavor.
From ingredient selection and fermentation to distillation and maturation, each part in the whiskey-making process includes many different, specific choices that can affect what’s possible in the later stages and in the flavor of the final spirit. In this 57-minute video course—available to Spirits & Distilling subscribers—Heaven Hill distiller Sydney Jones delves into those various details.
Along the way, she discusses:
- the definitions and limitations of rye and bourbon
- different types of oak as sources of flavor
- experimenting with different varieties of corn, rye, wheat, malt—and alternative grains, such as rice
- using fermentation and yeast strains to drive specific flavors, including spice
- why you should treat your yeast like a pet
- why distillation deserves more attention as a driver of whiskey flavor
- how different types of still—pot, column, hybrid—can affect the distillate’s character and maturation time
- making cuts—heads, hearts, tails—and how those affect flavor and maturation
- the many variables of barrel aging and how they affect the whiskey,including climate, entry proof, char, toast level... and, of course, time
- why toast can be more influential than char in barrel-driven flavors
- methods of blending for consistency or to create unique products
And more.
Featuring:
Sydney Jones
Lessons
1. Welcome to the Course
Heaven Hill distillery technician Sydney Jones introduces herself and offers a brief overview of the course.
2. Definition | What Whiskey Is and Why the Grains Matter
To know what’s possible within whiskey’s flavors, we first need to understand exactly what it is—there are legal definitions and limitations on ingredients, proof, and process. From there, we can better explore what’s possible within those clear boundaries—for example, different varieties of corn, rye, wheat, barley, or oak. There are also flavorful alternative grains to consider, such as triticale or rice. Grains are what define whiskey.
3. Fermentation | Creating All Those “Little Bits of Flavor”
Fermentation is a major driver of flavors in whiskey, as different yeasts react differently with different grains in the mash. The wide diversity of flavors and behaviors in the yeast world gives the distiller lots of options. Besides producing alcohol—absolutely necessary for distillation—the yeast also produce esters, congeners, acids, and more “little bits of flavor.” Many strains, for example, can drive a spicier whiskey flavor via the production of phenols. Experiment and talk to your yeast supplier! Bacterial infections can also drive flavor (for better or worse). Treat your yeast like a pet—happy yeast produce good flavors.
4. Distillation | Where Whiskey Is Made
There are different types of stills and methods of distillation, and these decisions all affect the distillate’s character. From a flavorful fermented mash, rectification and concentration are important aspects of the distillation process. Small-scale craft distillers often use pot or hybrid stills for batch distillation. When you make the batch’s cuts—heads, hearts, and tails—can greatly affect the new-make’s flavor. While the hearts form the bulk of the distillate, the oily tails present new choices—they can add body and character, but they can also add unwelcome vegetal notes, among other off-flavors. Pot stills produce a richer, fattier, ester-forward distillate that may need more time to age, while columns produce a lighter, more rectified whiskey that can mature more quickly.
5. Maturation | The Many Variables of Barrel Aging
Aging on oak is arguably the most important contributor of flavor in whiskey, and many factors and choices can wield influence. The climate has a major impact on that maturation, as do fluctuations in temperature—in hot climates, whiskey ages more quickly and loses more volume to evaporation. Other variables that come into play include oxygen exposure, barrel char, toast level, entry proof... and, of course, time. Cask finishes present another range of choices—and it is possible to over-finish or over-age a whiskey. There’s still a lot we don’t understand about maturation and how it will happen, and that’s part of the magic.
6. Intervention | The Art of Blending
Blending is a final step that has a major impact on the final spirit’s flavor. There are different goals of blending—it may be to create a unique, distinctive product, or it may be to ensure true-to-brand consistency. There are different methods to achieve those goals, including triangle or solera. Blenders all do it differently, with their own approach, and there’s not necessarily a wrong way to do it. It represents a final opportunity for meaningful human intervention in the whiskey.
7. Final Words on Flavor, and Thank You
Each step in the process of making whiskey—from selecting ingredients to blending mature spirit—can influence the flavors of the final product. Each distillery makes different choices, uses different equipment, and makes use of a unique climate and environment. Virtually every point in the process represents a different lever that the distiller can pull to affect flavor.