Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackZeda
I have also heard that some of the best scotch is aged in used bourbon or American whiskey casks. One thing I do know is that I have had some moonshine that was extremely harsh...kinda tasted like gasoline. But it was outside a NASCAR race so I suppose it was in the "spirit" of the event  |
Moonshine is harsh because they make it to 175-190 proof, seriously potent. Not much consideration is given to flavor, just high yield.
Yes Scotch almost always uses used barrels because they are cheaper and plentiful. Because Bourbon requires new barrels by law there are a lot of them available so many do get sent to Scotland, although they also use a lot of French wine barrels as well.
Here's some recipes for you (moonshine is on the second page). Homebrewers will notice the similarity to making beer.
Home Distillation of Alcohol (Homemade Alcohol to Drink)