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.