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For some reason, many of my friends associate the word moonshine with a low-quality and cheap drink from the “Well, there wasn’t enough for vodka” series.
I am very amused by such statements, because the authors of such statements have never encountered moonshine and do not even understand what they are talking about.
For several years I have been fond of the production of home-made alcohol, despite the fact that I practically do not drink. For me, this is purely a hobby, I am fascinated by the process itself, even more than the result.
I tried many different moonshine techniques, made various tinctures, moonshine from different brews, and I can safely say that good moonshine really differs from most purchased drinks – it surpasses them both in taste and quality.
But what is good moonshine?
Stereotype “moonshine is a cheap drink”
Those who have ever bought branded German germinated malt for making mash will never be able to say something like that.
After buying grain for several thousand rubles, they simply won’t turn their tongues. It is the base of the mash that is the fundamental factor that determines the quality of the future drink.
You can, of course, go out of your way and make mash not from grain, but use budget options, starting from the same sugar, and ending with fruits and berries in the summer-autumn period. But are we talking about good moonshine?
Real moonshine is whiskey. It is home-made distillation, familiar to everyone, that is the technology for making a good whiskey. Therefore, I always consider quality moonshine only as whiskey. All tinctures and “cheap sugar vodka” are just pampering.
The cost of some varieties of malt reaches 300 rubles per kg
Malt is used to make whiskey. Many “thrifty” hobby colleagues still manage to use cereals, for example, the same barley, but this is not the same anymore – the drink will not have the properties that I am talking about.
Therefore, axiom number 1 – Good moonshine is made exclusively from malt mash!
High degree of purification
Another important condition for obtaining high-quality moonshine is its degree of purification. I’ll tell you a secret, but there are lovers who drink “Pervak” and do not see anything wrong with it.
Then, however, they rely on the weather, dying of a headache, but that’s okay! Most importantly, we managed to save money! And there is no need to waste precious time on normal cleaning of the product!
This is fundamentally the wrong approach. Moonshine of the first distillation should not be used at all! I use it for grinding or for lighting coals in the grill.
Axiom number 2 – If we are talking about quality homemade whiskey – then this product must be distilled at least THREE times!
And you need to be able to distill and not be greedy, separating the head. But with the tails you need to learn to “play”. Tailings from malt brews, when properly processed, will add an original aroma to the drink.
The test of time
If you think that good moonshine is “overtaken and ready, you can drink,” then you are also mistaken. After distillation, we get only the basis of our future drink, at best, a high-quality basis.
Next, the moonshine should be well brewed (at least 6 months) in an oak barrel. Moreover, various manipulations of many amateurs will not lead to anything. The most popular hacky methods:
- Infusion on oak chips.
- Addition of oak bark extract.
- Staining with oak cubes.
But fate cannot be deceived. The product will be colored, but this will hardly affect the enhancement of its palatability.
Axiom number 3 – Aging in an oak barrel for at least six months!
And you need to pour at least 20 liters of whiskey into a barrel, this is relative to the cost of the product. You will have to spend a lot of money and put in a lot of effort for distillation
Result and difference with purchased drinks
Yes, this is such a complicated and very dreary process of making homemade whiskey. But it’s worth it. As a result, we get a fragrant drink that leaves a pleasant aftertaste and does not cause a severe hangover.
And it’s not just about the oak smell, the malt itself is also perfectly felt. Now let’s compare this to store-bought whiskey. If we take for comparison products that cost up to 1 rubles per liter, then it’s generally stupid to compare.
This is ordinary alcohol, mixed with water, with the addition of tea extract or, at best, oak extract for coloring. There is no question of any taste and aromatic properties.
If we compare it with elite drinks, especially those with a long aging period, then we will understand that our drink is not much different. Of course, their own characteristics will be traced everywhere, but you will immediately determine the common characteristics.
Now pay attention to the number of zeros on the price tag of such drinks, impressive, isn’t it?
And I have the opportunity to enjoy whiskey that is not inferior in quality, at least three times cheaper, albeit with huge labor costs, but when the process of making is enjoyable, it ceases to be a problem.
So why not make decent drinks on your own, because moonshine is an art, and everyone can get an incredibly delicious drink at the end?
