It's been a pretty incredible week. Last weekend we started uncrating the still which was a major undertaking in and of itself. The actual installation started Tuesday morning under the guidance of our sales person from Bavarian Holstein. Andrea insisted that it wasn't going to be too bad, but I was not looking forward to taking heavy (200+ lb) pieces of copper up 20 ft in the air.
The whole process was exhausting, but proved to be a lot of fun, as well. Everything turned out fine and we tested the still for leaks before the end of the week. Ed and Cindy Atwill at Seneca Springs Resort provided just the hospitality we needed after long days at the distillery.
The equipment really is a piece of art and it looks fantastic in our gable window overlooking Seneca Lake. Take a look at the slide show below to see how it all went together.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The Still arrives
Yesterday was a BIG day. In addition to getting septic approval, our propane tank installed, and water line bored under SR 414, we received a 4,000+ lb shipment. The centerpiece of our operation, our pot still and rectification column, arrived after a long trek from the Holstein factory in Markdorf, Germany.
It was a nerve-wracking day, as we had to pull 2 enormous crates off of a tractor trailer. Our excavation crew from KRP helped us get the largest (8x10x16') crate off. It took almost 6 hours to move the crates from the truck to our building.
We cracked open one of the crates and saw the copper column gleaming. Our next adventure will be erecting the still - hopefully sometime next week. More pics to follow.
It was a nerve-wracking day, as we had to pull 2 enormous crates off of a tractor trailer. Our excavation crew from KRP helped us get the largest (8x10x16') crate off. It took almost 6 hours to move the crates from the truck to our building.
We cracked open one of the crates and saw the copper column gleaming. Our next adventure will be erecting the still - hopefully sometime next week. More pics to follow.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Equipment move
We spent the weekend moving tanks and kettles over to the building in anticipation of setting things up over the next week or so. Big day tomorrow, as the still is set to arrive.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Getting the word out
I had an opportunity to speak to the Watkins-Montour Rotary Club yesterday about our distillery. Met some great folks, several that were very excited about our opening. We got some nice coverage in the Odessa File - www.odessafile.com.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Thomas Earl's Distilling 101 - Part 2
Last time we discussed the process of making our grape-based vodka. We also plan on making whiskey in a variety of styles. Where the vodka is distilled from grape wine, whiskey is distilled from a grain mash, at a much lower proof, so as to maintain the flavors of the grain.
The spirits category of “Whiskey” encompasses several different products, including:
Bourbon – Bourbon must be made from a mash of at least 51% corn, the remainder split between either wheat or rye, and barley malt. It also must be aged in a new charred oak barrel.
Corn whiskey – Corn whiskey must be made of at least 80 percent corn and can be sold without any barrel aging.
Rye whiskey – this is probably the oldest type of whiskey produced. Rye fell out of favor with the American public, but has seen a resurgence in popularity over the last few years. Rye must be made from a mash of at least 51 % rye grain, the remainder being corn and barley malt.
Canadian, Irish or Scotch Whiskey – These Whiskies are distinct to their countries of origin and subject to their respective laws regarding the methods for manufacturing them.
What is Malt?
Malt is grain (most often referring to barley, but can be other grains) that has been soaked to make it germinate. Then it is dried and ground. Malt contains enzymes that when added to cooked corn, rye, or wheat in a mash, converts the starch into sugar. The yeast then turns this sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Our process…
We will bring in the raw whole grains from local farms. Some will be malted and dried or smoked in our malt kiln. We will then mill them into a fine meal. After milling, we will cook the grain in our mash cooker using water from the spring on our property. We will cook the grains to produce a thick starchy mash. As the temperature falls in the mash, we will add barley malt, to turn the starch into sugar. After the mash has cooled, we will put it into our fermentation tanks, and add our jug yeast, that has been previously prepared. After about 3 days of fermentation we will pump it into our pot still, where it is distilled and condensed making unaged whiskey or “white dog” as they say in Kentucky. We then cut it with spring water and age it in charred white oak barrels.
What sets our whiskey apart from other microdistilled whiskies?
The spirits category of “Whiskey” encompasses several different products, including:
Bourbon – Bourbon must be made from a mash of at least 51% corn, the remainder split between either wheat or rye, and barley malt. It also must be aged in a new charred oak barrel.
Corn whiskey – Corn whiskey must be made of at least 80 percent corn and can be sold without any barrel aging.
Rye whiskey – this is probably the oldest type of whiskey produced. Rye fell out of favor with the American public, but has seen a resurgence in popularity over the last few years. Rye must be made from a mash of at least 51 % rye grain, the remainder being corn and barley malt.
Canadian, Irish or Scotch Whiskey – These Whiskies are distinct to their countries of origin and subject to their respective laws regarding the methods for manufacturing them.
What is Malt?
Malt is grain (most often referring to barley, but can be other grains) that has been soaked to make it germinate. Then it is dried and ground. Malt contains enzymes that when added to cooked corn, rye, or wheat in a mash, converts the starch into sugar. The yeast then turns this sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Our process…
We will bring in the raw whole grains from local farms. Some will be malted and dried or smoked in our malt kiln. We will then mill them into a fine meal. After milling, we will cook the grain in our mash cooker using water from the spring on our property. We will cook the grains to produce a thick starchy mash. As the temperature falls in the mash, we will add barley malt, to turn the starch into sugar. After the mash has cooled, we will put it into our fermentation tanks, and add our jug yeast, that has been previously prepared. After about 3 days of fermentation we will pump it into our pot still, where it is distilled and condensed making unaged whiskey or “white dog” as they say in Kentucky. We then cut it with spring water and age it in charred white oak barrels.
What sets our whiskey apart from other microdistilled whiskies?
There are a lot of whiskies being produced by microdistilleries today. We believe ours will be distinctive for several reasons. We intend to control most of the process ourselves by taking it from raw grain to finished whiskey, all onsite. We will avoid using commercial enzymes. We have also designed our still so that we can distill our whiskey in small batches using a true old fashioned pot still. Our methods will be more time consuming , but we will adhere to traditional methods and be doing true craft distillation.
Whiskey Fest
Earlier this week we attended Whiskey Fest in NYC. It was a great opportunity to taste some new product offerings and mingle with some of the legends of whiskey making like Parker Beam (Heaven Hill) and Jimmy Russell (Wild Turkey). We also attended a seminar on the art of Japanese whiskey held by Suntory. It was an incredible event and something we hope to be a part of in the future. Pictured below (l to r) are my dad, Bill, Thomas, and my Uncle Mike.
Building Update
It's been a busy couple of weeks - I apologize for not keeping up with the blog. Let's start with some of the latest construction photos. As you can see they are making a lot of progress with siding and sheetrock.
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