Newsletter No. 6
At the Distillery
Last month marked our first full year of operations, and thus our first batch of barrels have a full year of age. It’s been exciting to track their progress over time, and one of the most striking transformations is in the color of the spirit. New-make (the spirit directly off the still) is clear, like water. New make spirit only becomes whiskey when it enters the barrel. Barrel contact will provide 100% of the whiskey’s color. Our one-year old rye whiskey is a beautiful honey-gold (below left), and will darken as it ages further. It is interesting to compare it to a sample of one-month old rye (below right), the color of which is a pale peach-pink, reminiscent of rose wine.
While a whiskey’s color is determined in the barrel, the origins of its flavor are far more diverse. The barrel plays a key role, of course, but so do other elements such as ingredients, environment, and process. Our goal is to make whiskey that best reflects the terroir of our farm and surroundings. As we are a relatively new distillery we do not yet know what combination of variables realizes the best expression of our whiskey. So we experiment. In March we experimented with a specific aspect of our process: fermentation time.
Fermentation is the process by which yeast converts sugar to alcohol. The main byproducts of fermentation are alcohol and carbon dioxide, but also hundreds of other chemical compounds such as esters and fatty acids that ultimately produce flavor. The speed of fermentation can impact the production of these compounds. In industrial whiskey distillation, rapid fermentation is prized - faster fermentation means increased production and volume capacity. Craft brewers and winemakers, however, tend to favor slower fermentation, which produces more complex flavor profiles and fewer off flavors.
In March we experimented with two different fermentation schedules of three and seven days (one fast, one slow). We then evaluated the differences in style via assessing the new make spirit of each. The differences were profound. The three-day fermentation had pronounced fruit notes of apple and cherry, and a spicy volatility. The seven-day fermentation was far more grain-forward, with notes of sweet grass and malt, and a nutty undertone.
Our initial consensus was the seven-day fermentation was preferable, though our interest now piqued, we will try four, five and six day fermentations as well. In truth, we won’t really know the overall effect until the spirit has time to age in the barrel and we can reassess. We’ll be keen to report on our findings when that occurs.
On the Farm
On April 1st we planted spring barley. This is our first foray into spring planting, aided by the combination of a well-drained field, a break in the rain, and a newly developed seed stock bred specifically for New York State climates. HudsonNY barley, developed by Cornell University, is specially suited to our damp and humid summers and was specifically developed for malting. We planted six acres, which will be harvested in July. This acreage, combined with 30+ additional acres of rye and barley planted last fall will provide us enough grain to support our full rye whiskey production for the year post-harvest. We will still need additional New York barley for our single malt, but if our HudsonNY planting is successful the additional yield will bring us closer to meeting all of our single malt production needs with estate-grown grain.
In and around Old Chatham and the Hudson River Valley
The Greenhouse Cidery Spring Re-Opening, Thursday, April 11, Seasonal Hours:
Thursday: 5pm-9pm, Friday: 5pm-9pm, Saturday: 12pm-9pm, Chatham, NY.
Apple Tree Care Workshop, Saturday, April 13, 10:00 am - 11:30 am, Samascott Orchards, Kinderhook, NY (Free/Registration requested).
Del’s BINGO, Tuesday, April 16, 6:00 pm, Del's Roadside, Kinderhook, NY
Mini Horse Mania, Saturday, April 20, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm, FASNY Museum of Firefighting 117 Harry Howard Avenue, Hudson, NY (Free).
Chancellor’s Sheep and Wool Showcase, Saturday, April 27, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, Clermont State Historic Site, Germantown, NY ($12 per car).
We hope you enjoyed our free newsletter. Be sure to subscribe and please share with a friend if you think they would enjoy it as well. For more information about Silver Brothers, visit silverbrothers.com and follow us on Instagram @silverbrotherswhiskey.