whisky review 86 - Winter Scotch (old-time New Year Liquor)

... my old grandma's recipe ( all her neighbors did it too !) for making standard Blended Whisky more enjoyable by marinading the fruit & peel ingredients of a New Year Cake, then straining off the liquor into a bottle and maturing till the following New Year, .... hence the name Winter Scotch.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• ralfystuff
• scotch
• whisky
• whiskey

[C5Rigzz]

Ralfy, I have a bottle of this right now but am having problems.

First (to help preparation to others)... I underestimated how much Scotch I'd lose. I could have used two bottles to offset what would have soaked into the fruit.

Anyway, my problem: It's very cloudy after three weeks of having been drained and re-bottled. I've tried coffee filters but after a few hours - the filter clogs and only filtered maybe 10%. Do you have any suggestions for clearing it up a bit?

[ralfystuff]

@C5Rigzz

I take it your fruit has absorbed a lot of whisky which can be the only explanation for loss. Press the fruit to get the whisky back or alternatively, make a delicious whisky cake. You can either leave your fruited-whisky to settle over time or buy some wine-fining gel which will clear the cloudiness quickly. Good luck.

[gwedboi]

hi ralfy.

i tried this and the whisky has become very syrupy will this thin out over time? I had a bit of a taste and all i can taste is sultanas. interesting stuff though

[ralfystuff]

@gwedboi

... too much addition ! .... thin it out a little with whisky and let it settle.

[Diddi997]

hi ralfy, wonder if you've tried adding vanilla pods? or might that overwhelm the taste like cinnamon?

[ralfystuff]

@Diddi997

I don't but try it and see, ... but easy does it !

[sharpknifesedge]

Whisky in the jar...:-)

[C5Rigzz]

@ralfystuff Ralfy, as an update: Yes, the fruit soaked up a great deal of whisky and I was only able to reclaim a portion after pressing. However, after 9 coffee filters and an entire morning of letting the contents filter through filter after filter I can now say I have a wonderfully deep, red, aromatic, and clear Winter Scotch! It's about 1/4 bottle but it will welcome a topping-off just to bring the flavor down to more subtle enjoyment. Thanks Ralfy - I'll post a video toast to you with it!

[busysignal2006]

@REDHAWKMAN1000 i use hot water and a piece of steel wool

[TheBeebopper]

Nutmeg and ginger are my favourite rich cake spices with or without a heavy dosing of fruit. I've used these with rum when preparing fruit and drank the spare liquor in a month as it was too tasty to leave, but will they work similarly with whisky?

BTW boil your fruit off in some tea for a minute before steeping in the spirit, it removes the sulphur and opens the fruit so the spirit combines easier.

[REDHAWKMAN1000]

Ralfy, do you have a tip on how to remove the labels from the bottles?

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.