Why Is It Called Sour Mash Bourbon? – Any baker will tell you that the best way to make sourdough bread is to use what’s referred to as “starter.” In sourdough, the starter is fermented dough that naturally contains wild yeast and lactobacilli bacteria, which are the bacteria that make the bread rise.
Sour mash bourbon, much like sourdough bread, uses leftovers from previous batches. The sour mash, or fermented ingredients, gives the bourbon a sweeter and more robust flavor. Some say sour mash gets its name from sourdough bread for this reason. Souring can also refer to the process of adding more acid to the mixture when creating bourbon.
A distiller adds acidity to help adjust the pH levels. This helps the mixture block out other microorganisms that could interfere with the fermentation process. Using some of the mash from previous batches allows distilleries to remain consistent with their flavors.
Contents
- 1 Why does Jack Daniels say sour mash?
- 2 Is Jack Daniel’s a sour mash?
- 3 Is Whisky sour A Scotch or bourbon?
- 4 Why is there no 7 Jack Daniels?
- 5 Is Jack Daniels a true whiskey?
- 6 What is the difference between Jack Daniels and Jack Daniels sour mash?
- 7 What is different about sour mash whiskey?
- 8 Is Gentleman Jack a sour mash?
Why does Jack Daniels say sour mash?
There can be only one king of whiskey and this is it, the #1 top selling American whiskey in the world: Jack Daniels.12.5 million cases sold in 2018 (not including “ready to drink” varieties). Immortalized in song and so beloved by Frank Sanatra that he was buried with a bottle it is one of the most famous things that Tennessee produces.
- But is it any good? Advertisment Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel was born around 1849 in Tennessee, the youngest of ten siblings.
- His birth mother died shortly after having him and his father remarried, having three more children before leaving to fight in the American Civil War.
- Jack never liked his step mother and when news came that his father had been killed he ran away from home.
Jack was taken in by a preacher and moonshine distiller named Dan Call, who was working with an enslaved African-American man named Nathan “Nearest” Green. The three continued to work together after emancipation. Throughout his teenage years these two men taught Jack the art of distilling and producing whiskey.
- Following a long fight with his siblings Jack eventually received some of his father’s inheritance which in 1875 (not 1866, as sometimes claimed) he used to purchase the land where the Jack Daniel’s distillery now resides.
- Jack legally registered the distillery so that he could start selling his product and was assigned registration number seven in his district, which is the origin for the “Old No.7” labeling on their bottles.
Jack never had any children of his own, but he was very fond of his nephews and worked with them to pass on the knowledge that he had gained. In 1907 Jack officially handed the distillery over to his nephews, and Lem Moltow would eventually buy out the other owners to become the sole owner of the facility.
Entucky enacted their own version of prohibition 10 full years earlier than the rest of the United States. Lem Moltow led the test case to challenge the constitutionality of the law but lost in court when the judge upheld the law. He tried to move production to neighboring states but none of the product made at those facilities was ever made available for sale due to issues with the quality of the product.
While federal prohibition ended in 1933 Tennessee’s law remained on the books. Lem Moltow, now elected as a Tennessee state senator, led the effort to repeal the state prohibition on alcohol and was instrumental in the passage of the 1938 repeal that allowed his distillery to reopen.
Learn More: What’s the Difference Between Whiskey, Bourbon, Scotch, and Rye?
As with most whiskeys Jack Daniel’s starts with a fermented mash consisting of 80% corn, 12% rye and 8% malted barley. The “sour mash” label means that some of the material from a previous distillation (called “backset”) is added to the mash to increase the acidity of the liquid (hence sour), which helps fermentation and reduces the likelihood that bacteria will ruin the whiskey.
Once distilled the spirit is filtered through a 10 foot stack of charcoal produced from sugar maple trees. This filtering process removes impurities and some of the harsher tasting elements from the spirit, and process that the company calls “mellowing” and is referred to as the Lincoln County Process,
After being filtered the spirit is stored in new production oak barrels and aged for a period of time, although the packaging makes no claims as to the actual age of the liquid inside so there’s really no way to know how long it sat on those oak barrels.
Once aged to perfection the spirit is tasted and bottled, with some of the barrels being re-routed to the less popular green label instead of the “premium” black label version. Probably one of the most iconic bottles in the world, the angular and square bottle of a Jack Daniel’s black label whiskey is designed more for drinking than for looking at.
The label lets you know what’s inside with minimal muss or fuss. Bottles are typically glass and topped with a plastic screw top underneath a plastic shrink wrap capper. Jack Daniel’s also makes a variety of smaller versions depending on your need. The small plastic bottle seen in this review is an example, as I didn’t really need an entire bottle for a review. I don’t really get much from the smell, there’s a bit of alcohol and that’s about it. I think I also smell a bit of smokey aroma but there’s not much there. It isn’t unpleasant, but it isn’t very appealing either. The liquid has a surprising weight to it for being an 80 proof spirit, which is on the lower end of the whiskey spectrum.
As for the actual taste there’s something surprising in there. Yeah there’s a bit of smoke and some vanilla as you’d expect from the oak barrel aging process, but there’s also something that tastes like Hoppe’s #9 (which, for you non gun owners, is a banana oil based cleaning solvent specifically for gunpowder and other gun related compounds).
Which is to say it is a delicious and appealing flavor. Heck, they make Hoppes #9 scented air fresheners for a reason and this is basically the drink version. The only real complaint I have is that there’s a touch of bitterness in the middle that tends to fade into the background after you swallow.
It’s not terrible but it’s definitely more than with other whiskeys. The only change from just having it neat is that the slight bitterness is gone. The same flavors that were there without the ice are still present and still just as good. So really ice only improves things, you don’t lose any flavors like you might with a typical bourbon.
There’s nothing distasteful about it, and the bitters definitely don’t overpower the drink, but I don’t think this is a good fit. The problem here I think is that there’s too much fruit flavor. The base whiskey was fairly fruity to start, where normally you’d expect more earthy or even just sweet vanilla flavors.
- Instead it’s practically a banana flavored spirit and the addition of some orange bitters don’t change that significantly.
- If you’re looking for an old fashioned you should start with a different base spirit.
- It’s fine, but it isn’t great.
- Again, I think the problem here is that the base spirit is too fruit forward.
In a Kentucky Mule you really need something like a rye based spice or an earthy flavor to balance out the sweetness and the tangy flavor of the ginger beer. Advertisment Honestly I really like this neat or on the rocks. That banana flavor is an interesting one among whiskey, and if you’re looking for something to put in your Jack and Coke I can’t think of a better option.
- Just don’t go into this expecting something amazing.
- All reviews are evaluated within the context of their specific spirit classification as specified above.
- Click here to check out similar spirits we have reviewed.
- Overall Rating: 3/5 There’s nothing wrong with it, and I think the filtering process is a great benefit here.
It tastes good, it’s relatively inexpensive, and available everywhere. Advertisment
What is sour mash moonshine?
