Grain to Glass Workshop (Auckland, NZ) 20–21 April 2024

$364.34

By popular demand, The Alembics Lab partners up with Sparks Brewing for a very special two-day grain-to-glass workshop held at The Auckland Botanic Gardens. Suitable for anyone interested in making their own aromatic spirits. Covering how to make excellent quality American-style whisky and neutral spirit for gin-making.

Description

Day 1 Saturday 10.30-4.00

Great Spirits Start Here: Cooking, Mashing & Fermenting Grains

Mashes, ferments and washes for whisky and neutral spirit.

Mashing

  • Grains as a source of fermentable sugar
  • How to select and where to source your grain
  • All about the malting process
  • How to grind and gelatinize your grains
  • How to mash malted grains

Fermentation

  • Yeast, bacteria and how they work
  • How to select and where to source your yeast
  • How to setup and complete a strong fermentation
  • How to prepare perfect whisky wash

Day 2 Sunday 10.00-3.00

Distillation

Featuring distillations of both our American-style whisky and neutral spirit ferments.

  • Safety briefing and general good practice
  • Types of Stills & how to use them
  • Alcohol basics, boiling points and chemical composition
  • Distillation of low wines
  • Distillation of final spirit
  • How to make cuts, removing foreshots and separating hearts
  • Making your final blend

Aging & Barreling for Whisky

  • Types of wood to use & where to source
  • How to prepare your own wood for aging
    • Toasting
    • Charring
    • What flavors are created through this process
  • How long to age for
  • Time, oak and what it does over months and years