Our Process

Without a perfect water, a perfect spirit has no chance. While the water going into the mash and through the still has an effect, the water used at the final stage before bottling has a major impact on the final taste profile. Although many a copywriter waxes on about the nature of the water used at the distillery and their magical origins, most end up going through a municipal water system and are likely stripped of any character through reverse osmosis on the distillery floor. We see our proofing water as a final step that is essential to the taste profile. Like our spirits, we bend our proofing water by adding and subtracting elements until the final flavor profile of the water is revealed. Then, and only then, do we begin the process of adding the water to the final spirit until we arrive at just the right proof for a given spirit.

However, even the process of marrying the proofing water to the spirit is one that takes time. Rushing the water into a tank of spirit can lead to a significant change in taste. That rush to “proof and bottle” can result in nasty flavors that taint the final product. Yes, as counterintuitive as it seems, the actual manner that water is added to whiskey can alter the flavor. We use different proofing methods based upon what we are looking for in our final taste profile.

The use of smoke in fine whiskey goes back centuries. Today, one can find beautiful scotches that begin with a malthouse that finds the grains gently smoked of their floors. Some American distillers are starting to do the same. 

We look at smoke as a post distillation process. By adding smoke at this point in the process, we are able to take a known aged whiskey and add any number of varieties of wood smoke to the spirit. Think of the different campfires you’ve enjoyed: oak smells different than fruit wood. In fact, apple wood is very discernible from pear and peach (Stop by the distillery and we’ll be happy to gather around the smoker with you!). Post-distillation smoking is just part of what “winds our clock” here at Windows Distillery. Bring a sniffer (and a snifter) and see for yourself!

Consider, if you will for a moment, the plight of the hardworking cask. You’ve long been an appreciator of fine whiskey, savoring each sip while noting the color and finish. But alas, the lonely cask is cast aside and forgotten, with little thought given for all it gave for our enjoyment. Hence, our attention given to our cask choices. Different spirits we develop demand different casks…sometimes multiple casks. Like all bourbon, ours is aged in new American oak casks, but where that oak comes from and whether it is toasted or charred or both dramatically changes the taste of the final product.

Alas, the giant column still that rises above all on the distillery floor. Gleaming in its coppery magnificence. At each round windowglass, the waves of mash thrash on the journey from plate to plate. Fed by the mash tanks that stand beside the column still, it is a study in efficiency and a workhouse for thousands of gallons of our beloved spirit each moment around the globe. Continuous, some would say relentless, in its ‘round the clock hands-free delivery of consistency.

Consider, if you will for the moment, the plight of the hardworking cask. You’ve long been an appreciator of fine whiskey, savoring each sip while noting the color and finish. But alas, the lonely cask is cast aside and forgotten with little thought given to all it gave for our enjoyment. Hence our attention given to our cask choices. Different spirits we develop demand different casks…sometimes multiple casks. Like all bourbon, ours is aged in new American oak casks, but where that oak comes from and whether it is toasted or charred, or both dramatically changes the taste of the final product.

Contrast the mighty column with the squatty pot still. This eager and creative soul awaits each batch, looking forward to the hands of a skilled artisan. Whether by temperature or taste, the heads, heart, and tails are separated from the crystalline distillate. It’s always a delight to champion of complexity while challenging the consistency of our beloved pot still spirits.

At Windows, we use a combination of stills, depending upon our final product requirements. Our current spirit offering utilizes eleven different stills from four different countries and five different US states. Each one is chosen to complete the journey from mash to distillate in a specific manner.