- Barley is soaked for 12 hours
- Hops are soaked for 18 hours
At Itkul, traditional technology has been used at the malting stage since 1868. Malting is the controlled germination of the grain in humid air, and the process is organised in a traditional and natural way in Itkul’s oldest specially-constructed building.
This germinated grain (malt) contains a lot of active natural ferments, which begin the process of fermentation when yeast is added. This process is similar to the production of mash wort to create whisky in Scottish distilleries.
Itkul produces spirit using wheat, rye, and barley and millet malt. Barley and hops form the necessary type of ferment, while the wheat and rye give the finished drink the perfect sensory properties.
The best winter wheat and rye is not allowed to germinate; it undergoes a separate process before it is mixed with the malt milk. The wheat and rye mixture is boiled soft in columns for several hours, which releases the starch. Once it has cooled, it undergoes the malting process, where it is blended with the malt milk to create the mash, which is sent to the fermentation section
The process of turning sugar into spirit using yeast
The distillation process never stops. To purify the spirit and extract it from the sour mash we use wash-distillation. Wash distillation occurs at several stages and at these stages, the spirit is concentrated and separated from a certain part of the sour mash, eventually leaving a distilled (purified) spirit.
The distillation technology in use at Itkul allows us to create spirits that contain far fewer impurities than state regulations permit.
Our malt spirit is stored for 7 days before production
Another key contributor to the exceptional quality of our products is natural Altai water from artesian wells around Itkul.
Blending malt spirit with this water produces a mixture of the two.
At Itkul, we have a deep respect for our recipe, which gives our beverages their uniqueness and superb finish. Building a recipe is a highly creative process which requires very acute sensory abilities. We create a range of infusions and aromatic spirits from Altai berries, herbs, and fruits, which then go into the final blend of our drinks.
We use birchwood charcoal enriched with silver ions to filter our vodka. The charcoal softens the vodka’s taste and makes it shine with a crystal-clear transparency.
