The New Old Taylor, First Batch.

[tmckenzie]

The lower still proof brings over more esters in my opinion.

[sailor22]

Don't most Brandy, particularly Cognac and Armagnac makers go into the barrel at lower proof, right around 100? Not exactly apples to apples but their product has a lot of the flavors of the fruit they started with. Seems like I taste more flavors of the source materials in their product than I do in whiskey.

BTW in a recent conversation with Ansley Coale of Germain-Robin Brandy he mentioned they were about to do some experimental distilling with wheat as opposed to their typical grape or fruit. They don't use the same barrels typically used in Bourbon production so I would anticipate a hybrid product. I'm interested in what they come up with.

[cowdery]

Cognac brandy typically comes off the still at 70% ABV. I don't know if it's reduced before barreling. I believe California bradies, at least the mass-produced ones, come off even higher. The legal maximum distillation proof for brandy is the same as for whiskey, less than 95% ABV, but for whiskey there are the named types such as bourbon, where the legal max is 80% ABV. There are no equivalent "types" for U.S.-made brandy. U.S.-made brandy has to be distilled at less than 95% ABV and aged at least two years.

[craigthom]

Lower proof going into the barrel would also mean more barrel contribution in the finished product because less water is added between the barrel and the bottle.

[kickert]

I'm cerious, Ben, If you were deciding on the proof off the still and barreling proof, what proof points would you choose. I know that's not an easy question since many factors such as yeast, still construction and manipulation have a lot to do with the congener content of the distillate, but I'd love to hear your further thoughts on this subject?

Hey Brad... you are right, there are no easy answers. The more experimental batches we run through the still, the less confident I am of anything :-). Each recipe has its own character. Some have more heads, some have more tails, some have more of both.

For us, since most of what we are doing is experimental or small production batches, our target is a flavor, more than it is a distillation proof. Final distillation proof isn't determined until we do the final blending of fractions off the still. Even if we would prefer a lower proof off the still, we are not going to add more lower proof fractions if that means it negatively affects the flavor of the whiskey. Once the run starts dropping, the flavor can get very pungent (smells like wet cardboard). We have cut to tails as high as 135 and as low as 100, it all depends on the flavor coming off the still.

As for barreling proof, we have generally barrelled around 120. We have experimented higher and lower, but for us, that proof tends to work best.

[bourbonv]

Josh,
According to Chris Morris, the Woodford Reserve being made at the Brown-Forman distillery is going into the barrel at 110 proof.

Mike Veach

[Josh]

Josh,
According to Chris Morris, the Woodford Reserve being made at the Brown-Forman distillery is going into the barrel at 110 proof.

Mike Veach

Interesting. Thanks for the info, Mike!

[nblair]

Each recipe has its own character. Some have more heads, some have more tails, some have more of both.

Do major distillers also use this technique to achieve differences between labels? Maybe if they have several bourbons of the same mash bill they adjust the heads/tails content of each?

[cowdery]

The concept of "heads and tails" doesn't really apply in a column distillation system.

[bourbonv]

The whole point of Heads and Tails is the beginning and ending of the distillation and the whole point of a column still is to allow the mash to run through the still in a continual flow. With that said, if the distiller is using a pot still doubler and not a thumper, then you can have some heads and tails involved.

MIke Veach