Of course, whiskey is considered a very noble and refined drink, but, according to some lovers of a drink and a bite, it does not differ too much from an ordinary “samogray”. Especially if the latter is expelled according to all the rules, in compliance with technology and from grain raw materials. However, moonshine is drunk almost immediately, and “viscarik” must be aged in oak barrels. How to make whiskey from moonshine? The idea was born by not too complicated manipulations with the first person to turn it into a drink of Scottish places. An interesting fact: if you do not have a sensitive perception of an experienced taster, you will not always see the difference between authentic imitation and the original, but most likely you will not even notice it. How to make whiskey from moonshine? A few recipes and tips for home conditions - to your attention!
Homemade Whiskey
The recipe for whiskey from moonshine at home is just as real in execution as other home-made strong drinks: for example, cognac. You can work hard and make an almost real brand in the kitchen, focusing on the original technologies for preparing strong alcohol, and if you don’t really want to spend a lot of time, you can greatly simplify the tasks: imitate whiskey in a less complicated way, using the already prepared moonshine. Undoubtedly, it will be better if it turns out to be cereal (for example, from wheat grain), but when one is not available, you can use the one at hand or on a shelf in the pantry.
Distillate whiskey
The recipe for whiskey from moonshine at home includes an important point - cleaning the product. It should be free from fusel oil with impurities. The best way for this manipulation is to re-distill it, but sometimes other cleaning methods are also used - using potassium permanganate or soda, for example.
And also, to make home-made whiskey closer to traditional options, you need to adjust the color of the drink. Oak gives the yellowish or amber hues of the color of Scotch whiskey: barrels for aging the distillate are made from it. So any person, thinking about how to make whiskey from moonshine himself in the kitchen, will try to get a barrel - then to withstand the drink in it. Without a doubt, everything can be made much simpler: in order for the distillate to become a necessary authentic color, oak extract must be used. Let's consider different options in more detail.
How to make whiskey from moonshine
This option is the most budgetary, it is affordable and uncomplicated in its execution. In it, only the taste and aroma of the original are given to the distillate. This method is ideal for parties, corporate parties or gatherings among friends.
Ingredients
We need to have: three liters of moonshine of double purification from raw materials of grain with a strength of at least 50% (this is important), three large spoons of oak (from a pharmacy) bark, 50 grams of charcoal of burnt wood (it is better to do the process yourself), 7 pieces of dried apricots, 7 pcs . prunes (possible with seeds).
The process itself
- Grind the coals to a dust state.
- Pour oak bark, crushed coals and dried apricots with prunes into the prepared glassware (a 3-liter ordinary can can be used). Pour on top one and a half liters of pervak and mix, adding to the remaining moonshine. The dishes are filled to the fullest - to the top.
- Stir again and cover the resulting mixture, sending it to a cool dark place for a couple of weeks: this is one of the fastest ways to make whiskey from moonshine.
- We take out the jar from the “cache” and filter it through the layer of “cotton wool + gauze” (you can use a charcoal filter).
Done! You can start tasting and eating a tasty and pleasantly smelling drink, which only remotely tastes like raw materials.
How to make whiskey from moonshine in an oak barrel
Of course, the best “whiskey” (even more pleasant than well-known brands) can be obtained only in a barrel. For brewing moonshine at home, not too large oak barrels up to 10 liters are suitable. Now they can be easily ordered via the Internet or purchased at a special store. Remember: the smaller the capacity of the barrel, the sooner the brewing process will take place, and the oak flavor will quickly fill the moonshine with tannins. But when you intend to insist a drink in a container for a long time, it is more correct to purchase barrels of up to 50 liters.
About the share of angels
Do not forget that when the drink is aged, a small particle of alcohol should evaporate: it is also called the "share of the angels." And it is not so important how much the barrel has - 5 or 50. The norm is the loss of up to 10% of spirits per year. The term for brewing moonshine depends on the volume of containers made of oak, the number of liters, and strength. The term will be affected by both ambient temperature and humidity. There are other minor nuances. In dry places, the strength of the infused product grows significantly and can rise from 55%, for example, to 75%, and if the drink is kept in damp places, its strength drops from 55% to 40%. In both cases, the total volume of the contents of the barrel is reduced.
Do not forget about the "share of the angel" in the barrel - sometimes add to the top. Once a month (when the oak barrel, up to 10 l) you can taste it, taste the infused moonshine, because it’s better not to contain too much than to distill the distillate too much. The approximate maturity of grain distillates in a 5-liter oak barrel at room temperature for whiskey is from 6 to 10 months.
On oak blocks
This cooking option is slightly simpler than the barrel method, but the result is quite laudable. Such whiskey may turn out to be even better than some store-bought whiskeys and will be an excellent drink at those moments when you want to sit in the cozy calm of your own home, chat heart to heart with your closest people. So, another option on how to make homemade whiskey from moonshine.
Components
We will need oak slats (either pegs or pieces), such that they fit freely in a three-liter container, moonshine with a strength of more than 50%, the container itself - it is perfectly embodied by an ordinary three-liter glass jar of cucumbers.
The process itself
First, prepare the oak itself. We twist the fragments of the tree in foil so that there is no clearance, and place in the oven for three hours, no more. The aroma of whiskey you receive will directly depend on the temperature in the oven.
- 120 ° C and above - the drink will have a faint oak flavor.
- At 150 ° C - the oak taste of whiskey will turn out bright and pronounced.
- 205 ° C and above - an alcoholic drink will acquire hints of vanilla.
- 215 ° C - notes of haze inherent in Scottish varieties are felt.
- Over 270 ° C - an almond smack appears.
The pegs are again fired with fire, so that they are slightly charred. This nuance will determine the color gamut of the future drink.
We lay out prepared “oaks” of several pieces in three-liter containers, pour in the moonshine, tightly close. Exposure continues in a dark and cool place for at least 3 months. The final exposure figure at home is three years, longer simply does not make sense. This is one of the most effective ways to make whiskey from moonshine without the taste of moonshine.
Oak sawdust
This option on manufacturing technologies will almost completely copy the previous one. With the main ingredient - moonshine - and an oak supplement, the same manipulations are carried out, but instead of pieces of oak we take its own sawdust, and immediately before use we evaporate it in boiling water. The following are similar steps for preparing a drink in a glass container: aging for at least three months. But if there is such an opportunity, then it is better to take whole pieces.
And in order to get a Scottish peat flavor, some “whiskey” at home use the so-called liquid smoke - a special food supplement designed to give the dishes a spicy smoked taste. However, other adepts of moonshining, on the contrary, do not recommend doing these manipulations, considering (and not without reason) such a seasoning harmful both for the taste of the drink and for human health.
Enjoy your drink to everyone!