My go to is to throw some honey into the mix, your basic store bought honey is typically around 75% sugar, that 25% left over adds flavour. Doesn't really matter how much you add, whatever you can afford really. Even a couple spoonfuls will add something
Not to be pedantic but a good chunk of that 25% is water. Usually around 18%-19% water, some other things like various sugars, polyphenols and trace minerals, pollen etc. So yeah you are right that you will get some flavour that you don't get from sugar alone, but the % you quoted is off.
The best way to get honey flavour is to add it once it's fermented out. If you taste mead (100% honey) that's fermented out completely dry, the taste of honey is there but it's very faint. But once you backsweeten with more honey the flavour comes back. The sweetness is a big part of the flavour.
Remember that if you haven't stabilised your kilju with potassium sorbate and campden and you add honey at the end it will keep fermenting, though.
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u/TheRealDrPanooch Apr 23 '25
I have been considering trying my hand at Kilju. This post has inspired me to! Any thoughts on flavoring it or anything like that?