Learn how to design and distill your own whiskey in a two-day distillation course at the Soldier of the Sea Distillery  in Comer, GA, led by Master Distiller, Mark Davis.

Are you interested in distilling your own whiskey? Are you interested in learning the whiskey making process? Have you ever thought about designing your own whiskey and unsure how to proceed? Then we have a class for you. Starting next year, we will be offering a 2-day, one-on-one whiskey making class which will include techniques used in the industry. You will design the grain bill and distill your whiskey alongside Soldier of the Sea’s distiller. No matter what level of experience you have, from some to none, we are here to help.

Please read the information below but if you have any questions about the class you can email us at mark@soldierthesea.com.

Whiskey Clarification

If there is a name in front of the word “whiskey” (for example - Bourbon Whiskey, Malt Whiskey, Corn whiskey, Rye whiskey) then there is also a requirement for a grain bill, aging barrel type, and proofing minimums and maximums by the TTB (Tax and Trade Bureau). These “rules” can be found in Chapter 4 at the TTB online site. These are requirements for licensed producers (distilleries). Our class does not have a requirement since your whiskey is not going to be sold or labeled for sale. It is your choice if you want to follow TTB requirements.

Grains available are: corn, wheat, rye and barley. We also can provide used 5-gallon barrels for sale if you choose to design an aged whiskey and you will take your barrel and whiskey home at the end of class. A 5-gallon barrel should yield twenty-five 750ml bottles. We can offer our style of bottles if you would like to purchase them for future bottling at home. If you choose an unaged whiskey you will take your whiskey home however you choose but we recommend you purchase your own glass carboy. These can be purchased online and delivered to your home.

Equipment and Process Used at Soldier of the Sea Distillery

We use Appalachian style, all-copper stills. They have a pot still and two thumpers in line before the worm condenser.

We choose to use two thumpers because we can triple distill our whiskey in one run, for purity and proof while maintaining a high degree of flavor. This process will be explained in great detail during your distillation class time.

The mash bill is the selection and percentages of grains used to produce whiskey. You will determine the mash bill. For example 70% corn, 15% wheat and 15% barley or 60% corn, 30% wheat and 10% rye. As you can see, there are countless combinations, they just need to add up to 100%. If you need help determining what mash bill you would like use, we can discuss that with you.

Fermentation is the metabolizing of sugar by yeast to produce alcohols and CO2. The sugar comes from the starch which is extracted from the grains prior to fermentation. Since fermentation takes a number of days we will take your designed mash bill and ferment if before you arrive so we can get to the distillation. We will distill your whiskey over two days. Each day will run about 4-5 hours. The distillation process will be described in great detail during your instruction period.

Lodging

For our out of town guests, we can offer lodging at Honey Pond Farm’s Barn Apartment - a 750 sq ft space, with a fully furnished bedroom and living room, along with a kitchen, bathroom and porch.

For more information about price, dates, lodging etc. for the class, email Mark at mark@soldierofthesea.com.