Legal issues aside, how is whisky made?
Do you make a beer (presumably without hops), ferment it with regular beer yeast and then distill?
asked Feb 21, 2013 at 14:34
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Since this site's inception, distillation has been considered off-topic.– bakaCommented Feb 22, 2013 at 18:28
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3 Answers
If you're talking about Scotch whisky, the answer is yes! And it's known as "distiller's beer", made from just barley, yeast, and water.
Some more info here: http://www.maltmadness.com/malt-whisky/beginners-guide-04-distilling.html
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Very interesting read on the linked page. One thing that appears to be clearly different on the process is the lack of a boil stage. Is it so that Whisky wort is not boiled before going to ferment? Commented Feb 22, 2013 at 9:11
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It could simply be that boiling that much wort would take too much time.– エェリCommented Feb 23, 2013 at 21:18
Whiskey is typically made primarily from corn (fermented in the same way as beer) and then distilled. The trick is, after distillation it has to be aged in wood barrels for a couple years, which is what gives it the flavor and color.
Technically you can distill beer. If you do it a couple times you'll basically end up with the same spirit, which can then be aged in a barrel the same way, but corn is much easier, cheaper and traditionally the main ingredient.
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2Wouldn't be Bourbon whiskey which is made mainly from corn? Commented Feb 21, 2013 at 14:51
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1Corn is the primary ingredient for Bourbon, but it also includes many grains that are used in beer, like malted barley. Bourbon is also a regional product (similar to Champagne), it has to be made in Bourbon Country in Kentucky (US) and aged at least four years in oak, otherwise it is just normal whiskey.– thanbyCommented Feb 21, 2013 at 14:58
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6Corn is the primary ingredient in some (but not all) American whiskeys, but is certainly not for most types of whiskeys around the world. There's a reason for the term "Single Malt"– jalynn2Commented Feb 21, 2013 at 16:17
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@thanby: That is not totally true, Bourbon only has to be made in the United States. There have been no distilleries in Bourbon County KY since prohibition. Commented Oct 26, 2014 at 0:23
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I'm not perfectly familiar with the geographic contents of Bourbon County (which is sad because I live 30 minutes away from it) so you may be right about that, but I was always under the impression that's the way it was. The distilleries are, however, along the Bourbon Trail (I'm not sure of its relation to actual Bourbon County), though I can't confirm whether or not any exist outside of that region or whether that's a requirement.– thanbyCommented Oct 28, 2014 at 21:31
One big difference is that distilled spirits are fermented at relatively high temperatures (70s-80s) to speed up the yeast and produce as much alcohol as possible. This also results in undesirable components like higher-order alcohols and methanol which are later removed in the "heads" and "tails" of distillation.
This is why homemade "bathtub gin"-style liquor during prohibition could be dangerous, because the people making it often skipped this step.
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4The amount of methanol in the distilled spirit is equal in proportion to what was in the source wine or beer. Unless you're drinking just the heads, methanol is not concentrated. Here's a quick rundown on methanol toxicity. Not surprisingly, the biggest risk from home distilled spirits is simple alcohol poisoning. And explosion. Bathtub gin was dangerous because unscrupulous moonshiners would cut the ethanol with methanol to improve profits. Commented Feb 22, 2013 at 0:36