popcorn in whiskey mash?

[mitchshrader]

does anyone know anything about attempts (or accidents) to incorporate popcorn or 'unusual' grains into whiskey mash?

reason i ask, my grandfather long passed on, (anecodotally) may have manufactured whiskey sans permit.. such is family tradition. one story goes, a farmer grew popcorn by accident, mislabeled seed, and it was unwanted and cheap.. so they put it in whiskey mash, after sprouting and drying it.. with great success. this was mid-depression in southern oklahoma, and it was 'strictly from hunger' that they didn't use sugar to stretch the mash. popcorn they had, popcorn they used, and they sprouted it to make it ferment better, malting it was labor and they HAD labor.. cash to buy sugar they did not.

the resulting 'white mule' was barreled briefly (weeks) with hand charred red oak chips added in to color the spirits, and sold to great acclaim.

many years later, i heard glowing stories of that 'yankee whiskey' that'd been hoarded for years as christmas and wedding quality. just wondered if anyone else had heard of such a thing..

[ratcheer]

I am no expert, but it seems to me that there is not a lot of difference, if any, between popcorn and the corn that is ground to make mash for whiskey.

Tim

[sku]

I am no expert, but it seems to me that there is not a lot of difference, if any, between popcorn and the corn that is ground to make mash for whiskey.

Tim

Depends if it's butter flavor or not.

[TNbourbon]

Popcorn is a grain, so surely it can be fermented. Thus, it can become whiskey. I'll leave it to others to pronounce whether or not that would meet the corn content requirements for 'bourbon'.
It strikes me, though, that the kernel content (of sugars, and everything else), of popcorn would be much less than standard field corn, and thus would produce a quite different product. On the other hand, grains per bushel would be increased.

[fredthecat]

haha, cool story. it would be great to have a family experience of distilling :)

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

Great story!

It sounds like it was all malt popcorn. That would certainly have an effect on the taste of the final product.

I have seen a recipe for popcorn malt beer that was meant to replicate Peruvian Chichi. I think popcorn was used just because it was readily available to most people. But it might also be closer to traditional Indian corn.

Ed

[dave ziegler]

Boy I must say that is one I never heard of either Thanks for sharing that I wonder how off the taste Was of it I can't Imagine it was too flavorful but without Being there who Knows!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
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