What Is a Sour Mash Whiskey? There are some phrases you’ll see come up again and again with whiskey. Some of them are intuitive (like “single barrel”), others are a little more obscure. “Sour Mash” is one of those terms that appears on a wide array of bottles but isn’t always clearly explained or widely understood — so today I want to take some time to explain what it means and what effect it has on the spirit.
- Advertisment Let’s start from the beginning.
- American whiskey is, by definition, a distilled spirit that uses grains as a raw material.
- While growing, plants create sugar through photosynthesis and the energy that they don’t use immediately is stored in the form of starch (a complex carbohydrate) which is most highly concentrated in grains and seeds.
Distillers take those grains, grind them up, cook them, and add some enzymes to convert those complex carbs into simple sugars that yeast can eventually use and turn into delicious alcohol. (For any sufficiently annoyed food scientists reading this vastly oversimplified description, that’s “modification”, “gelatinization”, and “enzymatic hydrolysis”, respectively.) The problem we get into at this point is that yeast isn’t the only organism that wants to eat the newly created sugar — there are other things out there that want to get in on the action, with bacteria being one of the bigger problem areas.
- Bacterial growth in the sugary liquid can be helpful for creating interesting and complex flavors, but that’s really only helpful after the yeast has eaten it’s fill.
- Otherwise, we’re losing out on alcohol, which is how we make money.
- Helpfully, though, yeast can survive in environments where bacteria can’t — specifically, environments that are more acidic.
Which is where the “sour mashing” comes in. Skipping ahead for a minute to the end of the process, once the distillation is run and finished, there is still something leftover. Not everything in the mash is converted into alcohol — and even then, not all of the alcohol is recovered during the distillation process.
What’s left over is called “backset” in American whiskey parlance, and is a slightly acidic hodge-podge of compounds. Some distillers just discard the backset. With a “sour mash” process, a portion of this backset is taken from the end of the previous distillation and added to the next fermentation’s newly cooked grains.
This accomplishes two things. First, the fact that the backset is acidic means that we’re making the mash a less hospitable environment for bacterial growth. Sure we’ll still get some, especially if the distiller chooses to do what’s called a “secondary fermentation” or a longer fermentation, but that bacterial growth won’t negatively impact alcohol yield as much as it would without that acidity.
What we also get is some blending of the flavors. Backset contains a lot of what are typically referred to as “heavier” compounds — things with a higher boiling point that are less volatile than alcohol and rarely (if ever) make it out of the still. Adding those compounds back into the mash allows them another chance to enhance the flavor of the whiskey, adding some character and complexity that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.
Advertisment So, what can you expect from a sour mash whiskey? From a distiller’s perspective, you should expect a better yield of alcohol from the mixture. But it also adds flavors that would otherwise be lost. Like most things it’s a choice each distiller makes, not a hard and fast requirement for the production of any kind of spirit.
- But given the effects it’s something that is a useful trick in the distiller’s bag.
- Now, there are also other ways to achieve a similar result.
- Some distilleries add off the shelf chemicals to increase the acidity of their mash, for example.) But the sour mashing process is a time honored tradition — so next time you see this phrase on a whiskey bottle, you’ll can appreciate the work and history behind it.
Advertisment : What Is a Sour Mash Whiskey?
Is sour mash actually sour?
Charles K. Cowdery looks at the sour mash process It’s right there on the front label of the best-selling American whiskey in the world. “Jack Daniel’s Old Time Old No.7 Quality Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey.” If it weren’t there, probably no one would ever ask: “what is sour mash?” While there are several things that make Jack Daniel’s unique, sour mash is not one of them.
Sour mash is as ubiquitous in the production of Bourbon whiskey as corn. Every major Bourbon brand, and straight rye too, could put the words “sour mash” on its label, even though only a few do. So what exactly is “sour mash” and what does it have to do with making whiskey? The meaning could not be more literal.
“Sour Mash Whiskey” is simply whiskey made using the sour mash process. A mash, of course, is a solution of ground up grain and water, prepared to make grain starch available for conversion to sugar and then, through fermentation, into alcohol. “Souring” refers to the addition of acid to adjust the mixture’s pH, which renders the mash more receptive to yeast and hostile to other microorganisms that might interfere with fermentation.
There are a couple of ways to sour a mash but the only technique generally practiced is to mix into each new batch some volume of mash from a previous distillation. Known as “spent mash” or, more colloquially, “slop” due to its use as livestock feed, it contains no alcohol, no sugar, and no living yeast, but it does contain yeast nutrients as well as the all-important acid.
“Spent mash” is euphemistically called a by-product, even though distillers think of it as waste. It makes a very nutritious livestock feed, but the cost to dry it pretty much eats up all the profits. Therefore, as a source of acid for the producer it is convenient and essentially free.
- Dr. James C.
- Crow is credited with introducing sour mash to the American whiskey industry.
- The problem it addressed was inconsistency.
- In Crow’s day, which was the first half of the 19th century, whiskey makers in America had trouble producing the exact same whiskey from batch to batch.
- Sour mash was the answer and the practice was quickly adopted throughout the industry.
Sour mash became universal so fast because it became branded as “the good stuff.” Along with sour mash, Crow introduced better hygiene, routine aging and other techniques, so it probably would have been more accurate to credit his whole package of reforms for the improved quality, but the man on the street attributed it to sour mash.
Even after every distiller had adopted sour mash, it remained a byword for whisky quality, as it is to this day. The alternative, known as “sweet mash” is not so much a technique as the absence of one. The mash is simply prepared without slop or any other souring agent. Sweet mash works, but it produces a very different whiskey, as Woodford Reserve proved in 2008 with its limited Master’s Collection release of 1838 Sweet Mash Bourbon.
The whiskey was made in every way like standard Woodford Reserve, except no “sour” was used. This stressed the yeast, causing it to produce a very different flavour profile. Dr. Crow first became employed at the distillery now known as Woodford Reserve in1838.
- In another experiment, Buffalo Trace demonstrated an alternative way to sour a whiskey mash, by allowing lactobacillus bacteria to develop and produce lactic acid.
- As with the Woodford Reserve experiment, everything except the souring method was standard Buffalo Trace practice, yet the whiskey was very different.
That experiment was released in early 2011 as Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Old Fashioned Sour Mash Bourbon. Although every major whiskey distillery in the United States uses sour mash, they each use it a little differently in terms of how much spent mash they add and when they add it.
The average is about 25 per cent, which is a lot of the tub to fill with something that is not fermentable. Some use spent mash in the yeast mash as well as the whiskey mash. Some introduce it at the cooker stage, while others just add it to the fermenters. Sour mash whiskey isn’t really a type, even though many people still think it is.
Although souring a mash will cause yeast to create different flavours than they would otherwise, there is no consistency in how they differ. A soured mash does not produce a sour taste in the whiskey. You cannot determine by taste if a whiskey is sour mash or not.
