Bourbon has rules, says Amy Bohner of Alchemy Distillery in Arcata. "Bourbon has to go in a brand-new barrel every time." And for this award-winning distiller, the barrel has to be carefully scorched before filling it. "And through that char, that's where it gets the color and the vanilla flavor."
Admittedly, Alchemy has chosen a complicated path. They prefer to use local grains, repurpose their spent grain, and write most of their labels by hand. Beneath a 14-foot whiskey still and racks of oak barrels, Bohner sat down with hosts Keith Flamer and Tom Jackson to talk about bourbon rules, the unmatchable perks of wild yeast, and if whiskey can be too old.
Transcript:
Tom Jackson:
Hi, I'm Tom Jackson, President of Cal Poly Humboldt, and I'm joined today by my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Keith Flamer, President of the College of the Redwoods. Good to see you, Keith.
Keith Flamer:
Good to see you, too, Tom. I'm looking forward to this today!
Tom Jackson:
Who would think that we would, in our roles, find ourselves in a whiskey distillery?
Keith Flamer:
I have the best job in the world, though.
Tom Jackson:
We're joined today by the owner of Alchemy Distillery, which holds the brand of Boldt Whiskey. And that is Amy Bohner. Good to see you, Amy.
Amy Bohner:
Thank you for coming!
Keith Flamer:
So excited.
Amy Bohner:
A pleasure to host you. Right now, we're walking into the actual distillery. You'll see three fermentations that are in different stages.
Keith Flamer: I can smell it.
Amy Bohner: Yes, you can smell it! Put your finger in it. You can taste it. If you take it too deep of a whiff, you're going to get alcohol. That's why we like the open fermenters. Not only are they fun to look at and watch, but we do we get we usually have the garage door open and we get a wild yeast that you just couldn't duplicate. These are all of the barrels that we have aging, I believe right now we have 36 and it says where the grains came from. Our closest farmer is Hindley Ranch in Honeydew.
So the anatomy of a barrel. This is a 60-gallon American Oak barrel. It's charred on the interior and they give a lot of flavor to our whiskey, and it's part of our success.
Tom Jackson:
You talk about whiskey and bourbon, and so maybe you can share a little bit about those two elements, how they're different if they're the same, all of that.
Amy Bohner:
That's a fantastic question. What I like to tell people is all bourbon is whiskey. Not all whiskey is bourbon.
Keith Flamer:
And that means what?
Amy Bohner:
Bourbon is a type of whiskey. Bourbon has some legal requirements before you can put that name on the label. The recipe that you use has to be at least 51% corn. So with whiskey, whiskey can go in a used barrel. Bourbon cannot. Bourbon has to go in a brand-new barrel every time.
Keith Flamer:
Now, I am a connoisseur of the product. However, I don't know the science behind what you do. Because I could tell that you have to measure and you have to balance so many different things. So what's the science behind it?
Amy Bohner:
There's so much science behind it, and there are actual scientists that are distillers. One thing that's most important is, when you're working with whole grains, which is what we use, we do not use fruit. We do not use sugar cane. You need to convert the starches into sugar, into alcohol. And so that's what we're doing here. So that happens with hot water, with steam, with enzymes, help with the starch conversion.
Amy Bohner:
And that's really the science and the alchemy that turns grains into spirits.
Keith Flamer:
Got it. Thank you. I think? [Laughter]
Tom Jackson:
But thank you for. Yeah, it's still over my head. Wow, the science! [laughs]
Amy Bohner:
Mine, too.
Tom Jackson:
You know, sometimes distilleries will carve their niche out of them saying it's because of the water or the area or the air. And when we are walking around here, you talked about the yeast and it's distinctive to this area, if I remember right. Can you talk a little more about that?
Amy Bohner:
Sure. So we do use a yeast that we sourced from Kentucky. We have to use a substantial amount of yeast. So I do buy yeast, but one of the benefits to where we're located is that we can throw up in the garage door and our fermenters do not have lids on them. And so we really benefit from wild yeast.
