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I have always been surprised by people who like to talk about how making moonshine is the fate of poverty. “Is there really no money to just buy normal alcohol?”
From such fans to talk about the low-grade moonshine, I would like to know what exactly they mean by worthy drinks? What is sold on supermarket shelves under the guise of whiskey for 1 rubles?
Yes, I don’t need such a drink for nothing, but those bottles that flicker with price tags with amounts of 5-10 thousand rubles – yes. But constantly buying such whiskey will definitely hit the budget.
I drive whiskey myself and make various tinctures for a long time, and I can’t turn my tongue to call this hobby a budget one. If my wife calculated how much my hobby costs me, I would probably learn a lot about myself.
The story was shared by my subscriber Michael.
Gourmet drink and rustic moonshine are two different things.
Unfortunately, the word “moonshine” itself is associated with a cloudy liquid of an outrageous strength in a large glass bottle.
It was this image that was created thanks to serials and domestic cinema. One has only to watch any film that shows a village wedding, as you will surely see this notorious bottle on the table.
I do not argue that it is possible to drive exclusively sugar mash by assembling a primitive apparatus and produce alcohol of dubious quality. But do not row everything and everyone with the same brush.
I am more than sure that many lovers of good elite whiskey have gathered here. And, for example, Chivas (Chivas) is the same moonshine, because the method of their production is absolutely identical.
We will not talk about home budget production, we will talk about the preparation of real gourmet alcohol. I will try to objectively describe what and how much it costs, and why moonshine is not at all a cheap hobby.
Equipment – from 20 to …
I confess that a few years ago I could not even imagine that a moonshine still is an expensive toy. It is enough to open any online store and everyone can be convinced of this.
Yes, there is equipment for 5-6 thousand, but the equipment and quality will be appropriate. To expel a decent whiskey, you need to purchase:
- Cube (stainless) – 10 rubles and more. The price depends on the quality of welding, metal thickness, volume and manufacturer.
- Distillation column – 10 rubles and more. Someone manages to use tubes with fittings, but it is impossible to achieve a normal degree of purification in this way.
- Additional equipment: thermometers, alcohol meters, heating elements, timer, relay – about 5 more rubles.
In total, the first trip to the store will cost a novice distiller immediately at 25. Not so cheap, right?
Or even more…
Ingredients also cost money.
After buying the device, you need to prepare the first mash. We will not even consider sugar, since at the output we will get just alcohol from it, and we need a fragrant distillate. The best thing you can think of is to use malt.
I will not hide, I myself tried to make mash from cereals in order to save money. I won’t say that it turned out disgusting, but it’s still not that.
The cost of one kg of good malt is about 100 rubles, and each time you need to buy at least 10 kg
What are we going to wander? Yeast. It is better to forget about cheap yeast on the market right away. For quality fermentation, I use Dragon or other Turbo analogues.
They are ideally suited for malt, and the mash acquires the fullest aroma in the shortest possible time. The cost of such yeast is from 300 rubles per pack.
It’s worth it
I hope I managed to prove that moonshine is not the most budgetary hobby. At the same time, I did not take into account the costs of energy, water, time, the need to purchase various containers for mash, water seals, barrels, oak cubes and other trifles.
The main advantage of my hobby is that I can influence the quality of the product, I can experiment and improve it the way I want. For example, few well-known brands can sell apple-honey two-malt whiskey, but I can.
Today moonshine is becoming a real culture that many men around the world are passionate about, and not only men. The distillation process itself is constantly being improved, new methods are being invented, everything is turning into art.
And how do you react to such a statement that moonshine is “a drink for the poor” from your acquaintances? Did they regret their words after tasting the results of your labors?