National Homebrew Club Ireland

have you had or made this

http://www.yourirish.com/culture/poitin

Allegedly I may have made this in another life ;),it is illegal because the politicians don't get their bit >:(. Truth is it's awful,rough as a badgers arse. :D

Is it only the distillation that makes it illegal? That recipe just looks like it would be ok (in a legal sense, not taste!!).

Yeah it's only distillation that's illegal. That recipe would technically not be poitin but more of a "potato wine".

Quote from: BrewDorg on January 06, 2017, 10:10:06 AM
Is it only the distillation that makes it illegal? That recipe just looks like it would be ok (in a legal sense, not taste!!).

Ah here, that recipe is about as traditional Irish as a panini.

Distillation is illegal alright and any mention of potatoes (no idea where this originates other than association), abv of over 60%, or molasses is also bunkum. 

Poitín was made the same way as whiskey with a mash of barley (malt and unmalted), as well as oats, wheat or rye at times.

http://www.glendaloughdistillery.com/poitin-the-original-irish-spirit

They make it legally these days

Quote from: Qs on January 06, 2017, 01:00:07 PM
http://www.glendaloughdistillery.com/poitin-the-original-irish-spirit

They make it legally these days

Course its legal because the duty and VAT is paid.  What made poitín illegal was that there was no excise duty etc. being paid on it.

They did use spuds too. A panini and a raisin poteen shur was that not what they made in Kerry bhoy :D :D

Few crowds are making it, Blacks in Kinsale, Glendalough, Hunch in Derry. I can't see it taking on in any serious fashion though, it's not really a great drink.

Get it into a trendy cocktail and the ladies will go wild for it.

Quote from: DEMPSEY on January 06, 2017, 01:05:31 PM
They did use spuds too. A panini and a raisin poteen shur was that not what they made in Kerry bhoy :D :D

There's no diastatic power in potatoes so unless they'd access to enzymes I don't see how you'd produce sugar from them.  That's aside from it being extremely unpleasant in taste.

I can see the bottle label now, a young buck of a lad with no shirt on and wearing dungaree's and wellies. The wimmen will go wild for it :D

Quote from: cruiscinlan on January 06, 2017, 01:15:34 PM

Quote from: DEMPSEY on January 06, 2017, 01:05:31 PM
They did use spuds too. A panini and a raisin poteen shur was that not what they made in Kerry bhoy :D :D

There's no diastatic power in potatoes so unless they'd access to enzymes I don't see how you'd produce sugar from them.  That's aside from it being extremely unpleasant in taste.

They use potatoes for vodka too.

Quote from: cruiscinlan on January 06, 2017, 12:57:13 PM

Quote from: BrewDorg on January 06, 2017, 10:10:06 AM
Is it only the distillation that makes it illegal? That recipe just looks like it would be ok (in a legal sense, not taste!!).

Distillation is illegal alright and any mention of potatoes (no idea where this originates other than association), abv of over 60%, or molasses is also bunkum. 

There's plenty over 60%. it depends on how much it has been cut back afterwards.
I've heard old fellas talking about molasses being pretty common practice once upon a time.
There is some rough stuff out there, but some good stuff too.
I like the taste. Good poitin is like white tequila or mezcal.
There are plenty of commercial poitin's out there now, but it's debatable whether someof them are even poitin's or now whiskeys due to barrelling etc: http://www.celticwhiskeyshop.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=poitin (http://www.celticwhiskeyshop.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=poitin)
The OP recipe sounds like it'll make pure crap potato wine.

Have heard of beetroot being used as well.

and sugar beet

was looking for an episode of 'Hands (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JuTNhRjbhU)' (great show) where an old fella in the middle of nowhere sprouts, malts and roasts his own barley, mashes, brews and distills, but cant find it anywhere.
Found this podcast though which is pretty good:
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2011/0719/646836-radio-documentary-poitin-poteen/ (http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2011/0719/646836-radio-documentary-poitin-poteen/)
also found this on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xv8B1N7zB4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xv8B1N7zB4)

that's some yeast starter at around 08:30

Never had a poitin I liked, always got a serious bang of an off-flavour that I could pick out even when it was thrown into punch or cocktails.  Was in the states last year and visited a craft distillery and tried a few of their rums, vodkas, etc and got the exact same off-flavour, kind of curious what it actually is now. 

Quote from: LordEoin on January 06, 2017, 05:22:21 PM
There's plenty over 60%. it depends on how much it has been cut back afterwards.
I've heard old fellas talking about molasses being pretty common practice once upon a time.
There is some rough stuff out there, but some good stuff too.
I like the taste. Good poitin is like white tequila or mezcal.
There are plenty of commercial poitin's out there now, but it's debatable whether someof them are even poitin's or now whiskeys due to barrelling etc: http://www.celticwhiskeyshop.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=poitin (http://www.celticwhiskeyshop.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=poitin)
The OP recipe sounds like it'll make pure crap potato wine.

A pot still won't produce much higher than 60~%, stuff thats higher than that is made in a column still similar to commerically produced neutral spirits ie vodka.

Molasses and other ingredients that were sources of sugar were used from the late 19th century onwards when it became more available on farms, but its use in producing poitín isn't traditional.  After all a spirit made from a base of molasses is rum. 

The PGO description for poitín that was submitted by the Dept. of Agriculture was written by industry and allows any form of still and ingredients: https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/media/migration/foodindustrydevelopmenttrademarkets/geographicalindicationsprotectednames/IRISHPOTEENIRISHPOITiNTECHNICALFILEFINAL120315.pdf

Quote from: cruiscinlan on January 07, 2017, 03:57:44 PM
Molasses and other ingredients that were sources of sugar were used from the late 19th century onwards when it became more available on farms, but its use in producing poitín isn't traditional.  After all a spirit made from a base of molasses is rum

According to the interview below, the use of molasses and treacle was quite common in poitin making. Depends what you mean by "traditional" though. This guy was making poitin in the 1930s. See 4:15

https://youtu.be/p4TM8Mxyui0

There's a new poitin distillery opened up in the back of the Oslo pub was on tg4 . Poitin Micil.

Quote from: Bubbles on January 07, 2017, 05:41:27 PM
According to the interview below, the use of molasses and treacle was quite common in poitin making. Depends what you mean by "traditional" though. This guy was making poitin in the 1930s.

Indeed, and there's a debate to be had on the meaning of tradition for things like this.  But I'd argue that it should match the longer tradition of making it.  The product description for PDO for it is so broad there's nothing of value in it, the ingredients can be pretty much anything/strength/method (pot still or column).

You get all sorts with Poitin.  The bro in law got me some of Fermanagh's best that nearly killed me with a sip... awful stuff.  I was Salmon fishing in Leitrim a few years back and got handed a 500ml water to "help me enjoy the weekend" Really nice Poitin, as Eoin mentioned, like a good white Tequila....  Almost made me think of distilling :)

But of course you never would declare you are going to distil on a public forum as that is illegal

 ;) Almost