Ironically, very few micro-distillers use sour mash, even those who make whiskey every day and therefore have spent mash available. Those are two words you won’t see on their labels. Subscribe to Our Magazine Published in print 8 times each year, Whisky Magazine is the perfect drinking companion for all who enjoy the water of life.
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Is Jack Daniel’s a sour mash?
The original family recipe – Jack Daniel was known to be a man of refined taste. From his penchant for tailor-made suits, to the way he made his whiskey, the details mattered. And no detail was more important than his mash bill, the delicate mix of grains that help shape our whiskey’s flavor. Distillation begins by mixing these grains with the iron-free water from the Hollow. And just like a baker makes sour dough bread, by adding a little bit of starter yeast from a previous batch, we begin distillation by adding a little bit of our own starter mash for consistent, quality whiskey.
Using a bit of starter is why Jack Daniel’s is called a sour mash. The mash ferments for a full six days before being single distilled in a large copper still made to our exact specifications. And rather than double or triple-distillation, we vaporize and condense our whiskey only once. There’s no doubt Jack selected his mash because of its warm, balanced flavor.
And we distill the way we do to ensure that the whiskey still retains it.
Is Jim Beam a sour mash?
* Actual product may differ from image.
What is the history of sour mash?
The sour mash process is an old method of making whiskey. Many people credit James C. Crow with inventing the sour mash process, but the process is much older than James Crow. The Kentucky Historical Society has a recipe for sour mash whiskey from Catherine Carpenter of Casey County, Kentucky that dates to 1818.
- Her recipe is as follows: “Out into the mash tub six bushels of very hot slop then put in one bushel of corn meal ground pretty course.
- Stir well then sprinkle a little meal over the mash.
- Let it stand 5 days, that is 3 full days betwist the day you mash and the day you cool off – on the fifth day put in 3 gallons of warm water then one gallon of rye meal and one gallon of malt.
Work it well into the mash and stir 3 quarters of an hour then fill the tub half full of luke warm water. Stir it well and with a fine sieve or otherwise break all of the lumps fine then let stand for three hours then fill up the tub with luke warm water.” Assuming she used a standard 48 gallon barrel as a mash tub, she would have used about 15% backset to sour her mash.
This is what I have found to be a normal amount of backset in early sour mash whiskey. Many of the early distillers were doing a similar process in making their whiskey until James Crow came along and started making whiskey. James C. Crow was an educated man and applied scientific methods to the distillation process.
He kept track of temperature, specific gravity and the pH of the liquids at all steps of the process. He also tended to use a lot more backset in his process. In the 1870s E.H. Taylor, Jr, hired a distiller who had trained under James Crow to make his whiskey at the OFC distillery.
- Taylor wrote in a letter that his whiskey was made by using the hot backset, as well as, hot water to cook his grains.
- This meant that he was using 50% or more backset in his mashing process.
- His distiller learned this method from Crow.
- Old Crow whiskey was considered the finest whiskey of the time and Taylor wanted his whiskey to be of the same caliber.
As the 19 th century progressed people learned more about bacteria and yeast, With this growth in knowledge came a better understanding of the distilling process. This allowed distillers to adjust their own sour mash process in making their whiskey. Different yeast strains need different amounts of souring to create the favored environment and produce their flavors for the whiskey. In the 19 th century there were some distillers making sweet mash whiskey, but the majority of the distillers made sour mash whiskey. The reason was simple – it gave a better quality control of the final product. The sour mash favors the yeast strain and helps inhibit bacteria growth that can cause a bad mash.
The result was that by the time of Prohibition, sweet mash whiskey production was almost extinct. It would remain that way until the 21 st century with modern equipment that could be kept cleaner and faster methods of testing the mash to give early warning if something was going wrong and steps could be made to correct the mash.
Today Sour Mash whiskey is the most common style of American whiskey. It is used in most Bourbon, rye and Tennessee whiskeys. It is an old process that has evolved over the years, but like distillation itself, it is still the same basic process as they were doing over two centuries ago. Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl
What is the difference between mash and sour mash?
Charles K. Cowdery looks at the sour mash process It’s right there on the front label of the best-selling American whiskey in the world. “Jack Daniel’s Old Time Old No.7 Quality Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey.” If it weren’t there, probably no one would ever ask: “what is sour mash?” While there are several things that make Jack Daniel’s unique, sour mash is not one of them.
- Sour mash is as ubiquitous in the production of Bourbon whiskey as corn.
- Every major Bourbon brand, and straight rye too, could put the words “sour mash” on its label, even though only a few do.
- So what exactly is “sour mash” and what does it have to do with making whiskey? The meaning could not be more literal.
“Sour Mash Whiskey” is simply whiskey made using the sour mash process. A mash, of course, is a solution of ground up grain and water, prepared to make grain starch available for conversion to sugar and then, through fermentation, into alcohol. “Souring” refers to the addition of acid to adjust the mixture’s pH, which renders the mash more receptive to yeast and hostile to other microorganisms that might interfere with fermentation.
- There are a couple of ways to sour a mash but the only technique generally practiced is to mix into each new batch some volume of mash from a previous distillation.
- Nown as “spent mash” or, more colloquially, “slop” due to its use as livestock feed, it contains no alcohol, no sugar, and no living yeast, but it does contain yeast nutrients as well as the all-important acid.
“Spent mash” is euphemistically called a by-product, even though distillers think of it as waste. It makes a very nutritious livestock feed, but the cost to dry it pretty much eats up all the profits. Therefore, as a source of acid for the producer it is convenient and essentially free.
- Dr. James C.
- Crow is credited with introducing sour mash to the American whiskey industry.
- The problem it addressed was inconsistency.
- In Crow’s day, which was the first half of the 19th century, whiskey makers in America had trouble producing the exact same whiskey from batch to batch.
- Sour mash was the answer and the practice was quickly adopted throughout the industry.
Sour mash became universal so fast because it became branded as “the good stuff.” Along with sour mash, Crow introduced better hygiene, routine aging and other techniques, so it probably would have been more accurate to credit his whole package of reforms for the improved quality, but the man on the street attributed it to sour mash.
Even after every distiller had adopted sour mash, it remained a byword for whisky quality, as it is to this day. The alternative, known as “sweet mash” is not so much a technique as the absence of one. The mash is simply prepared without slop or any other souring agent. Sweet mash works, but it produces a very different whiskey, as Woodford Reserve proved in 2008 with its limited Master’s Collection release of 1838 Sweet Mash Bourbon.
The whiskey was made in every way like standard Woodford Reserve, except no “sour” was used. This stressed the yeast, causing it to produce a very different flavour profile. Dr. Crow first became employed at the distillery now known as Woodford Reserve in1838.
- In another experiment, Buffalo Trace demonstrated an alternative way to sour a whiskey mash, by allowing lactobacillus bacteria to develop and produce lactic acid.
- As with the Woodford Reserve experiment, everything except the souring method was standard Buffalo Trace practice, yet the whiskey was very different.
