"Try this: I've done 7 runs of this recipe and it produces an excellent result . But first, a few words about Bourbon whiskey, 'cause ya cant just whip up any whiskey and call it bourbon.

* Bourbon must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn.
* Bourbon must be distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume).
* Neither coloring nor flavoring may be added.
* Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak barrels.
* Bourbon must be entered into the barrel at no more than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume).
* Bourbon, like other whiskeys, may not be bottled at less than 80 proof (40% alcohol by volume.)
* Bourbon which meets the above requirements and has been aged for a minimum of two years, may (but is not required to) be called Straight Bourbon.
* Straight Bourbon aged for a period less than four years must be labeled with the duration of its aging.
* If an age is stated on the label, it must be the age of the youngest whiskey in the bottle.
* Only whiskey produced in the United States can be called bourbon.

In practice, almost all bourbons marketed today are made from more than two-thirds corn, have been aged at least four years, and do qualify as ""straight bourbon"""”with or without the ""straight bourbon"" label. The exceptions are inexpensive commodity brands of bourbon aged only three years and pre-mixed cocktails made with straight bourbon aged the minimum two years. However, a few small distilleries market bourbons aged for as little as three months. <- this might be you

this is my Carolina Bourbon ....and it's fine tastin'
5-6 gallon wash yield.

I Start with 7 pounds of cracked corn, n cook in 4 gallons of good water for at least an hour (i usually go 90 mins) at a low simmer. ...careful not to burn it.
*optional - you may add a half pound of 6-row malted barley while cooking the corn to loosen it up a bit ( this is called pre-mashing) as it gets very thick.
Then cool to exactly 150f.
Pour into a large cooler (helps conserve heat during the mashing session)
Add 3 pounds of 6-row malted barley ...The temp should drop to approx 145f
...stir well every 15 mins, while you mash for 2-3 hours. Keep covered.

* Note: Don't add malted barley to the corn if it exceeds 155f! the enzymes will be denatured in short order and and you won't get no conversion.the mashing process requires that you keep the mash at 145f +/- 5f for the entire duration of the mash session which is why you use the insulated cooler.

*optional - If you want, you can add a lil beano (we'll look the other way)for additional conversion...and let it continue to mash overnight.

At the end of the mash, cool to 80f and transfer to fermenter (grain and all).
Top up to 6-7 gallons total volume.
Aerate well and pitch yeast (Prestige WD or your favorite yeast).
Ferment for a week on grain.
After fermentation is complete, strain out grain, and transfer wash to boiler. No need to let the wash clear.

*Note: I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer bag to separate the grain from the wash.

I distilled with my Bok (removed a lil packing so the spirits are 80% )....make appropriate cuts and dilute final spirits to 60% abv using good water.

I oaked at 60% with 2 pcs of my own new charred white oak sticks for 6 months in a glass jar (once again, we'll look the other way if you dont have a barrel). As long as you're using new charred white oak I think you can call it Bourbon.
Once your agin'/oaking is complete, dilute down to 45% and bottle."

"....just for the record, this is my Carolina Bourbon recipe that Phantom graciously provided to yall from the homedistiller.org site .
---

This is an updated version of the original post, mostly just updated for clarity.

Try this: I've done over a dozen runs of this recipe and it produces an excellent result . But first, a few words about Bourbon whiskey, 'cause ya can't just whip up any whiskey and call it bourbon.

* Bourbon must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn.
* Bourbon must be distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume).
* Neither coloring nor flavoring may be added.
* Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak barrels.
* Bourbon must be entered into the barrel at no more than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume).
* Bourbon, like other whiskeys, may not be bottled at less than 80 proof (40% alcohol by volume.)
* Bourbon which meets the above requirements and has been aged for a minimum of two years, may (but is not required to) be called Straight Bourbon.
* Straight Bourbon aged for a period less than four years must be labeled with the duration of its aging.
* If an age is stated on the label, it must be the age of the youngest whiskey in the bottle.
* Only whiskey produced in the United States can be called bourbon.

In practice, almost all bourbons marketed today are made from more than two-thirds corn, have been aged at least four years, and do qualify as ""straight bourbon""&#8212;with or without the ""straight bourbon"" label. The exceptions are inexpensive commodity brands of bourbon aged only three years and pre-mixed cocktails made with straight bourbon aged the minimum two years. However, a few small distilleries market bourbons aged for as little as three months. <- this might be you

This is my Carolina Bourbon ....and it's fine tastin'
5-6 gallon wash yield, scale as desired.
Grain Bill: 7 pounds cracked corn; 3 pounds crushed 6-row malted barley (optional 1 pound malted rye)
I start with the 7 pounds of cracked corn, and cook it in 4 gallons of good water for at least an hour (I usually go 90 mins) at a low simmer. ...be careful not to burn it.

