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Uncle Jesses Sour Mash (UJSM)

edited May 2013 in Cookbook

This is the easiest and simplest faux bourbon recipe around. Many experienced distillers have this as their mainstream Bourbon recipe. It can be personalised by using a percentage of other grains. Cracked Malt Barley in around 15-20% works very well, as does Malted or plain Rye. Wheat, Triticale and other grains can also be used. Try all malt barley for a cheap blended Scotch type spirit.

The ujsm aged on oak can stand on it's own against middle shelf spirits in a blind taste test providing good cuts and sound ageing practises are used.

So, for 40l wash. Recipe goes like this.

7kg cracked feed corn, Or 6kg corn 1kg cracked malt. 7kg raw or white sugar (I like raw) Dissolve sugar in hot water, then add enough cold water to make 40 l total.

Strip in potstill discarding 100ml of foreshots down to 20%. Save the strip. While the drum is empty, scrape off 1/3rd of a bucket of corn and add 1/3rd of a bucket of new corn. Add some water (20l or so) to the yeast bed so you don’t burn the yeast next step.

Use 10l of hot slops (backset from the still run) to dissolve 7 more kg of sugar, stir it up and add to the drum. Add water to bring it up to the level it was before.

Watch it ferment and strip again and again.

When you have 35l of strip saved up, add 10l of fresh wash to it and do a slow spirit run in the potstill making careful cuts. Age it on toasted oak sticks.

Can also be run very well in a 3-5 plate Dash as a single run aiming for hearts anywhere around the 88-94% mark.

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Comments

  • Would the pot still recipe taste different since more ingredients are added (7kg of sugar and corn) and taken out during the process vs. the dash as a single run?

  • @SugarDaddy said: Would the pot still recipe taste different since more ingredients are added (7kg of sugar and corn) and taken out during the process vs. the dash as a single run?

    I do not run a Dash Sugardaddy but I do run a 3 plate and the taste is much better do to the seperations that take place

    It is what you make it!

  • What yeast would you suggest here Bakers or EC1118 or something along those lines

  • I have been using EC1118 and its been working well no off flavor single pass on 3 or 4 plates up to Gen 4 keeps getting better thru some barley in this gen wanting to try some Oats

  • Thanks very much for your reply ak49er. I used bakers yeast on the first wash so will convert to EC1118. Any ideas on what recipe adds on a 45l wash using EC1118 i guess this yeast handles a lot higher ABV. Do you still follow the same recipe that is posted here.

  • Yes I do this recipe has been around along time, i think just about everybody has done this recipe in some form or another I been doing 1.5/2 lbs per gal grain and enough sugar to ferment out to 6 to 8 % . I ferment in speidel 31 gal fermenters. The only reason I started using EC1118 is because a buddy of mine makes blueberry wine. I really want to try oats in this i heard it adds a creamy taste.

  • edited May 2016

    Hi Team, I am fairly new to this hobby (1 and a bit years) and about to start an UJSM. I have a handle on the fermentation side of things, but as this is my first crack at anything other than neutrals. I am at a bit of a loss on how to set up my still. I have a 4" 5bubble plate with 500mm 4" packed section. I am thinking, if I take out one section as well as the packed section leaving 4 bubble plates and run it like this or drop out the dephleg take the bubble caps out leave the plates in place to have some copper and run like that. I have trolled through the forums and am having trouble finding anything that tells me the best set up. Can someone point me towards a thread explaining the best set up for my needs. Thanks in advance D.K.

  • Depends on what your tastes are... has been done with anywhere from 2 to 6 plates... just find a taste that pushes all your buttons... :D

    happy stillin,

    FS

  • You could strip through all of it with hardly any water on, for a bit of copper contact, then just pull out all the plates and the packed section to use as a pot for the spirit run, once you have a few stripped. Saves pulling all the caps out of the plates and means your not storing as much water with your low-wines collection. Just don't make any cuts until the spirit run proper.
    You wont find a one thread that tells you the 'right' way. A lot of the self appointed gurus contradict themselves in a lot of way's. You just need to trawl through the BS and come to your own conclusion.
    The more you try the more you'll learn and work out what works for you.

  • Id advise trying both ways. 4 or 5 plate single run and a strip and spirit run. The good thing is its only uj and if you stuff it up you can always add more wash and run it again.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • @punkin said: Id advise trying both ways. 4 or 5 plate single run and a strip and spirit run. The good thing is its only uj and if you stuff it up you can always add more wash and run it again.

    +1

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  • Thanks guys here goes nothing

  • Or run it through a column and make neutral out of it. UJSM makes some tasty neutral. I like it better than a straight up sugar wash for making neutral - which then becomes gin in my distillery.

    I'm more like I am now than I was before.

  • I've had good success with single and double plate configurations . Thinkn I'll try one rite now, scuse me ya'll.

  • how would this work with a 6 plate

  • @Crook said: how would this work with a 6 plate

    Just your still down to a 4 plate. If you can't 6 plate will take more of the good flavours out.

  • im running a 4" 6 plate procap with a 5500 watt doubled back curving element. i will take it to 4 plate. how long do you let it re flux before you start collecting fore shots.

  • Not too long; just enough time to stack the heads.

  • I start fores as a drip while collecting, maybe 1 drop per second for a 4", that way you are clearing the worst of the worst out of the heads as fores as they stack up on the top plate... if you do this with just enough RC flow to stop vapor from coming through and say 25-50% power, and you monitor the temp below the RC, you might see the temp rise up, and at some temp around 170 it a steady state, then if you watch, it will drop a degree or so, this is the fores collecting on the top plate.. if you start taking off a slow drip, when fores are gone, you will see the temp go back up and the aroma will change drastically from nail polish remover to headsy raw whiskey... you can miss it with too much or too little reflux or power...

  • so when plates are full, reduce water to deflag. and drip it out 1-2 drops per sec. and collect about 50 mils per 5 gal. then get a good stream going to collect heads or shut down water to deflag and run like a pot still.

  • yep, may want/have to leave a tiny trickle going through RC to keep plates loaded... and take good notes they are great to look back on

  • will give it a try. this is gen 4 of UJSM and a SweetFeed batch. looking for a difference. i want to try one with a distillers yeast next not the bakers yeast. have you ever compared them?

  • Just stripped my 1st lot. Added more corn & sugar. Do I stir it or just leave it alone?? Thanks

  • Missed your calls Dave sorry.

    Stir the backset and sugar together and agitate the was just by pouring or give it a rigorous stir as well.

    The idea is to get oxygen into the wash for the yeast to use. Just makes it a healthier environment.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

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