Making moonshine is fun, but you can actually make some pretty tasty alcohol! All you need to do is learn how to add flavours to improve how the product tastes. You can even create moonshine that tastes like a commercial spirit found in your local shop.
Choose the correct ingredients and brewing methods
The flavour profile of the moonshine will depend on which ingredients are used during the brewing process. You also need to consider the distillation process, like to make cuts from the fermented wash.
Aged moonshine has an enhanced flavor
Just like with most spirits, leaving your moonshine to age is a good way to enhance the flavor profile. This is why aged sprits typically cost more than newer spirits. As such, try to prepare your moonshine a few months in advance. It can be a good idea to let your moonshine sit in a dark place for at least a month, which will give a more refined flavor.
The commercial way
Companies keep their spirits in wooden casks or barrels to enhance the taste. Typically, these spirits are aged for over a year before they are sold to the market, which increases the price of the product.
But that’s not all – the flavor of the sprit is affected by the type of wood that is used to create the barrel. A good example is scotch, where sherry cask allows the whiskey to draw in the flavours of sherry and sugar, which gives a unique taste.
Spirit soaked with oak chips doesn’t have to be aged as long. This is because more oak wood chips come into contact with the spirit. As such, the flavor can take just a few days to mature.
Avoid carbon filters
Some think using a carbon filter can be a good way to remove wood chips. However, doing this will remove some of the beautiful flavor that you worked hard to create. The best tactic is to use a small towel or muslin. This will allow you to keep all of the flavours. Some home distillers use coffee filters, onshine taste
If you have a sweet-tooth, then you may want to be generous with the sugar. Generally, distillers add around 5 teaspoons of white sugar per liter of moonshine, but it will depend on your personal preference.
Conclusion
Initially, moonshine was known as unaged whiskey. Things are different today with many craft distillers coming into and opening up the scene for creativity and craftsmanship. Aging is today a way of infusing a variety of rich oak flavors. Sugar and fruits are also used to flavor moonshine and do a great job toning down the strong hard dry moonshine taste. Some distillers would introduce the flavors into the mash while others prefer adding it last after distillation is complete.
This all depends on the ingredients used for the moonshine. Adding your flavor to moonshine after distillation does two things. It brings in a sweet flavor to the moonshine while also reducing the alcohol concentration. Still, other distillers opt to use sugar instead of corn for their mash to produce the popular sugarshine. One thing is for sure though, there is a whole world of twists and tweaks to moonshine waiting to be explored.