That experiment was released in early 2011 as Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Old Fashioned Sour Mash Bourbon. Although every major whiskey distillery in the United States uses sour mash, they each use it a little differently in terms of how much spent mash they add and when they add it.
- The average is about 25 per cent, which is a lot of the tub to fill with something that is not fermentable.
- Some use spent mash in the yeast mash as well as the whiskey mash.
- Some introduce it at the cooker stage, while others just add it to the fermenters.
- Sour mash whiskey isn’t really a type, even though many people still think it is.
Although souring a mash will cause yeast to create different flavours than they would otherwise, there is no consistency in how they differ. A soured mash does not produce a sour taste in the whiskey. You cannot determine by taste if a whiskey is sour mash or not.
Ironically, very few micro-distillers use sour mash, even those who make whiskey every day and therefore have spent mash available. Those are two words you won’t see on their labels. Subscribe to Our Magazine Published in print 8 times each year, Whisky Magazine is the perfect drinking companion for all who enjoy the water of life.
Subscribe to Whisky Magazine
Can you drink moonshine mash?
Download Article Download Article Moonshine mash is a popular way to make an alcoholic beverage using a few basic ingredients. Start by mixing the cornmeal, sugar, water, and yeast together. Then, ferment the mash so it becomes alcoholic and distill it so it tastes great as a drink. You can then sip moonshine mash on its own or add it to cocktails or other drinks for a little kick.
- 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg) ground cornmeal
- 10 pounds (4.5 kg) white granulated sugar
- 10 gallons (38 l) of water (distilled if possible)
- 1 ⁄ 2 ounce (14 g) active dry yeast, preferably Turbo
- 1 to 2 cups (0.24 to 0.47 l) water
- 1-2 bags dried fruit (optional)
- 1 Boil 10 gallons (38 l) of water in a 20 gallons (76 l) stainless steel pot. Allow the water to reach boiling temperature, with large bubbles on the surface of the water.
- Use a pot that has been sterilized and cleaned. Do not use a pot that appears dirty or stained.
- 2 Stir in 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg) of cornmeal and boil for 5-7 minutes. Once the water comes to a boil, pour in the cornmeal and use a wooden spoon to mix it in. Continue to stir it until it becomes thick. Advertisement
- 3 Reduce the heat to 150 °F (66 °C). Turn down the heat so the cornmeal stays warm but is no longer boiling. Use a thermometer in the cornmeal to ensure it stays at the right temperature.
- Cooling down the cornmeal will ensure it interacts properly with the yeast when it is added.
- 4 Add 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of sugar and 1 ⁄ 2 ounce (14 g) of yeast. Pour the sugar and yeast into the cornmeal. Use a wooden spoon to combine. Stir it for 5-10 minutes. The mixture should become soupy and thin.
- Remove the mash from the heat once the sugar and yeast have been mixed in.
- 5 Put in dried fruit mash if you’d like more flavor. If you’d like to give the mash a more fruity flavor, soak 1-2 bags of dried fruit in 1 to 2 cups (0.24 to 0.47 l) of water. Then, mash the dried fruit up in the water so it becomes more of a juice. Pour the dried fruit mash into the cornmeal mixture and mix it in with a spoon.
- Try a fruit mash with bananas, apricots, and pineapple to add flavor. A dried fruit mash with blue berries, cherries, and strawberries can also give the mixture a nice fruity taste.
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- 1 Cover the mash and place it in a cool, dark place. You can leave the mash in the pot and place a lid on it or lay a cloth over it. Put the mash in a basement, cellar, or in the back of a closet so it can ferment. The temperature of 60 °F (16 °C) or lower is ideal.
- You can also pour the mash in an empty cooler and put the lid on it so it can ferment.
- 2 Allow it to ferment for 4-5 days. Moonshine mash made with Turbo yeast will ferment within 4-5 days. If you use bread yeast, it may take up to 1 week for the mash to ferment.
- 3 Check the mash for large bubbles on the surface. After 4-5 days, check the mash to see if there are large bubbles that are moving very slowly or sitting on the surface. This is usually a sign the mash is ready to be distilled.
- If the mash still has a lot of smaller bubbles on the surface, it may not be ready to distill and need more time to ferment.
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- 1 Distill the mash in a copper still if you have one available. Rent a copper still from your local brewing supply store or buy one. Look for a copper still made for homebrewing, as they will be smaller and more compact. Then, pour the mash in the still and distill it, following the directions attached to the copper still.
- You may want to invest in a copper still if you plan to make moonshine mash, and other home alcoholic beverages, often.
- A 13 gallons (49 l) copper still can range in price from $900-$1,300 USD.
- 2 Use a pressure cooker and a copper pipe as a makeshift still. Bring the mash to 173 °F (78 °C) in the pressure cooker. Attach a coiled copper pipe to the vent of the pressure cooker with electrical tape. Run the copper coil through a bucket of cold water and put the end in a clean container.
- This is a homemade approach to a copper still, so you may need to monitor it to ensure it works correctly. Check that the mash stays at a constant temperature so it can condense into moonshine.
- 3 Allow the mash to cool. Once you have distilled the mash, let it come to room temperature. The mash should look like a clear liquid with impurities still floating in it.
- 4 Filter the mash using cheesecloth and a strainer. Place a large plastic strainer over a large soup pot. Then, drape the cheesecloth over the strainer. Put a smaller strainer over the cheesecloth, holding it over the cheesecloth with your non-dominant hand.
- You can then squeeze the cheesecloth to remove any smaller impurities from the mash. The cheesecloth should get rid of the stuff sitting on the surface of the mash, or the head, so the mash runs clear.
- Repeat this process until you have strained out all the mash. It should appear clear and clean in the soup pot.
- Throw away the impurities once you have strained them out of the mash.
- 5 Store the moonshine mash in airtight glass jars. Make sure the glass jars are sterile and clean. Keep them in a cool, dark place, sealed tight. You can then sip moonshine mash on its own or add it to cocktails and other drinks.
- Moonshine mash should last for at least 6 months-1 year, if stored properly.
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Add New Question
- Question How can I add flavor to my moonshine mash? You can buy flavoring or put sliced fruit, like peaches and apples, inside the bottle for a month or two.
- Question Should I stir the corn mash before distilling to make the mash work more if there is still starch? Yes, as results tend to be better when you stir it before distilling, to make the mash work.
- Question Do I strain the mash before putting it into the boiler? Yes indeed. If you allow any solids in your wash, they will settle to the bottom of your cooking pot and burn. If you’ve ever had a few pinto beans burn in the pot, you’ll know what kind of taste you’ll have in your liquor.
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- Producing mash for alcoholic spirits or moonshine, either for private consumption or sale, is illegal in the United States and many other countries without proper licensing and permits.
- Making moonshine with a home still can put you at risk of bacterial contamination and alcohol poisoning. Proceed at your own risk.
