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Home Forums Whiskey Koji Enzymes in Historical Whiskey_production

  • Koji Enzymes in Historical Whiskey_production

    Posted by bolverk on August 21, 2024 at 10:55 pm

    Found an interesting write up about koji used in whiskey making that I thought yall might enjoy. https://pre-prowhiskeymen.blogspot.com/ … y.html?m=1Some of y’all experiments with Yellow Label really aren’t too far off the mark.Enjoy!There are two types of people in this world.1. Those that can extrapolate from incomplete information.

    quadra replied 3 months, 3 weeks ago 8 Members · 9 Replies
  • 9 Replies
  • Steve Broady

    Member
    August 22, 2024 at 10:33 am

    I’ve been thinking about getting into culturing koji for a while now. This is the last thing I need! Too many projects, not enough time…Learn from the past, live in the present, change the future.

  • bolverk

    Member
    August 22, 2024 at 11:53 am

    Sorry, not sorry There are two types of people in this world.1. Those that can extrapolate from incomplete information.

  • contrahead

    Member
    August 22, 2024 at 3:16 pm

    Interesting story. Two things crossed my mind. The Inja Shochu thread started by user: “Facter”, and Prohibition. Yeah, prohibition wasn’t federal law until the 18th amendment was ratified in 1918. But the temperance movement types had been pushing for prohibition for a long time before that. A dozen U.S. States were already dry by 1855, and about 20 states by 1900. This Jokichi Takamine character from this koji enzymes story was playing against a stacked deck anyway, in 1894. I googled “Whiskey Trust” and found some curious facts. Like the fact that the trust was run by a bunch of cartoonish ‘Snidely Whiplash” type crooks and villains. I wonder what made Peoria, Illinois so attractive, back then. After reading this next blog post, I found that the next two (which were linked) – were just as informative. https://inthespiritofthelaw.com/2019/12 … key-trust/https://inthespiritofthelaw.com/2019/11 … skey-ring/“On the other side were the rectifiers, who took neutral spirits, added colorings and flavorings (often of questionable safety) and sold it as whiskey”. https://inthespiritofthelaw.com/2019/01 … n-alcohol/“if you put nutrition labels on booze, people will think that means booze is nutritional.”Omnia mea mecum porto

  • Deplorable

    Member
    August 22, 2024 at 7:11 pm

    It’s not?Fear and ridicule are the tactics of weak-minded cowards and tyrants who have no other leadership talent from which to draw in order to persuade.

  • tommysb

    Member
    August 22, 2024 at 8:14 pm

    Things and trends/topins here go in waves or cycles…I’ve definitely seen that koji whiskey article before!I’ve done quite some koji experiments a couple of years back and even made some sake – steaming, inoculating small batches and feeding the ferment. It’s worth looking at what Empirical Spirits in Copenhagen do, and also the Noma guide to fermentation, which talks a lot about culturing koji.Some more info:viewtopic.php?t=42133

  • Facter

    Member
    August 29, 2024 at 3:48 am

    There is a really fascinating story all about Takamine over on Japan Distilled around some of this Its in two parts and well worth the listen if you enjoy this topic (honestly their whole podcast is absolutely awesome and I highly recommend subscribing)https://japandistilled.com/jokichi-takamine-part-1/https://japandistilled.com/jokichi-taka … cy-part-2/The guys at Honkaku spirits (the Japan distilled guys) even went as far as to remake the kind of whiskey he could have made while he was in the US.https://honkakuspirits.com/product/taka … r-whiskey/

  • Facter

    Member
    August 29, 2024 at 3:48 am

    Do it!

  • greggn

    Member
    September 3, 2024 at 12:17 am

    I get the reference and commend your attention to detail.________________I drank fifty pounds of feed-store corn’till my clothes were ratty and torn

  • quadra

    Member
    September 3, 2024 at 7:26 am

    Alberta Distillers ( one of the primary sources for American rye feedstock ) and Seagrams were using aspergillus oryzae back in the 1940s

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