And I like to think that being across from the wildlife sanctuary, you know, there's marshes, there's native plants, there's flowering plants, there's bees, there's so much happening right across the street from us that there is bound to be a wild yeast wafting over here into our ferments. That gives us a signature flavor so that if you had the same equipment, the same water, and the same grains somewhere else... you would not have the exact same flavor profile that we do.
Keith Flamer:
So why yeast from Kentucky?
Amy Bohner:
We tried different yeast when we got started and we did little trial runs. And of course, we think Kentucky really knows what they're doing. They were at the forefront of making whiskey and we found one that we liked and our first rye that we ever had judged won a gold medal and it was the international competition. And we said, 'let's never change anything we're doing.'
We're going to stick to this exact recipe, will change the grain, but the water, the yeast, the way that we age, the way that we mill, will never change that those steps.
Tom Jackson:
We're here today with Amy Bohner Inside Alchemy Distillery, and we're talking about whiskey, bourbon, and all those things that come with it. You know, as we were walking into the building and there was an assortment of different bottles and they had different ages on them. And we talked about that a moment ago, the science behind it and I think you said two years is the minimum.
But we also know they're bourbons out there for, what, 25 years or something? The older it is, the better, Or is that always true? Or where's that natural sweet spot?
Amy Bohner:
It does tend to be true. You can have a whiskey that's too old and they would call it over-oaked. So right now we're just starting to release four-year-old whiskeys, even though we've been at this for six years or so. So very pleased with the four-year-old whiskeys.
You know, the longer it stays in the barrel, the less volume you get. They call it the angel's share. It does disappear a little bit. You know, we have the garage door open, and the sun hits them. It helps with the aging process because the whiskey, with the temperature changes, is expanding and contracting into the barrel wood. And through that char, that's where it gets the color and the vanilla flavor. So that's the trickiness is not letting it age too long, but, you know, taking it to market when you could use some income and you think it tastes pretty darn good.
Tom Jackson:
I know I'm feeling really thirsty right now.
Keith Flamer:
I'll just take it with me.
Tom Jackson:
Thank you so much for your time today. That's fascinating to be in this distillery and to see how it's made and what you're doing. So I think we both really appreciate your time and willingness to share with us the story behind making whiskey.
Keith Flamer:
I learned a lot from you today, Amy.
Amy Bohner:
Thank you. Thank you for coming!
Transcript:
Tom Jackson:
Hi, I'm Tom Jackson, President of Cal Poly Humboldt, and I'm joined today by my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Keith Flamer, President of the College of the Redwoods. Good to see you, Keith.
Keith Flamer:
Good to see you, too, Tom. I'm looking forward to this today!
Tom Jackson:
Who would think that we would, in our roles, find ourselves in a whiskey distillery?
Keith Flamer:
I have the best job in the world, though.
Tom Jackson:
We're joined today by the owner of Alchemy Distillery, which holds the brand of Boldt Whiskey. And that is Amy Bohner. Good to see you, Amy.
Amy Bohner:
Thank you for coming!
Keith Flamer:
So excited.
Amy Bohner:
A pleasure to host you. Right now, we're walking into the actual distillery. You'll see three fermentations that are in different stages.
Keith Flamer: I can smell it.
Amy Bohner: Yes, you can smell it! Put your finger in it. You can taste it. If you take it too deep of a whiff, you're going to get alcohol. That's why we like the open fermenters. Not only are they fun to look at and watch, but we do we get we usually have the garage door open and we get a wild yeast that you just couldn't duplicate. These are all of the barrels that we have aging, I believe right now we have 36 and it says where the grains came from. Our closest farmer is Hindley Ranch in Honeydew.
So the anatomy of a barrel. This is a 60-gallon American Oak barrel. It's charred on the interior and they give a lot of flavor to our whiskey, and it's part of our success.
Tom Jackson:
You talk about whiskey and bourbon, and so maybe you can share a little bit about those two elements, how they're different if they're the same, all of that.
Amy Bohner:
That's a fantastic question. What I like to tell people is all bourbon is whiskey. Not all whiskey is bourbon.
