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Bourbon - Sour Mash

Four Roses - Stillage Tanks

All American distilleries work with the Sour Mash procedure today. Sour Mash means that a part of the distillation residues (Stillage) is added to the mash again. When the mash is prepared with fresh spring water it is chemically neutral, i.e. the chemical environment is neither acidic nor alkaline. Chemically one evaluates this characteristic with the pH value.

A solution with a pH value of 7 is neutral. An acid has a pH value which is smaller than 7. Strong acids have a pH value of 3 to 4. If the pH value is larger than 7, it is alkaline. Strong alkaline solutions have a pH value from 10 to 11.

After the addition of neutral water, the mash has a pH value of approximately 7 (neutral) in which yeast cannot grow or work. The addition of a part of the very sour Stillage (pH value 5.0 - 5.4) leads to an acidification of the entire mash. The pH value after the addition of the Stillage is about 5.4 to 5,8. Acidic enough for the yeasts to work at their optimum.

Some Bourbon manufacturer try to give a special marketing additive to their product with the term 'Sour Mash'. Other sources speak of a disinfecting effect of the Sour Mash on the mash. However Sour Mash only serves to create the right pH value for the yeasts to work well. The rest of the Sour Mash story is marketing.

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