The Artisan’s Guide to Crafting Distilled Spirits

The standard reference work for all home distillers. –Die Zeit magazine

A resource that everyone – beginner or advanced- interested in the craft distilling process needs. –Bill Owens, president/founder, American Distilling Institute

1. The Foundations and Traditions of Distilling Alcohol
   Schnapps, spirituous beverages, distillates
2. Mashes
   • HOW IS ALCOHOL FORMED?
     A side shuttle into chemistry
     The fermentation process: Water & sugar; Flavors & aromas; Vitamins, trace elements; Solid, ligneous components
   • WHICH FRUITS CAN BE USED TO MAKE THE MASH?
   • PREPARING THE FRUIT
   • FERMENTATION CONTAINER
   • ADDING WATER
   • CONVENTIONAL MASHES
     Fruit pulp without additional ingredients: Simple mashes
     Adding cultured yeast: Mashes with cultured yeast
     Checking the pH value: Measuring the pH value, Correcting the pH value
     Pectinase
   • ALCOHOL CONTENT OF CONVENTIONAL MASHES
   • HIGH-GRADE FRUIT MASHES
     What are some great benefits of a high-grade mash?, Turbo yeast, Preparing a high-grade fruit mash
   • CHECKING THE PROGRESS OF THE FERMENTATION
     What will have to you check, and how incessantly?, Day by day check, Regular stirring, Weekly measurements, Fermentation logs, When is the fermentation complete?, The optimal time for distilling
   • PROBLEMS DURING FERMENTATION
     No alcohol has formed in the mash yet, Alcohol has already formed in the mash
   • FILTERING THE MASH
   • STORING THE MASH
   • MAKING A MASH FROM GRAINS, CORN, OR POTATOES (STARCHY PRODUCTS)
3. Stills
   • PRINCIPLES OF CONSTRUCTION
   • SOME KEY POINTS
     Materials; Kettle; Heating and jacketed kettles; Column, lyne arm, and measuring the temperature; Cooling
   • DIFFERENT TYPES OF STILLS
     Pot stills, Reflux stills, Combination stills, Large stills (pot still and reflux)
   • USING THE STILL
     Filling; Receiver, container for the distillate; Emptying and cleaning
4. Distilling
   • INTRODUCTION
   • HEADS
   • HEARTS
   • TAILS
   • DISTILLING PROCESS
     Relative proportions of the three parts
   • ANTIFOAM
   • SINGLE OR DOUBLE DISTILLATION?
     Calculating the amount when mixing a low-percentage alcohol with a high-percentage alcohol
   • DILUTING TO A DRINKABLE STRENGTH
     Determining the alcohol content, Calculating the amount of water needed for dilution, Cloudiness
   • TREATMENT WITH ACTIVATED CARBON, TASTE-NEUTRAL ALCOHOL
   • STORAGE
5. Mash Recipes
   • EXCELLENT MASH, EXCELLENT SCHNAPPS
   • RECIPES
     Agave (mescal, tequila), Apples (obstler, cider, calvados), Apricots, Bananas, Beer brandy (bierbrand), Blackberries, Bullaces (Kriechenbrand), Chequers, Cherries, Currants (red and black), Damsons, Elderberries, Elderflowers, Gentian, Grains (whiskey), Grapes (cognac, wine brandy), Grapes (grappa, pomace brandy), Jerusalem artichokes, Juniper berries (Borovička), Mangos, Maple syrup, Mead, Medlars, Nectarines, Nuts, Peaches, Pears, Pineapples, Plums (vieille prune), Potatoes (vodka), Prune plum (slivovitz, Zwetschenbrand), Quinces, Raspberries, Rhubarb, Rice (sake), Rose hips, Rowanberries (Vogelbeerbrand), Sloes, Strawberries, Sugarcane (rum), Sweet potatoes
   • FRUIT WINE
     Filtering the mash, Pressing the solid components, Extracting the fruit wine, Storage
6. Infusions
   • MATERIALS
     Recipe for tasteless alcohol, Infusions – preparation
   • RECIPES
     Absinthe, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cherries, Chili peppers, Coffee, Currants (red and black), Elderflowers, Gentian, Hazelnuts, Herbs, Hops, Lemons, Limes, Morels, Mushrooms, Nuts, Oranges, Raspberries, Rose hips, Sloes, Snowy mespilus (or juneberry), Spruce shoots, Strawberries, Swiss pine (Zirbengeist), Wormwood (absinthe, “the green fairy”)
7. Spirits
   • THE PRINCIPLES OF SPIRIT PRODUCTION
   • BASE MATERIALS
   • RECIPES
     Absinthe, Anise (ouzo, raki, Pernod, sambuca), Apples, Aquavit, Bananas, Barberries, Caraway (aquavit), Cherries, Christmas spirit, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cocoa (chocolate), Coffee, Elderflowers, Fennel, Gentian, Ginger, Grains, Hazelnuts, Herbs, Juniper berries (jenever, gin), Lemons, Lemongrass, Limes (daiquiri, mojito), Mint (peppermint), Nutmeg, Orange (Cointreau), Ramson, Raspberries, Rue (grappa di rutta), Spruce shoots, Swiss pine, Wormwood (Swiss absinthe)
   • COMPARISON OF THE THREE DISTILLATION METHODS PRESENTED IN THIS BOOK
8. Essential Oils
9. Drinking Culture
   • BOTTLING AND LABELING
     Glass bottles; Cork stoppers, metal screw tops; Heatshrinkable caps; Labels
   • CHECKING THE TASTE AND QUALITY
   • OTHER COUNTRIES, OTHER CUSTOMS
10. Legal Situation
    Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spirit productions and distilling infusions, The United States
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Harvest Calendar