{"id":29901,"date":"2020-06-23T10:43:05","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T09:43:05","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/"},"modified":"2020-06-24T14:29:08","modified_gmt":"2020-06-24T13:29:08","slug":"yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/","title":{"rendered":"Yeast: the unsung hero of distillation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Until relatively recently, conversations around yeast tended to be entirely functional, centred on efficiency and yield. But a handful of distillers have taken an altogether more experimental approach, treating yeast as a flavour tool in its own right. We speak to the distillers, researchers and industry experts unlocking the potential of this single-celled fungus…<\/b><\/p>\n

Yeast is one of three essential ingredients used to make our favourite spirits. From a purely technical perspective, fermentation is the process by which yeast converts sugar into alcohol; it turns wort to wash. But thanks to a vast array of funky little compounds created during this process\u00a0\u2013\u00a0known as \u2018secondary metabolites\u2019 \u2013 fermentation has a far greater influence on the final flavour of the new make than spirits marketing will have you believe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Yeastie boy, Ryan Chetiyawardana<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThink about tasting a small-batch lager vs a commercial one, or a mass Pinot Grigio vs a wild-fermented one \u2013 the yeast produces the precursor flavours, which you’re simply concentrating when you distill them,\u201d explains award-winning bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana<\/a> (aka Mr Lyan), owner of Lyaness. \u201cNot always for the best \u2013 there are many notes that are faults caused by \u2018dirty\u2019 fermentation and unwanted microbes \u2013 but it gives more variety, and more opportunity for a more diverse selection of aromas, textures and flavours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Having been \u201cplaying around with microbes for a decade now\u201d, Chetiyawardana is familiar with the magic of yeast\u00a0\u2013 even launching a range a whole range of \u2018biologically aged cocktails\u2019 including the Champagne Gin Fizz (made using Champagne yeast), one simply called \u2018The Living Cocktail\u2019 and a Manhattan that was \u201cmade using fermentation, akin to a port\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing I always loved about working with microbes is the lack of control,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can give a nudge, but you’re working with a living organism that does what it wants. The parameters that aid or hinder them can be controlled though, so you can make their life easy, you can stress them out \u2013 all lead to interesting results. Replicability, consistency and certainty removed yeast’s freedom historically, but with better science and understanding, we can hopefully balance these out and give us more diversity in the products we can create.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Any attributes that might make a yeast strain particularly \u2018good\u2019 or \u2018bad\u2019 for spirits production really <\/span>depends on the style you want to create, Chetiyawardana says. \u201cYou might want a meaty, sulphury make for long ageing, or you might want a super fruity spirit to give brightness to your blend. I think it’s more about knowing what style you want to create, and realising that them little yeasty bugs can help you achieve that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Magical yeast turning sugar into booze<\/p><\/div>\n

Some yeast strains have been handed down through generations \u2013\u00a0Maker\u2019s Mark<\/a> uses a 150-year-old heirloom strain; Jim Beam<\/a>\u2019s yeast dates back to the end of Prohibition \u2013 while others reflect the local terroir\u00a0(the team at Herradura Tequila<\/a>, for example, use 100% wild yeast to spontaneously ferment their agave mash). Some distilleries, like Japanese whisky-maker Nikka, cultivate their own strains from a wide variety of sources from yeast strain libraries to local breweries. A great many more simply buy distillers\u2019 yeast from professional suppliers.<\/span><\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing. After all, these kinds of commercial yeasts are reliable, consistent, and optimised for the job. For New York Distilling Company<\/a>, they\u2019re an ideal stop-gap. \u201cWhile we are taking the time to experiment with yeast strains that could, in the future, be proprietary, we use a commercial distillers yeast to ensure consistency in our production,\u201d says co-founder Allen Katz. \u201cAs young distillers, with our oldest barrels now approaching eight years old, we\u2019re constantly learning about our whiskey on a seasonal basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur specific varieties of rye \u2013 Pedersen Field Race Rye and an 18th century variety called Horton \u2013 tend to result in honeyed floral and stone fruit notes,\u201d he continues. \u201cAs we contemplate specific yeast strains for the future, or even propagating a \u2018Brooklyn rooftop yeast\u2019, we will look to experiment with attributes that either compliment or enhance these natural and recurring characteristics, or that provide interesting contrasts. For now, our approach with regard to yeast has been to focus on yield.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeast beyond yield<\/span><\/h6>\n

