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Final Words on Flavor, and Thank You

Each step in the process of making whiskey—from selecting ingredients to blending mature spirit—can influence the flavors of the final product. Each distillery makes different choices, uses different equipment, and makes use of a unique climate and environment. Virtually every point in the process represents a different lever that the distiller can pull to affect flavor.

Understanding the Many Sources of Flavor in Whiskey

Intervention | The Art of Blending

Blending is a final step that has a major impact on the final spirit’s flavor. There are different goals of blending—it may be to create a unique, distinctive product, or it may be to ensure true-to-brand consistency. There are different methods to achieve those goals, including triangle or solera. Blenders all do it differently, with their own approach, and there’s not necessarily a wrong way to do it. It represents a final opportunity for meaningful human intervention in the whiskey.

Understanding the Many Sources of Flavor in Whiskey

Maturation | The Many Variables of Barrel Aging

Aging on oak is arguably the most important contributor of flavor in whiskey, and many factors and choices can wield influence. The climate has a major impact on that maturation, as do fluctuations in temperature—in hot climates, whiskey ages more quickly and loses more volume to evaporation. Other variables that come into play include oxygen exposure, barrel char, toast level, entry proof... and, of course, time. Cask finishes present another range of choices—and it is possible to over-finish or over-age a whiskey. There’s still a lot we don’t understand about maturation and how it will happen, and that’s part of the magic.

Understanding the Many Sources of Flavor in Whiskey

Distillation | Where Whiskey Is Made

There are different types of stills and methods of distillation, and these decisions all affect the distillate’s character. From a flavorful fermented mash, rectification and concentration are important aspects of the distillation process. Small-scale craft distillers often use pot or hybrid stills for batch distillation. When you make the batch’s cuts—heads, hearts, and tails—can greatly affect the new-make’s flavor. While the hearts form the bulk of the distillate, the oily tails present new choices—they can add body and character, but they can also add unwelcome vegetal notes, among other off-flavors. Pot stills produce a richer, fattier, ester-forward distillate that may need more time to age, while columns produce a lighter, more rectified whiskey that can mature more quickly.

Understanding the Many Sources of Flavor in Whiskey

Fermentation | Creating All Those “Little Bits of Flavor”

Fermentation is a major driver of flavors in whiskey, as different yeasts react differently with different grains in the mash. The wide diversity of flavors and behaviors in the yeast world gives the distiller lots of options. Besides producing alcohol—absolutely necessary for distillation—the yeast also produce esters, congeners, acids, and more “little bits of flavor.” Many strains, for example, can drive a spicier whiskey flavor via the production of phenols. Experiment and talk to your yeast supplier! Bacterial infections can also drive flavor (for better or worse). Treat your yeast like a pet—happy yeast produce good flavors.

Understanding the Many Sources of Flavor in Whiskey

Definition | What Whiskey Is and Why the Grains Matter

To know what’s possible within whiskey’s flavors, we first need to understand exactly what it is—there are legal definitions and limitations on ingredients, proof, and process. From there, we can better explore what’s possible within those clear boundaries—for example, different varieties of corn, rye, wheat, barley, or oak. There are also flavorful alternative grains to consider, such as triticale or rice. Grains are what define whiskey.

Understanding the Many Sources of Flavor in Whiskey

Welcome to the Course

Heaven Hill distillery technician Sydney Jones introduces herself and offers a brief overview of the course.

Understanding the Many Sources of Flavor in Whiskey

Spirits & Distilling Magazine (2025)

A brand-new edition packed with the latest techniques, trends, and stories shaping today’s distilling industry.

Final Words | Thank You

Glen and Ryan close out the course and offer parting thoughts on a safer, more sustainable distillery’s place in the community.

Buildout | Safety and Efficiency

Glen lays out many of the safety precautions included in the Village Garage buildout, including fire doors, vapor detectors, explosion-proof pipes, and more. He also explains the water system and gravity-powered blending tower.

The Tour | Time for Show and Tell

Ryan guides us around the distillery, showing us how the system is organized for efficiency—including the automated mill, mash tun/cooker, open-top fermentors, still, steam valves, blending tower, bottling setup, steam boiler, and more.

Distilling and Filling | Getting More Done with Less

Ryan explains their thoughtfully designed processes for distilling, proofing, barreling, and bottling with a small team and small footprint—including easy steam control, valves and gauges at working height, simple transfer, quick cleaning, a custom-made blending tower, and making use of gravity and air.

Ferment and Transfer | Developing Character, Efficiently

Village Garage typically lets their fermentation go for five or more days in open-top fermentors to develop a more acidic profile using local wild yeast. Ryan also explains the efficiencies of using defoamer and an air-diaphragm pump for easy transfer to the still, and minimizing water to keep the still temperatures (and energy use) down.

Mash and Cook | Saving Time, Saving Energy

The combination of clean-steam boiler and stainless-covered insulation enables a safe, quick, and energy-efficient process. Ryan explains how, step by step.

The Grains | From the Farm to the Cooker, Cleanly

From sourcing local grains to the closed conveyance from mill to cooker, Ryan explains more about their process—including why they use super sacks, the importance of preventive maintenance and having tools in every area, and why they dedicate every Friday to cleaning, organizing, and tightening quality.

The Process | Keeping It Simple

From locally sourced grains and a programmable roller mill to a streamlined brewhouse and still, Ryan explains the efficient workflow at Village Garage—and how they can finish a brew in less than three hours, making it possible to brew twice without a long, taxing day.

Introduction | Welcome to the Village Garage

Ryan and Glen tell the tale behind Village Garage and how they prioritized flow and efficiency in the planning and design of the distillery.

Sensory Evaluation

To finish off the course, Liz and Mitch tie the elements of the process together by tasting through some of WhistlePig’s whiskeys, discussing the finer points of sensory evaluation, and more.

On the Tour: Hearts, Swine, and the Sugar Shack

Our instructors take us back into the distillery to sample from the current run, then out to the grounds to visit the hogs and the Sugar Shack.

Innovation, Experimentation, and Proof

Mitch explains more about WhistlePig’s R&D program, including a wide range of finishing casks and looking for compelling flavors from around the world.

Sampling the Barrels and Finishing the Whiskey

Mitch Mahar describes the sampling process of the whiskey casks at WhistlePig before zooming in on their finishing process, and how different kinds of finishing casks can play into their blends.

The Flexible, Variable Distillation Process at WhistlePig

From the versatile still setup to cask placement in the rickhouse, Mitch Mahar describes some of the strengths and quirks at their small distillery—including how they work with the variability of the harvest.

A Thoughtful, Data-Driven Process

The WhistlePig team tests the grain it grows, making informed choices about how to adjust mash regimes and other aspects of the process based on those data.

Growing Rye Whiskey with Terroir

From their choice of rye varietal to the Vermont climate, WhistlePig’s ingredients and process combine to create distinctive flavors—and that starts on the farm.