*Note - there are a couple ways to help the corn cook.
You can do a 24 hour pre-soak of the corn with a couple gallons of boiling water, this will help with cooking. ,just toss the corn in a cooler and pour the water on top and cover,. or use a couple gallons of boiling backset, this not only helps with cooking but the acidic nature of the backset seems to release extra starch from the corn (for more sugar conversion).
Also, BigR has a stepped corn cooking method that works really well (heat to 130F pause 30mins, heat to 165F, pause 30mins, heat to 200F, pause 30mins. Done.

*optional - you may add a half pound of 6-row malted barley while cooking the corn to loosen it up a bit ( this is called pre-mashing) as the corn gets very thick.
Then I cool it to exactly 150f, and pour into a large cooler (this helps conserve heat during the mashing session)
Then add 3 pounds of crushed 6-row malted barley ...The temp should drop to approx. 145f
...stir well every 15 mins, while you mash for 2-3 hours. Keep it covered.

* Note: Don't add the malted barley to the corn if it exceeds 155f! The enzymes will be denatured in short order and you'll get poor conversion of the starch. The mashing process requires that you keep the mash at 145f +/- 5f for the entire duration of the mash session which is why you use the insulated cooler.

*optional - If you want, you can add a couple crushed Beano tabs as well (we'll look the other way) for additional conversion...and let it continue to mash overnight.

At the end of the mash, cool to 80f and transfer to fermenter (grain and all).

** Top up with water to 6-7 gallons total volume. (You'll lose some liquid when you remove the grain after the ferment)
Aerate well and pitch yeast (Prestige WD or your favorite yeast).
Ferment for a week on the grain.
After fermentation is complete, strain out grain, and transfer the wash to your boiler. No need to let the wash clear.

*Note: I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer bag to separate the grain from the wash.

I've distilled this with my old Bok (removed a lil packing so the spirits are approx. 80% ) and also with my 3"" flute....make appropriate cuts and dilute the final spirits to 60-62% abv using distilled water( it's possible to cloud your spirits with anything else).

I'll usually oak at 60% with 2 pcs of my own new charred white oak sticks for 6 months or more in a glass jar, but I've also had some very good success using a 5 liter oak barrel for 4 months...and I feel it would've been even better at 6 months. (Once again, we'll look the other way if you dont have a barrel). As long as you're using new charred white oak I think you can call it Bourbon.
Once your agin'/oakin' is complete, dilute down to 45% (again with distilled water) and bottle.


...like I said, it's fine tastin .
a slightly earthy, woody smell with vanillas in it.
And a nice cherry /vanilla/oaky taste that goes down really smooth

Cheers,
NChooch"

Copying with my name is alot different than copying without my name .
Nuff said.

LOL ...what makes you ask that?
I can honestly say I've never been hung over on any booze I've made.

White Oak grows wild from Georgia to Canada, and from the Atlantic to Missouri ...
If you can't find some at your local saw mill, get your hands on a used wine or whiskey barrel (half) ....take it apart and use pieces of the staves for aging.

Assuming I take my time, invest in all the right equipment (I'm new and have purchased nothing yet) is this a recipe a noob could do?

"Curious if you need to let corn sprout first of if you did what would happen? If I threw a few lbs of brown surgar in as well would it help? Posted a similar idea and really glad to see your recipe. Thanks

Matteaux"

"

you stirred the fermenting mash every 12 hours? That's definitely not necessary and could subject the beer to an infection. Anyway, have you checked a sample of the beer with a hydrometer? ...It could be done.
...or maybe you have a leak in the cover and that's why the airlock is no longer bubbling.
"

I just finished fermenting this recipe (on the grain) and have a quick question before running it. I managed to squeeze out a good bit of the wash that the grain bill had absorbed and even though I used a fine mesh grain bag it's still got a lot of solids suspended. How long can I let this settle without taking a chance on it going bad? It's in the fermenting buckets with a lid but has been exposed to the atmosphere (actually violated severely when squeezing it out) and considering the amount of work I'd sure hate to see it spoil.

Thanks for the reply, RCRed. Everything but the (new) grainbag was clean (even washed my hands) before squeezing the grain. It finished out dry at 1.00 ( in less than two days ) and has a fairly strong alcohol smell even though the og was 1.038+- and indicated a weak conversion (may have had too many solids in the tube when I checked it). Not expecting much alcohol but still don't want to see it go to waste.

thanks again