Across the pond, a two-year research and development programme between Edinburgh\u2019s Port of Leith Distillery<\/a> and Heriot Watt University’s International Centre for Brewing & Distilling (ICBD) is drawing to a close. Together, they have experimented with a range of yeast varieties, \u201cincluding Belgian brewing strains, German ale strains, lager strains and a number of wine strains to name a few\u201d, says Victoria Muir-Taylor, distiller and head of whisky research at Port of Leith.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Victoria Muir-Taylor from the Port of Leith distillery loves having her photo taken while she is working<\/p><\/div>\n

Despite the yeast strain being the only variable \u2013\u00a0fermentation, distilling and so on remain constant \u2013 during <\/span>in-house sensory sessions, the panel has actually been able to identify characteristic differences between the new make. \u201cWith some, the new make spirit may have more fresh stone fruit notes, for example, whereas other strains are more on the dried fruit end of the spectrum,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identifying the key characteristics of influence of each strain means it\u2019s far easier for distillers to create their own bespoke blend. Sutherland-based Dornoch Distillery<\/a> has used more than <\/span>30 different strains over the last three years, and experimented with countless more. Today, the team uses spent brewers’ yeast sourced from local breweries (a process that has a historical precedent).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes we\u2019d pitch in multiple yeast varieties together,\u201d says co-founder Simon Thompson. \u201cOr we\u2019d blend new make made from three or four different yeast varieties to try and combine elements that we liked. Maybe one yeast variety was giving us really good fruity esters, and another really nice phenolics, so we would combine the two bills to try and blend those flavours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Adding yeast solution to wooden washbacks at the Dornoch distillery<\/p><\/div>\n

