How Whiskey is Made

Whiskey is a spirit distilled from any grain, but Santa Fe Spirits prefers the deep and rich complexity of malted barley in its whiskies. Malted barley allows for the traditional separation of the sweet wort from the used up malted barley, as is traditionally done in Scotch single malt whiskey production. Santa Fe Spirits uses two different types of barley in its whiskies: 2-row brewers malt and 6-row distillers malt. The 2-row malt is used for making Silver Coyote Pure Malt Whiskey, and the 6-row malt is smoked with mesquite to make Santa Fe Spirits Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey.

In all whiskies, this wort is then fermented by yeast into a beer or “wash” containing approximately 10% ABV. Then, the wash is “stripped” of its alcohol by distilling it once. The result of this distillation, called “low wines” is set aside for future distillation in a “spirit run” where the final spirit is produced.