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- 20 gallons (76 l) stainless steel pot
- Stove top or outdoor stove
- Liquid thermometer
- Long-handled wooden or metal spoon
- A pressure cooker
- A coiled copper pipe
- Electrical tape
- A copper still
Article Summary X To make moonshine mash, boil water in a 20 gallon pot. Add cornmeal and boil for 5-7 minutes. Then, reduce the heat and add sugar and yeast. Stir the mixture for 5-10 minutes, until it becomes soupy, and remove it from the heat. If you want to add more flavor, mash dried fruit in water until it becomes more of a juice and add it to the mash.
Who invented sour mash?
Scottish chemist Dr James Crow is often credited with pioneering the sour mash process. True or not, the distiller lent his name to one of Bourbon’s best-selling brands, and left his mark on a thriving industry, Gavin D. Smith discovers. ‘Pioneer distiller’: A 1960s advertisement depicts James Crow (left) overseeing a shipment of his whiskey on the Kentucky river (Photo: The Dave Thomson Collection, Steamboats.com) The name ‘Jim Crow’ has two very different associations for citizens of the US.
One was a fictional black slave in 19th century minstrel shows, and ‘Jim Crow Laws’ subsequently enforced racial segregation across The South until the mid-1960s. The second Jim Crow was an altogether more positive figure, a Scots-born chemist who applied scientific techniques to the distillation process, shaping significantly the Bourbon we drink today.
Born in the Highland capital of Inverness during 1779, James ‘Jim’ C. Crow studied medicine and chemistry at Edinburgh University, graduating in 1822. The newly-qualified doctor emigrated to the US that same year, and initially spent time in Philadelphia, where he was apparently declared bankrupt, though there are no details of the context in which this occurred. Changing places: Today Old Crow whiskey is made at Beam Suntory’s Clermont distillery Crow went on to be employed as master distiller by Oscar Pepper, who succeeded his father Elijah Pepper in 1838 at the Old Oscar Pepper distillery at Glenn’s Creek, near Versailles, which is now home to Woodford Reserve distillery. Various dates are cited for Crow’s engagement by the Pepper family, including 1833 and even 1820, at which point he was actually still an undergraduate in Edinburgh.
It is sometimes stated that James Crow invented the sour mash process, and this is supported by an article in an issue of the trade publication Bonfort’s Wine & Spirit Circular dated 10 January 1884: ‘While Oscar Pepper was carrying on the business, James Crow came to this country and applied to him for employment and got a position in the business.
Mr. Pepper noticed the fermenting capacity of spent beer, and mentioned one day to Crow his belief that a mash could be fermented by its use without yeast. They commenced a series of experiments, and the result was the discovery of sour mash whiskey.’ Other sources claim that the use of sour mash was already known, and that Crow was actually the first distiller to apply scientific principles to the process, leading him to be able to achieve a much greater consistency of quality in his whiskey making.
He understood the need for a regime of strict cleanliness and chose quality over quantity, delivering a maximum of two and a half gallons of spirit per bushel of grain, while his competitors were extracting far more. Pepper’s distillery was equipped not with copper pots but with a column still, which was relatively innovative at the time.
This probably helped Crow achieve accuracy and consistency. Enduring namesake: Old Pepper continued to sell whiskey bearing Crow’s name, even after he left the distillery THE SOUR MASH PROCESS Optimum fermentation occurs when pH levels are prevented from becoming too high, which could lead to undesirable bacterial growth. Many US distillers control pH levels in their new mash by adding an amount of acidic ‘spent’ mash, sometimes known as ‘backset,’ left over at the end of the distillation process and still containing live yeast.
- Not only does the introduction of this ‘sour’ mash ensure balanced pH levels, but it also promotes consistency of character from batch to batch.
- The term ‘sour’ is used as the process is analogous to that of baking sourdough bread, using a starter or ‘pre-ferment,’ sometimes referred to as ‘mother dough.’ The name ‘Old Crow’ was applied to the whiskey Crow distilled alongside the Old Oscar Pepper brand, in recognition of the Scotsman’s talents.
After James Crow left the Peppers to work a couple of miles away at the Johnson distillery, his successors continued to distil ‘Crow’ Bourbon as he had taught them. According to Sam K. Cecil in Bourbon – the Evolution of Kentucky Whisky, ‘In 1860 Oscar Pepper built another distillery a few miles down Glenn’s Creek at Millville called Old Crow RD No.106.
Here he produced the Old Crow brand in deference to their old distiller.’ However, in his The Social History of Bourbon, Gerald Carson writes: ‘After Dr Crow died in 1856, the firm of Gaines, Berry and Company, later WA Gaines & Co, decided to keep the name alive and to make bourbon by old man Crow’s method.’ It is recorded that in 1868, WA Gaines & Co.
purchased the Crow distillery from the estate of Oscar Pepper. Glory days: The Old Crow distillery closed in 1987 after being sold to Beam Suntory The Old Crow brand went on to become the country’s best-selling Bourbon, and enjoyed the patronage of some notable Americans, including Presidents Andrew Jackson and Ulysses S. Grant, Confederate General Jubal Early, and Kentucky statesman Henry Clay, who even featured in Old Crow advertisements.
- Writer Mark Twain was another fan, and after his visit to the distillery during the 1880s, Old Crow used the fact extensively in advertising material.
- Fellow writers Walt Whitman and Jack London were also partial to the whiskey, as was the ‘gonzo’ journalist and author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S.
Thompson. After enjoying such high-profile patronage, Old Crow and its distillery ultimately came into the hands of what is now Beam Suntory Inc. during 1987, and the distillery was closed immediately. Today, production of Old Crow takes place at Beam Suntory’s Clermont distillery, and the whiskey – with a much-diminished recipe and ageing regime – has slipped from its former glory days to become something of a bargain basement bottle.
Are all bourbons sour mash?
FAQs – Is bourbon made from sour mash? No, bourbon is not made from sour mash. However, some types of bourbons use the sour mash process. The sour mash process helps control the pH level of the fermenting alcohol before adding live yeast. Is Maker’s Mark a sour mash whiskey? Yes, Maker’s Mark is a sour mash whiskey.
Is Jameson a sour mash?
Main Differences between Jameson vs Jack Daniels – The main differences between Jameson vs Jack Daniel are:
Jameson is an Irish Whiskey, whereas Jack Daniels is Tennessee whiskey not a bourbon Jameson undergoes pot still distillation (a traditional method that produces heavy, alcoholic beverage with strong characteristics, i.e. aroma and body), whereas Jack Daniels undergoes patent distillation (an industrial process that produces alcoholic beverages with high alcohol content but lacks the real taste or feel of constituent ingredients) Jameson is a triple distilled and made from malted barley and other components, whereas Jack Daniels is produced from sour mash and mellowed with sugar maple charcoal before aging. Jameson is aged in bourbon barrels, sherry butts, and port pipes which impart the complexity of the spirit, whereas Jack Daniels is aged in new American white oak Jameson is produced by Jameson & Son in Midleton Single Distillery, County Cork, Republic of Ireland, whereas Jack Daniels is produced by Jack Daniel’s Distillery from Lynchburg, Tennessee.
