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Quinoa Whiskey? Modified Crop List Spurs Distilleries To Try Alternative Grains
By definition, whiskey is a grain spirit. And until now, that "grain" has been limited by federal law to four specific crops: corn, wheat, rye and barley. So when Darek Bell, founder of Corsair Distillery in Nashville, Tenn., wanted to start experimenting with alternatives, there wasn't really a playbook to follow. "We started looking at a whole lot of grains that were coming out of sort of the health food movement, the green movement," Bell said. "We're thinking, 'What would it taste like to distill this?'"
Bell and Corsair settled on quinoa — partly, Bell said, because of its distinct flavor and partly because of the perceived health benefits (none of which, unfortunately, can really withstand the distillation process). The distillery has been producing and distributing quinoa whiskey since 2011. Other spirits and liquor companies have been using quinoa in their products; FAIR, a French distillery, launched quinoa vodka in 2012, while several craft breweries, like Altiplano and Aqotango, use quinoa in their beers.
With a grain profile of 20 percent quinoa and 80 percent malted barley, Corsair's product is a spirit with a distinctly earthy and nutty flavor that may not immediately register on the palate as "whiskey." And until recently, the federal government didn't recognize it as whiskey either, due to its limited definition of "grains."
At first, the Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, also known as the TTB, wanted Corsair to classify the product as a quinoa rum (despite the fact that it contained no fermented cane product). Then, they suggested it be labeled as a "neutral spirit" — a clear liquid distilled from a grain-based mash that holds a high content of ethanol — which didn't really describe the crafted and aged spirit in Corsair's barrels. "Supposedly [a representative from the TTB] called the USDA, [which] said 'Yes, these are in fact grains' and gave us the go-ahead," Bell said.
Then, in early December, the TTB took a step to officially include quinoa as a whiskey grain. On Dec. 3, the TTB outlined a new definition for what crops count as grains as part of a 132-page list of updated recommendations for the labeling of wine, beer and spirits. Per the new TTB proposal, the list of whiskey grains now includes "cereal grains and the seeds of the pseudocereals amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa." And this is a big deal for craft distillers like Bell.
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(Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Thursday January 17 2019, @07:17PM (13 children)
I'll stick to proper scotch whisky, thank you, not any of this whiskey swill!
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 17 2019, @08:18PM
Waiting for Mary Jane Whiskey...
(Score: 5, Interesting) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday January 17 2019, @09:23PM (11 children)
I have been distilling my own whisky (and other flavoured spirits) over the last 6 or 7 years, since Mrs. Zombie bought me a still.
Some of my batches have been pretty drinkable (although I would be lying if I said they have all been great). The best taste I have been able to get is when I leave the raw spirit in a bottle with chipped barrels (usually bourbon) for a few years, then filter it through a coffee filter.
I am drinking tequila at the moment, because it's warm, and a cold margarita is nice in the evening. That is just a flavour added to spirit though, so cheating really.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Sulla on Thursday January 17 2019, @09:43PM (10 children)
Here in the states distilling has been in that gray zone where its very illegal in most places, I think that the laws have loosened recently though. I have been wanting to buy a still and make applejack but don't want to deal with the feds
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 3, Informative) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday January 17 2019, @09:51PM
Hey U! Nice catch!
Here where I live, distilling is perfectly legal, as long as the batch is below a certain size, maybe 10 litres. The home still kits tend to conform to our laws, so I don't need to worry about that sort of thing.
I am also not allowed to sell the product obviously. People do however.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 17 2019, @11:01PM
Scumble?
It's made from apples. Well, mostly apples.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 17 2019, @11:25PM
real applejack, as made in colonial times, is freeze distilled. put it in a barrel and roll it outside in the cold. periodically scrape off the water ice. in springtime what is left over is booze. no still necessary.
(Score: 2) by dry on Friday January 18 2019, @02:09AM (4 children)
You don't distill applejack. You leave it outside in the winter, assuming you're somewhere where winters are cold, and remove the water ice, therefore concentrating the alcohol. Distilled cider would be more like a brandy.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Friday January 18 2019, @04:55AM (3 children)
When I lived outside of the contiguous United States I was making some apple cider and the carboy got left outside in -10 for a bunch of days. When I remembered it was there I poured out the unfrozen remains to make sure the carboy didn't crack from the expansion.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by dry on Friday January 18 2019, @06:54PM (2 children)
Didn't sample it? Too bad as that would have been applejack.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Friday January 18 2019, @07:20PM (1 child)
For people who live in the land of the free:
https://www.ttb.gov/spirits/home-distilling.shtml [ttb.gov]
But at least we can buy spoons and pointed knives without a license, I guess thats something. From what I understand it is much easier to get a license in the states than it used to be.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by dry on Friday January 18 2019, @08:00PM
Seems similar here in Canada, with the law being part of the Federal excise act. At that a strict reading makes owning any type of still that can be adapted for alcohol illegal. Here it seems to be mostly aimed at tax avoidance and it seems there has never been a case brought forward for personal distilling with the cops commenting that they wouldn't bother about a still unless it was involved in selling alcohol, giving to kids and such.
Really it is mostly a Provincial responsibility, so more likely to be covered by Provincial (and Territorial) laws, many that have their roots in prohibition, which was a Provincial thing.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 18 2019, @07:21AM
In the UK, it's illegal if you haven't a license see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/spirits-duty [www.gov.uk]
All those stills being sold on Amazon? water purification only..of course, you know what the Gaelic is for water...
The deil's awa' the diel's awa....
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 18 2019, @09:59AM
It appears that distilled spirits have been legal for the past 30ish years, so long as your still was registered with the BATF and no more than 100 gallons per person, or 200 gallons per household are produced in a year. Furthermore there is a registration fee and maybe a yearly fee to continue being registered and might eb documentation requirements for your yearly production (in case they decide to audit you.)
Other than that however it's been possible for years, and there is even a company in the bay area that sells stills mail order and has for years, in addition to normal beer brewing supplies.