At Irons One, every step of the whiskey-making process is handled with care, precision, and a nod to tradition. One key part of the operation is the use of antique scales, which were rescued from a local shop. Once rusty and neglected, these scales were restored and cleaned.  They now serve as a vital tool in measuring the grains for each batch of whiskey. Remarkably accurate, these scales ensure the precise ratios of corn, rye, and barley that are mixed with locally filtered water during the mashing process.

After mashing, yeast is added t to ferment all the sugars from the grain into alcohol. After one week, the mixture has been converted into “distillers beer” that is approximately 8-10 percent alcohol. At this point, the 55 gallon drums are rolled out of the fermentation room to separate the liquid from the grains. 

Pressing the distillers beer to recover as much liquid as possible.  This extra step ensures that we retrieve as much of the liquid to distill as possible.

After the grains have been sifted from the liquid, we press the grains to squeeze out the remaining liquid for distilling.

The corn is added and mixed in the mash. It is critical to thoroughly mix the mash to ensure a uniform consistency without clumps. The drill drives a stainless steel food mixer.

After the mash has cooled down, it is aerated, cooled to yeast pitching temperature, and then whiskey yeast is added to start the fermentation process.

Prior to pitching the yeast into the mash, we measure the specific gravity.  The specific gravity lets us know how much potential alcohol will be obtained during fermentation. Specific gravity is also tested after fermentation, and the difference between the two measurements lets us know how much alcohol is going into the still.

We pump over the distillers beer from the separated wash to the still, and then turn on the still to begin the distilling process.  The distillate is captured in 3 segments - the heads, the hearts, and the tails.

The distillate is collected as it runs off the “parrot” and into the “spirit safe”.  During the run, we closely monitor the alcohol proof and temperature.