In this post, we'll focus on the topic of making a mash from barley malt, which will serve as the raw material for distilling our own wonderful malt whisky.

 

When it comes to whisky, current trends indicate a demand for smoky and peaty notes sought after in spirits, especially Scotch whiskies. Bottles from distilleries on the Isle of Islay, which produce the most famous peaty whiskies, have been gaining a larger market share year by year. Therefore, we'll focus on such Scottish smoked whisky. In the first post, we'll describe the preparation of the mash, and in the second one, the actual distillation process. We also invite you to watch the video on our YouTube channel, which demonstrates this process in practice.

 

Let's start with some basics. Whisky production, a process that has remained practically unchanged for 200 years, essentially requires only three ingredients: water, barley malt, and yeast. The process itself can be summarized into five stages: malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation, and maturation.

 

1. Malting: Malt is germinated barley grains that contain the sugar necessary for alcohol production by yeast. The sugar found in the sprouts is starch, a sugar that isn't fermented by yeast on its own. Yeast cannot break it down into simpler sugars on its own either. Enzymes are needed for this process, which the malt produces during germination, along with the temperature provided during mashing. To allow the enzymes to develop, barley grains are soaked in water and then dried - traditionally on malt floors and more modernly, in kilns. At this stage, smoky, peaty notes can be introduced to the malt - simply by drying it over smoke, in kilns fueled by peat, which is ubiquitous in Scotland and provides excellent and inexpensive fuel. In our video, we use precisely such smoked malt. After malting, when the sprouts are dried, the malt is milled, professionally called grist. Milling improves access to sugars and aids filtration. You can purchase your own mill, but currently, for our purposes, you can buy malt already milled.

 

2. Mashing: The water for mashing is crucial - hence, distilleries are often located near streams, springs, and rivers. To convert starch into fermentable sugars, we heat the malt with water to the optimal temperature for enzyme activity. Too low a temperature won't guarantee complete starch breakdown, while too high will deactivate the enzymes, rendering the mash suitable only for soil fertilization. The appropriate temperatures for enzymes are provided in the video; generally, we keep the mash in the range of 60-65 degrees for a minimum of 30 minutes. After mashing, the mash can be filtered. A false bottom is ideal for this purpose - you can see it in the Accessories category of our Store.

Where and in what to mash? On a home gas stove, electric hob, or gas burner. In any pot of the required volume. A mash tun from our range is ideal for this purpose.

 

3. Fermentation: To the cooled and filtered mash (now called wort), we add yeast. The choice of the right strain is crucial - yeast is responsible for the bouquet and aroma of the finished spirit. We recommend yeast commonly used in most distilleries - Safspirit M-1. If you just want to try and don't want to approach the topic so professionally, Coobra Whisky yeast is sufficient. Fermentation takes about two days, and its progress is measured with a saccharometer. The liquid reaches up to 10% alcohol, and after separation from the yeast sediment, it's ready for the next stage, which is distillation...
Fermentation can be carried out in barrels or, more professionally, in a conical fermenter.

Remember that everyone who purchases a still or a beginner's kit from us receives our Guide, in which all the above steps are very detailed. In the meantime, we invite you to watch the video.