Now that you can tell the difference between these two, let’s get into the details.
Why is sour mash called sour mash?
Why Is It Called Sour Mash Bourbon? – Any baker will tell you that the best way to make sourdough bread is to use what’s referred to as “starter.” In sourdough, the starter is fermented dough that naturally contains wild yeast and lactobacilli bacteria, which are the bacteria that make the bread rise.
- Sour mash bourbon, much like sourdough bread, uses leftovers from previous batches.
- The sour mash, or fermented ingredients, gives the bourbon a sweeter and more robust flavor.
- Some say sour mash gets its name from sourdough bread for this reason.
- Souring can also refer to the process of adding more acid to the mixture when creating bourbon.
A distiller adds acidity to help adjust the pH levels. This helps the mixture block out other microorganisms that could interfere with the fermentation process. Using some of the mash from previous batches allows distilleries to remain consistent with their flavors.
What is Triple Mash Whisky?
Here we have a bottled-in-bond whiskey from Jack Daniel’s. Triple mash is made from a blend of American malt, rye, and Tennessee whiskies, distilled by one person in a single session and matured for four years in a government-bonded warehouse.
Is Whisky sour A Scotch or bourbon?
If you want a classic Whiskey Sour – The traditional Whiskey Sour calls for an 80-proof bourbon as the base, which adds a touch of vanilla and oak without overpowering the sweet vs. sour tug-of-war going on in the glass. We made our classic Whiskey Sour with but any mid-range, 80-proof bourbon will do.
Why is there no 7 Jack Daniels?
Career of Jasper Daniel – Jack Daniel, founder As a teenager, Daniel was taken in by Dan Call, a local lay preacher and moonshine distiller. He began learning the distilling trade from Call and his Master Distiller, Nathan “Nearest” Green, an enslaved African-American man. Green continued to work with Call after emancipation,
In 1875, on receiving an inheritance from his father’s estate (following a long dispute with his siblings), Daniel founded a legally registered distilling business with Call. He took over the distillery shortly afterward when Call quit for religious reasons. The brand label on the product says “Est. & Reg.
in 1866″, but his biographer has cited official registration documents, asserting that the business was not established until 1875. After taking over the distillery in 1884, Daniel purchased the hollow and land where the distillery is now located. By the 1880s, Jack Daniel’s was one of 15 distilleries operating in Moore County, and the second-most productive behind Tom Eaton’s Distillery.
He began using square-shaped bottles, intended to convey a sense of fairness and integrity, in 1897. According to Daniel’s biographer, the origin of the “Old No.7” brand name was the number assigned to Daniel’s distillery for government registration. He was forced to change the registration number when the federal government redrew the district, and he became Number 16 in district 5 instead of No.7 in district 4.
However, he continued to use his original number as a brand name, since the brand reputation had already been established. An entirely different explanation is given in the 1967 book Jack Daniel’s Legacy which states that the name was chosen in 1887 after a visit to a merchant friend in Tullahoma, who had built a chain of seven stores. The replica home of Lem Motlow, proprietor from 1911 to 1947; the original home was demolished in 2005 and rebuilt at the distillery in Lynchburg. Jack Daniel never married and did not have any known children. He took his nephews under his wing – one of whom was Lemuel “Lem” Motlow (1869–1947).
- Lem, a son of Daniel’s sister, Finetta, was skilled with numbers.
- He soon took responsibility for the distillery’s bookkeeping.
- In failing health, Jack Daniel gave the distillery to Lem Motlow and another nephew in 1907.
- Motlow soon bought out his partner, and went on to operate the distillery for about 40 years.
Tennessee passed a statewide prohibition law in 1910, effectively barring the legal distillation of Jack Daniel’s within the state. Motlow challenged the law in a test case that eventually worked its way to the Tennessee Supreme Court, The court upheld the law as constitutional.
- Daniel died in 1911 from blood poisoning,
- An oft-told tale is that the infection began in one of his toes, which Daniel injured one early morning at work by kicking his safe in anger when he could not get it open (he was said to always have had trouble remembering the combination).
- But Daniel’s modern biographer has asserted that this account is not true.
Because of prohibition in Tennessee, the company shifted its distilling operations to St Louis, Missouri, and Birmingham, Alabama. None of the production from these locations was ever sold due to quality problems. The Alabama operation was halted following a similar statewide prohibition law in that state, and the St.
- Louis operation fell to the onset of nationwide prohibition following passage of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1920.
- While the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment in 1933 repealed prohibition at the federal level, state prohibition laws (including Tennessee’s) remained in effect, thus preventing the Lynchburg distillery from reopening.
Motlow, who had become a Tennessee state senator, led efforts to repeal these laws, which allowed production to restart in 1938. The five-year gap between national repeal and Tennessee repeal was commemorated in 2008 with a gift pack of two bottles, one for the 75th anniversary of the end of prohibition and a second commemorating the 70th anniversary of the reopening of the distillery. A plaque on Jack Daniel’s office recognizing the distillery’s status in the National Register of Historic Places The company was later incorporated as “Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, Prop., Inc.”, allowing the company to continue to include Motlow in its tradition-oriented marketing.
- Likewise, company advertisements continue to use Lynchburg’s 1960s-era population figure of 361, though the city has since formed a consolidated city-county government with Moore County,
- Its official population is more than 6,000, according to the 2010 census,
- The company was sold to the Brown–Forman Corporation in 1956.
The Jack Daniel’s Distillery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 2012, a Welshman, Mark Evans, claimed to have discovered the original recipe for Daniel’s whiskey, in a book written in 1853 by his great-great-grandmother.
Is Jack Daniels a true whiskey?
First off, Jack Daniel’s is whiskey – This is not a controversial point. Jack Daniel’s is a Tennessee whiskey, so it absolutely is whiskey as well. It’s even in the name. Whiskey is just the broadest term for distilled grain that’s aged in oak barrels, regardless of factors such as the grains used (e.g., corn, rye, wheat, barley, rice), where it’s made, the barrels used, and more.
The more contentious question is whether Jack Daniels is bourbon. Bourbon is a specific type of whiskey, and in more mathematical terms, a subset. All bourbon is whiskey, but because bourbon has additional rules, not all whiskey is bourbon. So while Jack Daniel’s is whiskey, we have to do more digging to figure out whether Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey meets all the specific requirements to also be called bourbon.
There are many possible factors that will help us determine whether it is in fact bourbon.
Is Jim Beam a true bourbon?
Jim Beam and Jack Daniel’s are without question, two of the most ubiquitous brands in American whiskey. It’s nearly impossible to walk into a liquor store without seeing Jack Daniel’s sleek flagship Old No.7 or a bottle of Jim Beam Original on the shelf.
- Owned by Beam Suntory and produced in Clermont, Ky., Jim Beam is a bourbon whiskey.
