![]() ![]() “Everyone eats oatmeal at some point, so people know the smell and the flavor of oats.” However, Garrison finds oats also perform well in concert with other grains, noting how oats “gave us the sweetness and fatness of mouthfeel that we liked about, but mixing in a portion of rye or malted barley added a little bit more complexity, spiciness, more intensity than the pretty, sweet, light oat character.”While oats seem to be enjoying a moment with craft distillers, the grain has a history. “It reminded me of an oatmeal cookie.”Portland, Oregon-based Stone Barn Brandyworks has experimented with a variety of single-grain expressions, including oat, which “produces a whiskey that's really soft and relatively light and fruity in flavor,” one that could appeal to a potentially broader demographic than a robust bourbon or rye, says head distiller Andy Garrison. “It's distinctly oatmeal, raisins, dates, cinnamon, brown sugar,” Morris says. ![]() “ Exotic grains like oats are going to be sticky, are going to foam.” And in the end, the challenges were made worthwhile by the resulting whiskey. “But we were prepared for this,” Morris says. The oats also created a sticky mash, which made it difficult to monitor and regulate temperature. In creating Woodford Reserve's Master's Collection Oat Grain bourbon, which includes 18% oats, master distiller Chris Morris was met with foaming fermentation that required filling fermenters to a lower than normal level. Perhaps the reason we haven't seen oats widely used in whiskey is the list of unique challenges they present, from milling the thin, pliant grain, all the way through distillation. It's a little bit earthy…and has a nice sweetness to it as well.” Using 100% oats, Koval crafts a whiskey that Hart describes as clean, bright, and “incredibly grain-forward.”Major American distillers including Jim Beam and Buffalo Trace have previously experimented with oats, but only on a small scale. Distilling with oats “creates a very creamy whiskey,” says Sonat Birnecker Hart, president and co-founder of Koval Distillery in Chicago. Oats! They're not just for breakfast anymore. ![]()
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