Keith Flamer:
And that means what?
Amy Bohner:
Bourbon is a type of whiskey. Bourbon has some legal requirements before you can put that name on the label. The recipe that you use has to be at least 51% corn. So with whiskey, whiskey can go in a used barrel. Bourbon cannot. Bourbon has to go in a brand-new barrel every time.
Keith Flamer:
Now, I am a connoisseur of the product. However, I don't know the science behind what you do. Because I could tell that you have to measure and you have to balance so many different things. So what's the science behind it?
Amy Bohner:
There's so much science behind it, and there are actual scientists that are distillers. One thing that's most important is, when you're working with whole grains, which is what we use, we do not use fruit. We do not use sugar cane. You need to convert the starches into sugar, into alcohol. And so that's what we're doing here. So that happens with hot water, with steam, with enzymes, help with the starch conversion.
Amy Bohner:
And that's really the science and the alchemy that turns grains into spirits.
Keith Flamer:
Got it. Thank you. I think? [Laughter]
Tom Jackson:
But thank you for. Yeah, it's still over my head. Wow, the science! [laughs]
Amy Bohner:
Mine, too.
Tom Jackson:
You know, sometimes distilleries will carve their niche out of them saying it's because of the water or the area or the air. And when we are walking around here, you talked about the yeast and it's distinctive to this area, if I remember right. Can you talk a little more about that?
Amy Bohner:
Sure. So we do use a yeast that we sourced from Kentucky. We have to use a substantial amount of yeast. So I do buy yeast, but one of the benefits to where we're located is that we can throw up in the garage door and our fermenters do not have lids on them. And so we really benefit from wild yeast.
And I like to think that being across from the wildlife sanctuary, you know, there's marshes, there's native plants, there's flowering plants, there's bees, there's so much happening right across the street from us that there is bound to be a wild yeast wafting over here into our ferments. That gives us a signature flavor so that if you had the same equipment, the same water, and the same grains somewhere else... you would not have the exact same flavor profile that we do.
Keith Flamer:
So why yeast from Kentucky?
Amy Bohner:
We tried different yeast when we got started and we did little trial runs. And of course, we think Kentucky really knows what they're doing. They were at the forefront of making whiskey and we found one that we liked and our first rye that we ever had judged won a gold medal and it was the international competition. And we said, 'let's never change anything we're doing.'
We're going to stick to this exact recipe, will change the grain, but the water, the yeast, the way that we age, the way that we mill, will never change that those steps.
Tom Jackson:
We're here today with Amy Bohner Inside Alchemy Distillery, and we're talking about whiskey, bourbon, and all those things that come with it. You know, as we were walking into the building and there was an assortment of different bottles and they had different ages on them. And we talked about that a moment ago, the science behind it and I think you said two years is the minimum.
But we also know they're bourbons out there for, what, 25 years or something? The older it is, the better, Or is that always true? Or where's that natural sweet spot?
Amy Bohner:
It does tend to be true. You can have a whiskey that's too old and they would call it over-oaked. So right now we're just starting to release four-year-old whiskeys, even though we've been at this for six years or so. So very pleased with the four-year-old whiskeys.
You know, the longer it stays in the barrel, the less volume you get. They call it the angel's share. It does disappear a little bit. You know, we have the garage door open, and the sun hits them. It helps with the aging process because the whiskey, with the temperature changes, is expanding and contracting into the barrel wood. And through that char, that's where it gets the color and the vanilla flavor. So that's the trickiness is not letting it age too long, but, you know, taking it to market when you could use some income and you think it tastes pretty darn good.
Tom Jackson:
I know I'm feeling really thirsty right now.
Keith Flamer:
I'll just take it with me.
Tom Jackson:
Thank you so much for your time today. That's fascinating to be in this distillery and to see how it's made and what you're doing. So I think we both really appreciate your time and willingness to share with us the story behind making whiskey.
Keith Flamer:
I learned a lot from you today, Amy.
Amy Bohner:
Thank you. Thank you for coming!