- And while bourbon can be produced anywhere in the United States, it must be made from a minimum of 51 percent corn (among other requirements) in order to be called as such.
- Jack Daniel’s, a Tennessee whiskey, is owned by the Brown-Forman Corporation.
With 80 percent corn in its mash bill, one could be forgiven for confusing it for a bourbon. The difference lies in how and where it’s made. Produced in Lynchburg, Tenn., Jack Daniel’s uses a method known as charcoal mellowing (a.k.a. the “Lincoln County Process”), in which unaged whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal.
The process is largely credited with imparting the distinct characteristics that make the brand so beloved among its many fans. Don’t Miss A Drop Get the latest in beer, wine, and cocktail culture sent straight to your inbox. It’s clear that while both brands have their own loyal followings, Americans sure do love their Jack.
In 2019, sales of the top whiskey brands had Jack Daniel’s bringing in over $326 million. Jim Beam’s popularity was also evident, with more than $228 million in sales that same year. Read on for a more in-depth look at how these two iconic American brands stack up.
What’s the difference between whiskey and bourbon?
Bourbon vs. Whiskey – Difference Between Bourbon and Whiskey If you order whiskey at a bar, thinking you’ll get bourbon, well, maybe you will — but it’s not guaranteed. That’s like ordering fish at a restaurant and expecting salmon every time. There are many types of whiskey, and bourbon is just one of them (in other words, all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon).
Why is it called Jim Beam?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Logo | |
Type | Bourbon whiskey |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Beam Suntory |
Country of origin | United States |
Introduced |
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Proof (US) | 80, 86, 100 |
Website | jimbeam,com |
Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory, It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohibition ), seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand.
What is the difference between Jack Daniels and Jack Daniels sour mash?
Jack Daniel’s is famous worldwide with its black label edition, aka the version the majority of us are familiar with. Sure, there are some other flavored editions that have come out recently, but the Black Label remains the standard for their line of spirits.
But the Black Label didn’t always reign supreme — and in a few states here in the United States, you can still find bottles of their original Green Label edition. Advertisment Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel was born around 1849 in Tennessee, the youngest of ten siblings. His birth mother died shortly after having him and his father remarried, having three more children before leaving to fight in the American Civil War.
Jack never liked his step mother and when news came that his father had been killed he ran away from home. Jack was taken in by a preacher and moonshine distiller named Dan Call, who was working with an enslaved African-American man named Nathan “Nearest” Green.
- The three continued to work together after emancipation.
- Throughout his teenage years these two men taught Jack the art of distilling and producing whiskey.
- Following a long fight with his siblings, Jack eventually received some of his father’s inheritance which in 1875 (not 1866, as sometimes claimed) he used to purchase the land where the Jack Daniel’s distillery now resides.
Jack legally registered the distillery in order to start selling his product and was assigned registration number seven in his district, which is the origin for the “Old No.7” labeling on their bottles. Jack never had any children of his own, but he was very fond of his nephews and worked with them to pass on the knowledge that he had gained.
- In 1907, Jack officially handed the distillery over to his nephews, and Lem Moltow would eventually buy out the others to become the sole owner of the facility.
- According to legend, the Green Label version of their whiskey was actually the “original” product.
- It was only after Jack’s death in 1911 that Lem decided to put out a longer aged version with a black label out of respect for the whiskey legend.
Next door to Tennessee, Kentucky enacted their own version of prohibition 10 full years earlier than the rest of the United States and Lem Moltow led the test case to challenge the constitutionality of the law but lost in court when the judge upheld the law.
He tried to move production to neighboring states but none of the product made at those facilities was ever made available for sale due to issues with the quality of the product. Then, while federal prohibition ended in 1933, Tennessee’s law remained on the books. Now elected as a Tennessee state senator, Moltow led the effort to repeal the state prohibition on alcohol and was instrumental in the passage of the 1938 repeal that allowed his distillery to reopen.
Moltow died in 1947, leaving the distillery to his family. They sold the brand and the distillery in 1956 to the Brown-Forman corporation, a family owned business that is one of the largest producers of whiskey in the United States and also owns brands such as Woodford Reserve and Old Forester.
Learn More: What’s the Difference Between Whiskey, Bourbon, Scotch, and Rye?
As with the black label, Jack Daniel’s starts with a fermented mash consisting of 80% corn, 12% rye and 8% malted barley. The “sour mash” label means that some of the material from a previous distillation (called “backset”) is added to the mash to increase the acidity of the liquid (hence sour), which helps fermentation and reduces the likelihood that bacteria will ruin the whiskey.
Once distilled, the spirit is filtered through a 10 foot stack of charcoal produced from sugar maple trees. This filtering process removes impurities and some of the harsher tasting elements from the spirit; the company calls this “mellowing” and is it commonly referred to as the Lincoln County Process,
After being filtered, the spirit is stored in new production oak barrels and aged for a period of time although the packaging makes no claims as to the actual age of the liquid inside, so there’s really no way to know exactly how long it sat on those oak barrels. Probably one of the most iconic bottles in the world, the angular and square bottle of a Jack Daniel’s black label whiskey is designed more for drinking than for looking at. The label lets you know what’s inside with minimal muss or fuss, but without sacrificing a good bit of flourish in the embellishments.
One of the defining characteristics that I get from a Tennessee whiskey is a fruity aroma and flavor, which my brain interprets as “banana”. This is present in pretty much all of the Jack Daniel’s whiskey (that hasn’t been meddled with and flavored, that is) and sure enough, that same note is absolutely present here.
I’d say its lighter in intensity here than other versions, and a touch sweeter as well, but it is still present and combined with just a hint of caramel and vanilla. Taking a sip, you can tell that this is a much younger and less matured version than we usually see. The caramel and vanilla flavors are there, but that telltale banana note is far less prominent than usual.
There’s also an unfortunate amount of raw alcohol flavor that comes with some bitterness, although that seems to wash out as the flavor finishes in a touch of black pepper spice that lingers on the lips. Interesting to note: I caught that same bitterness in the “standard” black label Jack Daniel’s review, so I don’t think you can blame the younger age of the whiskey on that aspect.
- It does tend to disappear in their single barrel and Gentleman Jack expressions, though.
- When you add a bit of ice to a spirit, the lighter flavors typically become diluted and any harsher aspects of the flavor profile are toned down.
- That’s absolutely what’s happening here as well, and I think it improves the drink quite a bit.
Gone is the slightly harsh bitterness from the raw alcohol, but also the slight bit of banana has been almost eliminated. It seems to be clinging to the edge of the flavor profile as if about to fall off. Otherwise, what’s left is closer to a standard young bourbon.
There’s a light smattering of caramel and vanilla from the oak barrel aging, but there’s also a good bit of charred wood flavor in there giving it a little more of that traditional Jack Daniel’s smokiness. Usually, I like a darker and richer old fashioned — something with a little more smoke and flavor.
