Bulleit Small (95 Batch) Rye Recipe
Recipe information
Make Bulleit Small (95 Batch) Rye in just 8760h . AGED 10 YEARS – BOURBON FRONTIER WASH WHISKEY
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Ingredients
Mash/Wash (Grain Bill for 95 Gallon Batch)
Fermentation and Distillation
Barrel Aging
Finishing and Bottling (for 95 gallons input)
Mash/Wash (Grain Bill for 95 Gallon Batch)
1. Mill and heat strike water
Crush the rye, corn and malted barley to a coarse grist. Heat approximately 45–55 gallons of strike water to 165°F (74°C) taking into account grain temperature and expected mash thickness to hit a target mash temperature of 148–152°F (64–67°C). Add water treatment (calcium salt) and acid blend as needed to adjust mash pH to ~5.2–5.6.
2. Mash in and rest
Slowly add the crushed grains to the strike water while stirring to avoid dough balls. Target mash thickness ~1.25–1.5 qt/lb. Hold at 148–152°F (64–67°C) for 60–90 minutes to allow enzymatic conversion of starches to fermentable sugars. Stir occasionally and check conversion with iodine test (should not turn blue).
3. Mash out and lautering
Raise mash to 168–170°F (76–77°C) for 10 minutes to mash out. Begin lautering/sparge with 40–50 gallons of water heated to about 170°F (77°C) until you collect approximately 90–95 gallons of wort/runoff (adjust volume for expected losses) with target specific gravity of pre-ferment wort around 1.060–1.070 (15–17°P) depending on efficiency.
4. Cool wort
Cool the wort as quickly as possible to fermentation pitching temperature (65–75°F / 18–24°C) using a heat exchanger or immersion chiller. Aerate or oxygenate the wort thoroughly to support a healthy fermentation.
Fermentation and Distillation
5. Pitch yeast and ferment
Transfer cooled wort to the sanitized fermentation vessel. Pitch the selected distillers’/ale yeast (approx. 4 oz for this volume) and add yeast nutrient. Maintain fermentation temperature in the range appropriate for the yeast strain (typically 65–75°F / 18–24°C). Fermentation should begin within 12–48 hours and run vigorous for 3–7 days, continuing to a steady finish. Monitor specific gravity until it stabilizes, aiming for final gravity ~1.010–1.020 depending on recipe to yield desired wash ABV (roughly 8–12% ABV).
6. Condition and settle
After active fermentation subsides, allow the wash to rest and settle for 24–48 hours to clarify. Rack the clarified wash off heavy yeast/trub solids into a clean still charge tank to reduce carryover of solids during distillation.
7. First distillation (stripping run)
Perform a stripping run in a pot still or column: heat the wash to vaporize alcohol and collect low wines until the condenser output drops or you reach target ABV in the low wines (typical target ~20–30% ABV in the collected low wines). Collect all foreshots and heads separately if desired for safety and quality control; discard foreshots (the initial small fraction high in methanol and volatiles).
8. Spirit run (redistillation)
Redistill the low wines carefully to produce the heart cut that will be barreled. Make careful cuts: discard foreshots (first small fraction), collect heads separately (usually cut by smell/temperature/ABV), then collect the heart (clean rye-forward spirit) until the tail fractions begin to produce off-flavors or the ABV drops to your cut limit (commonly 40–55% ABV on the still). Tail and heads can be held for recycling into future spirit runs if desired.
9. Proof and prepare for barreling
Adjust the distilled heart if necessary to barrel proofing strength. Traditional American rye/bourbon frontier-style washes are often barreled at a relatively high proof (110–125 proof / 55–62.5% ABV) to extract oak compounds and allow maturation. Measure and adjust with distilled water if needed to your target barrel fill proof (commonly around 115–125 proof for young, robust aging).
Barrel Aging
10. Fill barrels
Fill new charred American white oak barrels (char level #3–4) with the proofed spirit. For a 95 gallon batch and using standard 53 gallon barrels you will need approximately two barrels. Ensure barrels are clean, checked for leaks, and stored upright in a temperature-controlled rickhouse or storage area.
11. Age for 10+ years
Age the spirit for 10 years to achieve the described profile. Rotate or monitor barrels periodically. Environmental factors (temperature swings, humidity) will affect extraction and evaporation (angel's share). Record barrel temperatures, fill levels and periodic sample tastings to monitor maturation. Expect color to deepen and flavors to develop: vanilla, caramel, oak, spice and rye grain forwardness consistent with a 10-year aged rye-forward whiskey.
Finishing and Bottling (for 95 gallons input)
12. Blend and proof
After 10 years of aging, sample each barrel and blend for consistent flavor profile if using multiple barrels. Reduce proof with distilled water to desired bottling proof. If creating a Bulleit-style finished product, target a bottling proof between 90–95 proof (45–47.5% ABV) or follow brand specifications. Use proper filtration if desired (chill filtration optional) before bottling.
13. Bottle and label
Bottle the finished whiskey into appropriate bottles (estimate ~380 standard 375 mL or 50 cL bottle equivalents from losses accounted; adjust according to actual yields). Seal with closures, label, and store upright. Record batch details: grain bill, distillation cuts, fill proofs, barrel numbers, and aging dates for traceability.
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