If you’re a home distiller, there are two ways you can choose to create your own alcohol. You can start the distillation process from scratch, or you can simply distil a “neutral spirit”, and spice it up with flavourings or “essences”.
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What Are Spirit Essences?
The basic taste of a drink is considered its essence. It ultimately defines the flavour of the drink, its quality and character. Essences are a concentrated form of the flavour of a type of alcohol that you can mix with a neutral spirit. You can find a variety of spirit essences at Australia homebrewing supplies retailers, like for instance, bourbon, whiskey, rum, and brandy. Every alcohol flavour is exclusively bottled with ultimate care, this way the concentration of the beverage is preserved.
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Why Use Spirit Essences?
How many times have you brewed your own spirit only for it to have a desperate taste? Too many to count, right? Well, if you’re tired of having to drink spirits that taste horrible, you can simply use these flavouring essences that can make a huge difference in your home distilling hobby. And whether you’re a seasoned spirit distiller or are entirely new to this world, it’s always fun to experiment some spirit flavour enhancers. and come up with your unique tastes.
What’s more, it’s more affordable to purchase spirit flavours than distilling from scratch or even buying a whole bottle of the alcohol. You can find a variety of home spirit essences for every budget, taste and style. However, the following ones are usually the most common choices.
Whiskey Flavouring Essences
Whiskey is not for everyone. Its taste is strong and has a high degree of alcohol content. As such, it’s meant to be drunk with confidence. However, adding whiskey flavouring essence to a neutral spirit with low alcohol content can allow you to get a taste of the characteristic flavour without being overwhelmed.
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A whiskey essence will enhance the aroma of a basic spirit and warm you up on the inside. You can customise your creation with numerous flavour combinations, from Highland Scotch, Johnny Walker and all the way to Canadian Rye. Now you don’t have to go from liquor store to liquor store to find the best whiskey for you. You can tailor it to perfectly suit your taste.
Rum Flavouring Essences
People love rum. It’s a free-spirited drink that makes you think of the summer days, easy living and good vibes. Think of all those cocktails in tall glasses that make you feel alive while the breeze is touching your skin and hair and the sun is making everyone smile. Sounds like a good time, right?
If you feel like adding some Caribbean flavour to your home distilling hobby, it’s time to pick rum spirit flavour. You can also use it to create your favourite rum cocktails. It doesn’t matter if you’re about to make a light brew or a summer cocktail, the rum flavour enhancer can change any alcohol recipe into your brand new idea.
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What’s more, rum’s unique flavour makes these essences a popular choice to boost the taste of some desserts. This means that besides using it for your distilling hobby or creating cocktails, you can also use the flavour enhancer to make delicious desserts like rum cake. You can even add it to your coffee and tea to give them a warmer taste. Literally, there is nothing you can’t add rum essences into to make things a million times better.
Brandy Flavouring Essences
Brandy is a popular drink for people with exceptional taste. Brandy enthusiasts are so picky that they only use a particular type of glass to savour their favourite drink. The brandy snifter glass is designed to bring the drink’s unique aroma directly into your nostrils. However, there are some brandy enthusiasts who have an even more refined taste and can’t be satisfied with the basic offer of brandy.
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That being said, if you’re looking for a specific Brandy taste, and you can’t get it elsewhere, it’s time to create it at home. Brandy flavouring is a huge hit when it comes to upgrading a neutral-flavoured brandy. You can experiment with unique flavours such as cherry or plum to create a type of brandy drink that’s tantalizing. After you’re done distilling your drink, you can also let it age in an oak barrel to further increase its taste and aroma.
Be fearless just like your favourite drink. Let yourself dive into the tastes that you like. Prepare the drink you always wanted to have, but never get the chance. Experiment with flavours, allow your creativity to sparkle and let your taste buds have fun.
How to Use Essences?
Using essences is the simplest part of home distilling spirits. You simply use the tools you have available and follow the instructions on the label of the spirit flavours you’ve picked. You can even use these essences even if you haven’t distilled a neutral spirit. Simply buy a bottle of store-bought vodka, some flavourings combine perfectly with it. You only need to add a small amount into the bottle – and voila, you’re finished!