On top of the individual yeast strains, other variables such as temperature, PH levels, oxygen and nutrient levels and bacteria all influence the flavour of the spirit. <\/span>\u201cFermentation time is quite a big one as well, because the longer you leave it in the washback, the more room you\u2019re giving for the influence of bacteria and wild yeast,\u201d says Thompson. \u201cWe’ve got wooden washbacks that we leave open, and earlier this week we didn\u2019t pitch any yeast for about 36 hours to allow a natural fermentation to start. The results flavour-wise were outstanding. I suspect the yield will be significantly decreased, but there were some really interesting things that happened. After the 36 hours the wash had soured, it smelt really sulphuric. And then 24 hours after the addition of the yeast, the sulphur had been cleaned up and transformed into some extreme tropical fruit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is because most of the flavours that we perceive from a spirit (excluding any interactions with wood) are due to the formation of esters \u2013 a combination of ethanol and acid, Thompson says. \u201cYour yeast will form esters in order to try and clean up its own environment. So the more acids and the more complexity of acids you have in your wort, the higher you can potentially drive your levels of ester formation.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As to whether these effects are detectable after a spirit has been barrel-aged\u00a0\u2013\u00a0well, the answer may surprise you. \u201cFermentation creates the chemical complexity for further evolution within the cask,\u201d Thompson explains. \u201cGiven the chemistry of the cask and the ethanol solution, you’ll have spontaneous ester formation over time as well as other compounds,\u201d he says. \u201cThe more chemical complexity you can pack in at that front end, the more potential for evolution \u2013 and variation within that evolution \u2013 you have over time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While there\u2019s much scope for experimentation, it comes at a price. \u201cWhisky is already a very inefficient process, but it’s within the inefficiencies that the flavour lies,\u201d says Thompson. \u201cBy any measurable metrics we’ll be the worst performing distillery in Scotland by a very large margin, because your cost of production skyrockets. But it\u2019s a trade-off in exchange for infinitely greater variation on flavour.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Until relatively recently, conversations around yeast tended to be entirely functional, centred on efficiency and yield. But a handful of distillers have taken an altogether more experimental approach, treating yeast…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":29935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[893],"tags":[806,894],"yoast_head":"\nYeast: the unsung hero of distillation | Master of Malt blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A handful of distillers have taken an altogether more experimental approach, treating yeast as a flavour tool in its own right.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yeast: the unsung hero of distillation | Master of Malt blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A handful of distillers have taken an altogether more experimental approach, treating yeast as a flavour tool in its own right.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Master of Malt blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/masterofmalt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-23T09:43:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-06-24T13:29:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/DSCF5248.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"6000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"4000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Annie Hayes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MasterOfMalt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MasterOfMalt\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Annie Hayes\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/261f435c7e61c2838e4555a891662c73\"},\"headline\":\"Yeast: the unsung hero of distillation\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-23T09:43:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-06-24T13:29:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/\"},\"wordCount\":1392,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/DSCF5248.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Cocktails\",\"Whisky\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Features\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/\",\"name\":\"Yeast: the unsung hero of distillation | Master of Malt blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/DSCF5248.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-23T09:43:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-06-24T13:29:08+00:00\",\"description\":\"A handful of distillers have taken an altogether more experimental approach, treating yeast as a flavour tool in its own right.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/DSCF5248.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/DSCF5248.jpg\",\"width\":6000,\"height\":4000},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Features\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/category\/features\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Yeast: the unsung hero of distillation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Master of Malt Blog\",\"description\":\"Whisky and Sprits news, reviews, features & interviews, innovations, offers and competitions.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Master of Malt\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Master-of-Malt-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Master-of-Malt-logo.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"Master of Malt\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/masterofmalt\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/MasterOfMalt\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/masterofmalt\/\",\"https:\/\/uk.linkedin.com\/company\/master-of-malt\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/masterofmalt\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/261f435c7e61c2838e4555a891662c73\",\"name\":\"Annie Hayes\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f346fdd569e49e8f021e047adaefbd05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f346fdd569e49e8f021e047adaefbd05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Annie Hayes\"},\"description\":\"Former Master of Malt features editor Annie Hayes is an esteemed journalist across the topics of spirits and cocktails, as well as health and lifestyle. She has worked for The Spirits Business and Men\u2019s Health, judged a number of cocktail competitions, and her work has featured in the likes of Esquire, Harper\u2019s Bazaar, Runner\u2019s World, Prima and Women\u2019s Health. Whether it\u2019s cocktail recipes and ingredients, hangover cures, Veganuary or shining a spotlight on spirits production processes, Annie has a nose for a story and is one of our favourite writers.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/author\/annie\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Yeast: the unsung hero of distillation | Master of Malt blog","description":"A handful of distillers have taken an altogether more experimental approach, treating yeast as a flavour tool in its own right.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Yeast: the unsung hero of distillation | Master of Malt blog","og_description":"A handful of distillers have taken an altogether more experimental approach, treating yeast as a flavour tool in its own right.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/","og_site_name":"Master of Malt blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/masterofmalt","article_published_time":"2020-06-23T09:43:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-06-24T13:29:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":6000,"height":4000,"url":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/DSCF5248.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Annie Hayes","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@MasterOfMalt","twitter_site":"@MasterOfMalt","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/"},"author":{"name":"Annie Hayes","@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/261f435c7e61c2838e4555a891662c73"},"headline":"Yeast: the unsung hero of distillation","datePublished":"2020-06-23T09:43:05+00:00","dateModified":"2020-06-24T13:29:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/"},"wordCount":1392,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/DSCF5248.jpg","keywords":["Cocktails","Whisky"],"articleSection":["Features"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/","url":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/","name":"Yeast: the unsung hero of distillation | Master of Malt blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/DSCF5248.jpg","datePublished":"2020-06-23T09:43:05+00:00","dateModified":"2020-06-24T13:29:08+00:00","description":"A handful of distillers have taken an altogether more experimental approach, treating yeast as a flavour tool in its own right.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/DSCF5248.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/DSCF5248.jpg","width":6000,"height":4000},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/yeast-the-unsung-hero-of-distillation\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog Home","item":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Features","item":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/category\/features\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Yeast: the unsung hero of distillation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/","name":"Master of Malt Blog","description":"Whisky and Sprits news, reviews, features & interviews, innovations, offers and competitions.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Master of Malt","url":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Master-of-Malt-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Master-of-Malt-logo.jpg","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"Master of Malt"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/masterofmalt","https:\/\/x.com\/MasterOfMalt","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/masterofmalt\/","https:\/\/uk.linkedin.com\/company\/master-of-malt","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/masterofmalt"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/261f435c7e61c2838e4555a891662c73","name":"Annie Hayes","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f346fdd569e49e8f021e047adaefbd05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f346fdd569e49e8f021e047adaefbd05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Annie Hayes"},"description":"Former Master of Malt features editor Annie Hayes is an esteemed journalist across the topics of spirits and cocktails, as well as health and lifestyle. She has worked for The Spirits Business and Men\u2019s Health, judged a number of cocktail competitions, and her work has featured in the likes of Esquire, Harper\u2019s Bazaar, Runner\u2019s World, Prima and Women\u2019s Health. Whether it\u2019s cocktail recipes and ingredients, hangover cures, Veganuary or shining a spotlight on spirits production processes, Annie has a nose for a story and is one of our favourite writers.","url":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/author\/annie\/"}]}},"meta_description":"A handful of distillers have taken an altogether more experimental approach, treating yeast as a flavour tool in its own right.","featured_image_url":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/DSCF5248.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29901"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29901"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29936,"href":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29901\/revisions\/29936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}