I’ve been reading a few articles on making your own concentrates for some flavours, like coffee. I’m curious to see if anyone would have half an idea about making your own whisky concentrates.
I realise people use vodka for thinning but creating a whisky flavour would be vastly different.
I am a keen collector with about 300 bottles (and user with about 15 open lol!) of scotch whisky. As you will be aware there are many many different malt whiskies and amongst them there are a huge variation of flavours involved. I would love to be able to create a concentrate from different ones.
I did once have a Hookah pipe with whisky instead of water and it was amazing. I realise that you’re not heating the whisky the same but it would be amazing to try.
I wondering how I would approach it if it is possible at all. Would I have to reduce it etc etc.
It may not be possible but I would love to give it a try if it is.
Love a good malt myself!
I would be concerned about any natural sugars in the whisky and the colouring used?
Be interested myself about the practicalities and or dangers this could bring?
All the decent ones have no colouring at all as they obviously obtain their colouring from the wood that they are matured in. I think the residual natuiral sugars would definitely be something to consider as problematic.
Caramel is only added to a very very few malts. It’s actually a selling point of the very good ones that it isn’t added. When discussing whisky at tasting events, the only flavour description that is not used is caramel!!!
Having worked in the Scotch whisky industry for many years I can safely say that the vast majority of caramel is added to the spirit to achieve the colouring.
Some distilleries add more than others to achieve their sweet spot regarding colour.
There is no taste to caramel colouring, it is simply that, a colouring and has caused controversy through the years, namely by purists.
Whisky by nature is a clear spirit and maturing alone in barrels, more so with sherry barrels, will produce colouring of the spirit but will not produce a consistent, uniform colouring that the distillers rely on to achieve their desired hue.
This is simply down to different barrels having different properties that cannot be controlled.
Hence why they take control of the process by adding the caramel colouring to achieve their desired results.
Yes there are a couple who don’t but they are by far and large in the minority.
My favorite brand is a blend, Ballantines, and it is also one of the few in a dark brown bottle that is distinctive by its square shape.
Never been a massive fan of malts funnily enough.
Just had it on good authority from somebody in the industry that most do not use it now in this current climate. Many may have in the past but they don’t now. He was asking how long ago you worked in the industry.
It might be one of those areas whereas, altho I love bacon…vaping bacon tastes like a$$. I think vaping scotch might be like this if the flavor could come close.
