Can you make whiskey without yeast?

Here's why:

* Yeast is essential for fermentation: Whiskey is made by fermenting grains (like barley, rye, corn, or wheat). Fermentation is the process where yeast consumes sugar in the grain and produces alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide as byproducts.

* Yeast converts sugars into alcohol: Without yeast, the sugars in the grain would not be converted into alcohol, and you would simply have a sugary mash, not a whiskey base.

While you can use different strains of yeast for different whiskey styles, you must have yeast present for the fermentation process to occur.