A lot of distilleries talk about craft. Fewer actually do it from scratch. At McClintock Distilling, “from scratch” isn’t a marketing phrase — it’s a description of our entire process, starting with certified organic grain and ending with the bottle in your hand.
Here’s a look at how we make whiskey, step by step.
Step 1: Sourcing Certified Organic Grain
Everything starts with grain — and for us, that grain must be USDA Certified Organic. We source certified organic corn, rye, and barley from trusted suppliers who grow without synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or GMO seed.
This is harder than it sounds. The supply of certified organic distilling grain is limited, and maintaining those supplier relationships takes real effort. But we believe the quality of the grain is the foundation of the spirit — and you can’t build something great on a compromised foundation.
Step 2: Milling
We mill our grain on-site, right here in Downtown Frederick. Fresh-milled grain produces a better mash than pre-ground grain — the flavor compounds haven’t had time to oxidize or degrade. Milling in-house also gives us full control over particle size, which affects how efficiently the starches convert to sugar in the next step.
Step 3: Mashing
Mashing is where grain becomes fermentable liquid. We mix the milled grain with hot water in our mash tuns, activating the natural enzymes in the grain that break starches down into simple sugars. The result — called “wort” or “wash” — is essentially a thick, sweet grain soup.
The specific grain mix (the “mash bill”) determines a lot about the final character of the spirit. Our bourbon-style whiskey uses a corn-forward mash bill; our rye whiskey leads with rye grain, giving it that spicy, assertive profile.
Step 4: Fermentation
Once the wort cools, we pitch yeast and fermentation begins. Over the course of several days, the yeast consumes the sugars and produces alcohol — along with hundreds of flavor compounds called congeners. These congeners are a big part of what makes each whiskey unique.
Fermentation temperature, yeast strain, and fermentation time all influence the flavor profile. We monitor our fermenters closely throughout this stage, because small decisions here have a real impact on what ends up in the glass.
Step 5: Distillation
Distillation separates and concentrates the alcohol from the fermented wash using our copper pot stills. We run a careful distillation, separating the “hearts” (the best, smoothest portion) from the “heads” and “tails” (the harsher, less desirable fractions).
Copper plays an important role here — it reacts with sulfur compounds in the distillate, helping produce a cleaner, smoother spirit. It’s one reason copper pot stills have been the tool of choice for quality distillers for centuries.
Step 6: Aging (for Whiskey)
New-make spirit (sometimes called “white dog”) is clear and strong. For whiskey, it goes into oak barrels to age. Over time, the spirit interacts with the wood — drawing out vanilla, caramel, and spice notes while softening the rougher edges of the raw distillate.
The Maryland climate is great for aging whiskey. Our warm summers and cold winters create significant temperature swings that push the spirit in and out of the wood, accelerating the extraction of flavor and color.
Step 7: Bottling
When a whiskey is ready, we bottle it right here at the distillery. We bottle at proof to preserve the character of the spirit as it came off the still and out of the barrel — no excessive dilution, no additives, no shortcuts.
See It Yourself — Free Tours in Downtown Frederick
Reading about it is one thing. Seeing the grain room, watching the stills run, and tasting the result firsthand is something else entirely. We offer free tours of our Downtown Frederick distillery that walk you through the whole process.