Library

IBD Membership Required

Cereals for spirits

By: Billy Mitchell

01/06/2016

Raw materials for cereal distilling This is the first of a series of features to support the already extensive learning material available to those studying for their General Certifi cate in Distilling – or for those just interested in cereal spirit production.

IBD Membership Required

Milling and Mashing

By: Billy Mitchell

01/09/2016

This is the second article in the series to support those studying for their General Certifi cate in Distilling. This article will cover many of the milling and mashing processes employed in the spirits industry although its main focus will be on spirits produced from 100% malted barley.

IBD Membership Required

Grain spirits production: Milling and mashing

By: Billy Mitchell

01/10/2016

In this, the third article in the series to support those studying for the General Certifi cate in Distilling, we look at the plant and processes used in the production of spirits from primarily non-malted raw materials. We will also look at some of the processes employed to hydrolyse starch in non-malted grains and how that hydrolysed starch can be converted into fermentable materials for conversion into alcohol in the subsequent fermentation process.

IBD Membership Required

Yeast and fermentation

By: Billy Mitchell

01/01/2017

This is the fourth article in the series to support those studying for the IBD General Certificate in Distilling. This will look at some of the practical and theoretical aspects of the fermentation process employed in spirits production. We shall discuss how the raw materials, defined and specified in my first article, when processed as detailed in articles two and three to produce a sugary ‘wort’ solution, can then be fermented by the action of yeast to produce ethyl alcohol and numerous other flavour compounds. I will also cover the Health and Safety implications, general maintenance overview and plant cleaning processes which arise.

IBD Membership Required

Batch distillation - The pot still process

By: Billy Mitchell

01/04/2017

This is the fifth in a series of articles to support those studying for the General Certificate in Distilling. Having already covered the specification, purchase and storage of raw materials in article one, through the various conversion and mashing processes in articles two and three into article four on yeast and fermentation, we are now in a position to gain a greater understanding of how distillation delivers our products. I will cover batch distillation in this article followed by continuous distillation in article six.

IBD Membership Required

Continuous distillation - Grappling with grain whisky production

By: Billy Mitchell

01/06/2017

This is the sixth article in the series to support those studying for the General Certifi cate in Distilling and builds on the previous article in the series around the batch/pot still distillation process. This type of continuous process is widely used, in various forms, in the production of whisk(e)y, potable neutral alcohol and non-potable fuel alcohol.

IBD Membership Required

Distillery Co-products - Adding value to the Spirits Industry

By: Billy Mitchell

01/10/2017

This is the seventh and last of my articles to support those studying for the General Certificate in Distilling and it will refer back to processes involved in the six preceding articles. Generation of co-products is often an area overlooked in the quest to understand the processes and procedures employed in the spirits industry – but they are vital to ensure quality and volume targets are met.