In the second of two articles on the making of soju and shochu, we take a closer look at the all-important koji mold, and we hear from three different producers of shochu—the light spirit that’s been outselling sake in Japan since 2003.
These two lighter spirits from East Asia have long traditions and remain popular in their home countries, but they are not the same. American drinkers are catching on. In the first of two articles, we look at the differences and then zoom in on craft soju.
Sensory scientist and experienced whiskey blender Ale Ochoa joins Molly to discuss the finer points of developing a palate, articulating flavor and aroma attributes, training a sensory team, testing and validating results, and more.
Meet some of the distillers who are building unique grain bills for their spirits through research, farmer relationships, and environmentally mindful production.
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Granulated peat—pulled from American soil and driven by environmental concerns—is different from the peat moss traditionally used in the production of Scotch. At least one distillery is experimenting with cold infusions that add a different dimension to single-malt whiskey.
When distillers need sensory evaluation to identify outliers or differences in samples, look no further than discriminative testing. Here’s how it works.
While nothing is likely to replace the mighty oak for barrels, distillers are exploring a variety of other woods for aging spirits with distinctive character.
It may sound cheesy, but some American distillers are joining a trend from overseas—fermenting and distilling spirits with whey.
In this clip from his video course, Boulder Spirits distiller Justin Baier shares several details about how they age, evaluate, blend, and proof down different barrels of single-malt whiskeys, as well as how they finish some in different kinds of casks.