Recipe: Make your own Maple Whiskey

I am not a flavored whiskey fan, but I will say that maple and whiskey do go together.  You don\’t have to stretch your imagination too far to understand how the sweet maple flavor is quite similar to the barrel aging flavor of whiskey; both flavors come from a tree.

There are several excellent products already out there Crown Royal Maple, and Knob Creek Smoked Maple being my favorites.

Why would you want to make your own?  You can set the maple flavor to whatever level you want, use whatever whiskey you want, and amaze your friends!  The recipe is simple, 4 to 8 ounces of maple syrup to a 750ml bottle of whiskey.  Let sit for a few days for the flavors to meld and presto!  Not long ago I would have suggested Grade B syrup as it is darker with more flavor, but the grading system has changed.  Now there are three classifications of Grade A, look here for more info.

I would suggest trying these combinations.  A smooth Canadian like Crown Royal orPendleton with the light fancy maple syrup or bourbons such as Knob Creek or Evan Williams Black with the more robust flavor maple syrup.  I used a Whiskey Element in my Crown Royal then added the robustly flavored syrup to create a flavor profile quite different than the commercial product.

Have fun and enjoy!