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We just figured out a way to hack the Whisk(e)y Matrix.
As you know, the Tribe’s experimental distillery was created to explore all of whiskey-dom. Making, finishing, sourcing, blending? Yes, yes, yes and yes.
That’s been a cool model for MB’s to help design the whisk(e)y, and a great source of content for the Tribe’s YouTube channel. But there’s always been a flaw in that plan…
The equipment.
The variety of tools that distilleries use have a major impact on the kinds of whiskey they can produce. If we’re exploring and mapping all of whisk(e)y-dom, how can we do that with the limited equipment we can cram under one roof?
Sourcing and experimenting with whisk(e)y from other distilleries is a good way to broaden our horizons, but most of the decisions are already baked into a spirit by the time we get it. Is there a way to tap into the unique tools and techniques of other distilleries, while going further upstream with the decision making?
I’ve got two words for you. “Low wines.”
According to Daniel, “Low wines are the first distillation of beer to strip the alcohol so it can be run through a pot still for the second time with heart cuts and put into a barrel. It’s usually around 20%-30% alcohol.”
In other words, “low wines” are like the rough draft of a whiskey spirit. Each new batch should contain the unique broad strokes that only an outside distillery can deliver, with tons of opportunity for creative votes and refinement at Crowded Barrel.
Who was the first distillery to dive in and agree - there is no spoon…? None other than world-award-winning-whiskey-maker, Balcones Distilling. In the near future we’ll be sourcing their low wines and distilling it at our own distillery; in addition to our other slated projects.
The best part? They’re not alone.
This is shaping up to be an eye-opening adventure. Fortunately, I know kung fu.
~ The Magnificent Bastard
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