Barley  mash

  SCOTCH WHISKY

• 20kg barley malt
• 60l of water
• 120g whiskey yeast

    Malted barley is dried by smoking it over glowing peat, to which Scotch whiskey owes a specific earthy-smoky aftertaste. You can buy ready-made barley malt already smoked. Scotch whiskey is distilled twice in a copper alembic. It is aged for at least 3 years in oak barrels after sherry or porto.

  IRISH WHISKY

• 12kg barley malt
• 8kg barley meal
• 60l of water
• 120g whiskey yeast

    Irish whiskey is distilled three times in a copper alembic. It is aged for 3 years in oak barrels after sherry or porto.

MASHING STAGES

   Wanting to prepare it yourself malt, barley should be rinsed several times. Soaked in warm water until the grains swell, then strain. Spread the grain to a thickness of 1 centimeter and leave in a warm place. Every day, they should be sprayed with a small amount of water, lightly moved. When the sprouts are about 1 cm long, we dry the sprouted grain in an oven or smokehouse until it reaches a golden color. Drying temperature should not exceed 50 degrees. Then we wipe them on a sieve to get rid of the sprouts, and grind the malted grain as little as possible.
    Mashing starts with pouring into a 120 liter barrel, 20 liters of water with at a temperature of about 70 degrees, add the finely ground grain. Mix vigorously so that there are no lumps. Then pour in the malt, mix everything thoroughly. We check and correct the acidity of the mash, the pH value should be 5.3. During mashing, the mash temperature should remain around 60 degrees for one hour. For this purpose, we can release hot water through a submerged cooler, or simply add hot water in portions. It is worth insulating the tank temporarily. To find out whether the mashing was correct and the starch was saccharified, an iodine test should be performed. The acidity should also be checked again. Leave the mash for several hours to cool automatically, add the rest of the water. When the temperature drops below 30 degrees we add yeast. The proper fermentation temperature is 20-25 degrees, it may be necessary to cool the mash. You have to watch that the acidity does not fall below 4.3 Ph. Fermentation should end five days. Do not wait with distillation.
    A fresh distillate needs at least a few months or even a few years to get the right aromas and flavors out of it. If the barrel is less than 220 liters, the tannins contained in the oak go faster to the distillate. After a few months, the taste of oak may dominate in a small barrel, making the drink non-drinkable. During aging, up to 5% of the distillate from the barrel decreases annually and the alcoholic strength decreases.