A section that delivers more or less what it claims to deliver. These are the recipes that I use. I will include a link to batch notes for each recipe, and I will only put up recipes that I have tried. Links to other recipes as well as additional information on distillation can be found on the Links page.
Note that my first recipe was a modified version of the white rum turbo recipe found on the “stilldrinkin” link on my links page. I started here because it was simple. Cane sugar + molasses + yeast = rum. I’m not reproducing the recipe here because:
- I gave you the link
- In my inexperience, I neglected to take sufficient notes. I don’t want to leave you guys with half the picture.
That being said, the recipe worked and I would recommend that you consider the checking out the link if you’re just getting started.
Recipe needs modification
Recipe Number 1: Rye/Oat Vodka
The first recipe in the list is a vodka made with rye, oats and honey.
- 7 Gallons Water
- 10.5 Pounds of Rye
- 3.5 Pounds of Oats
- 3.5 Pounds of Honey
- 7 Cups Dry Malt Extract (DME)
Bring the water to a rolling boil, add rye, oats and honey. Cook on a low boil for 90 minutes. Allow the the sweet, sweet nectar to cool down to 150F, and add the DME. Cool to temperature and pitch yeast according to your yeast’s specifications.
The current plan is to triple distill in my reflux still and then run it through an activated carbon filter. More info can be found in the batch notes. This one was a little odd. I highly recommend reviewing the batch production notes before you attempt it.
Recipe Number 2: Simple Bourbon Recipe
As always, please read the batch production notes on the main page (tagged as recipe 2) before you try this. This is a journal, after all, which means that it’s a work in progress. This one is super simple. I look forward to trying it, modding it, and trying it again. Here goes:
- 6 Gallons Water
- 8 Quarts Cracked Corn
- 2 Quarts Crushed Malted Barley
- Whiskey Yeast (not turbo yeast). Pitch as directed
Bring the water to a rolling boil and remove it from heat. Toss in the cracked corn and give it a good stir. Cover it, and let it sit for an hour. During the wait, stir the corn/water mash every 15 minutes. Once the hour is up, add the barley. Stir it and cover it. Stir on the 15 minutes again. The mash should thin as the malt does its job.
If you’re feeling brave, taste the mash. Scratch that…taste it anyway. Taste it at the hour mark, then taste it as you stir in the malt. You should find that the mash gets sweeter (and thinner as the starch is made into fermentable sugar).
Recipe Number 3: Simple Rum
The first recipe that I’ve made (or made up…if you prefer). We’ll see how it goes.
- 5.5 Gallons of Water
- 5 kg of dark brown sugar
- 6 Cups Granulated (white) sugar
- 2.7 kg (4 cartons) of baking molasses
- 1 Large packet of Turbo yeast (I’ll use High Spirits Turbo 48)
Dissolve the brown sugar in water. Let the water cool down to about 120 degrees, and drop the molasses in. Stir until uniform. Pitch the yeast as directed.
Wash pre-yeast:
27.2 Brix
1.1159 sg
16.9% potential ABV
Tequila 22 (Cheaterquila)
This is the recipe used for the Tequila 22 tagged posts.
2 gallons of organic agave nectar
5 gallons of water
14 grams of Lalvin D-47
7 tsp of ELO premium yeast nutrient
Another ~400 mL of water to hydrate the yeast
Instructions:
- Sanitize the Fermenter
- Add one gallon of room temperature water
- Add all of the agave
- Add additional water to achieve OG of 1.115 (should be 5 gallons, but agave is plant based so sugar content will vary by brand).
- Add ~400 mL of room temperature water to a flask, pitch the yeast, swirl gently
- Add yeast nutrient to the flask, stir again
- Allow the yeast to rehydrate for 20-30 minutes
- Pitch the yeast, close the fermenter
The Lalvin will die off at 14% abv, so that’s going to be all she wrote for this batch. If that’s the case, yield will be right around a gallon all in. This of course includes the tails. I am hoping for .75 gallons of good product (which will then be cut to 80% abv). We’ll see.
The Distiller's Journal 