That’s not what you get here, certainly, but I can’t say that’s necessarily a bad thing. In this version of an Old Fashioned, you’ve got a lighter and more cheerful flavor profile with a little bit of fruit and sweetness thanks to the little bit of banana flavor that’s still hanging on and mixing with the bitters.
- Add a little twist of orange peel and it’s delicious, actually.
- As long as you’re looking for something that’s more citrus and less charred, this works pretty well.
- For a mule, the criteria for success here is pretty much “be less boring than vodka”.
- Essentially, bring something to the table and make it interesting.
For the flavors of the cocktail, the whiskey is definitely making itself known and doing so decently well. The ginger beer flavor is nicely played against the sweeter flavors in the whiskey, and the combination makes for a light and almost fruity cocktail.
Again, I usually prefer things on the richer and darker side, but this isn’t terrible. Where I find myself a little let down is on the finish. Usually, with a higher rye content whiskey there’s some peppery textures and spice to the finish which add some unique notes. Here I get none of that, sadly. It’s almost as flat and smooth as a wheated bourbon.
Advertisment The flavors in here are consistent with a Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey that just hasn’t been aged quite as long as usual. They are all there, but not quite fully developed. I can see why this doesn’t usually get as wide a release as the black label.
- There really isn’t anything this expression brings to the table that isn’t done better by the black label version, with the exception of the price tag.
- At about $4 cheaper per bottle, I can see this being an appealing budget-friendly buy.
- Personally, I’d prefer to pay for the black label.
- But as-is, you definitely get what you pay for.
All reviews are evaluated within the context of their specific spirit classification as specified above. Click here to check out similar spirits we have reviewed. Overall Rating: 3/5 A lighter price tag with a lighter touch on the flavors. Advertisment
What is the history of sour mash whiskey?
The sour mash process is an old method of making whiskey. Many people credit James C. Crow with inventing the sour mash process, but the process is much older than James Crow. The Kentucky Historical Society has a recipe for sour mash whiskey from Catherine Carpenter of Casey County, Kentucky that dates to 1818.
- Her recipe is as follows: “Out into the mash tub six bushels of very hot slop then put in one bushel of corn meal ground pretty course.
- Stir well then sprinkle a little meal over the mash.
- Let it stand 5 days, that is 3 full days betwist the day you mash and the day you cool off – on the fifth day put in 3 gallons of warm water then one gallon of rye meal and one gallon of malt.
Work it well into the mash and stir 3 quarters of an hour then fill the tub half full of luke warm water. Stir it well and with a fine sieve or otherwise break all of the lumps fine then let stand for three hours then fill up the tub with luke warm water.” Assuming she used a standard 48 gallon barrel as a mash tub, she would have used about 15% backset to sour her mash.
- This is what I have found to be a normal amount of backset in early sour mash whiskey.
- Many of the early distillers were doing a similar process in making their whiskey until James Crow came along and started making whiskey. James C.
- Crow was an educated man and applied scientific methods to the distillation process.
He kept track of temperature, specific gravity and the pH of the liquids at all steps of the process. He also tended to use a lot more backset in his process. In the 1870s E.H. Taylor, Jr, hired a distiller who had trained under James Crow to make his whiskey at the OFC distillery.
- Taylor wrote in a letter that his whiskey was made by using the hot backset, as well as, hot water to cook his grains.
- This meant that he was using 50% or more backset in his mashing process.
- His distiller learned this method from Crow.
- Old Crow whiskey was considered the finest whiskey of the time and Taylor wanted his whiskey to be of the same caliber.
As the 19 th century progressed people learned more about bacteria and yeast, With this growth in knowledge came a better understanding of the distilling process. This allowed distillers to adjust their own sour mash process in making their whiskey. Different yeast strains need different amounts of souring to create the favored environment and produce their flavors for the whiskey. In the 19 th century there were some distillers making sweet mash whiskey, but the majority of the distillers made sour mash whiskey. The reason was simple – it gave a better quality control of the final product. The sour mash favors the yeast strain and helps inhibit bacteria growth that can cause a bad mash.
- The result was that by the time of Prohibition, sweet mash whiskey production was almost extinct.
- It would remain that way until the 21 st century with modern equipment that could be kept cleaner and faster methods of testing the mash to give early warning if something was going wrong and steps could be made to correct the mash.
Today Sour Mash whiskey is the most common style of American whiskey. It is used in most Bourbon, rye and Tennessee whiskeys. It is an old process that has evolved over the years, but like distillation itself, it is still the same basic process as they were doing over two centuries ago. Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl
What is different about sour mash whiskey?
Sour Mash & Bourbon Compared – Sour mash basically refers to a particular process used by distillers to add a specific flavor to the whiskey. Bourbon is a category of American whiskey made following distinct requirements and restrictions. A sour mash whiskey can be classified as bourbon if it is made under the same bourbon restrictions (51% corn, aged in new charred oak barrels, etc).
Is Gentleman Jack a sour mash?
A more complex and fruitier Jack that is a bit more plush. Notes : The Tennessee Whisky to most of the world (there are only two to begin with and George Dickel is the other).This distillery is much larger and produces larger batches of younger whisky (on average) than its competitor who is a distant second on quantity and sales.
- It is double-distilled in copper column stills then aged in new charred oak barrels.
- In their charcoal mellowing they drip the whiskey through about 10 ft of sugar maple charcoal over a 4 to 6 day period.
- In the case of Gentleman Jack this is done twice.
- This whisky also uses a higher proportion of corn than most bourbon, proprietary yeast strains and large multistory warehouses (over 50 in number).This is a straight (unblended) sour mash bourbon with 10 hours of charcoal filtering for finishing.
This is the mid range brother of Jack Daniel’s No.7, and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, Appearance : Dark gold in the bottle, wheat color in the glass both seem somewhat more red than the No.7. First Impression : Heavy corn presence, chocolate, vanilla, oak grain influence, trace of spearmint, and char developing.
Taste : Lighter body, sweet with slightly astringent follow on, oak then pepper developing and causing the tongue to tingle. Fruity, like Cassis almost berry-like notes to it and pears. Nice mixture of fruits and a little spice and a little char, medium dry finish. Drinks : Works well for most bourbon drinks.
Remember, it is a bit drier than a bourbon with the charcoal aftertaste. Cigars : A mild Credo, Ashton or Davidoff. Connecticut shadegrown wrapper. Bottle : Basic clear glass, slightly bell shaped multifacted sides thin neck with faceted neck. Name of whiskey is pressed into the glass at sloped shoulder.
Old-style gold script with is printed on the black label. Simple layout and fonts give it a antique feel. Nice presentation. Final Thoughts : Much more fruity and complex than the No.7. While some may find the dryness/char of Tennessee Whisky not to their liking as a beverage choice, this is a more mellow alternative.
Website : http://www.gentlemanjack.com Fair amount details and pictures with a comprehensive history and background, virtual tour, links. Lots of merchandise of course -one of the mainstays of the cult brand.