StillSmart

well i have just put 3 litres of clear into a new oak barrel with some honey and a vanilla stick and it taste very nice after 30 days, so its oak aged vodka, even tho it taste like whiskey

very pleased

ginger

Was the barrel toasted?

Putting honey into an oak barrel...not really a good idea. Adding things like honey, vanilla, cinnamon, etc, works much better after oaking and keeps the oak in good order and untainted. Honey insode the barrel may attract small wildlife, particularly at this time of year

BTW, what size barrel are we talking about?

AidanMac

cat5cable,
I have to disagree with AM here,and if it has worked for you,then ffffing fantastic.
If you can keep small wildlife from getting inside your barrel,(?),then all is good.
Don't be put off by nay sayer's.
Experimentation is the way forward.
Just wishing that I could taste your product myself.

Robert.

I am not all that surprised with this result. Unaged "white" whiskey does not have that much flavour, most of the flavour and character comes from the aging on wood. Neutral and JD chips certainly demonstrate this (albeit with some JD flavour soaked into the wood).

I might just have a go at this.

Robert.

I agree with experimentation. I also agree with experience. Which saves us all having to make the same mistakes in our experimental quest.

AM has a very valid point. Honey contains an enormous ammount of microscopic wildlife AND it is the sweet feed source for them.

The issues will arise when the barrel is emptied. The risk or souring is elevated. If undetected the next batch could be adversly affected. Not good and very hard on the pocket!

Ginger,

Sounds like a cracking recipe. Thanks for the idea.
Did you put the pod in whole or slice it up ?

I will give it a go. ... but I will add the honey (to taste) after it comes off the oak.

PS For your barrel, when is does come out rinse a barrel to few times and then fill it with water and sulphite - OR better still more alcohol

The barrel effect does fade so subsequent fills will take longer and the effect will be mellower.

Mashy, you sort of made my point for me.
Alcohol,at barrel strength is going to stop microbes,ask any distillery.
And I doubt that there are many on this site that could afford to let an empty barrel sit for long,let alone leave it to dry out.
It's fair of you to issue your warning,I consider it may be excessive is all.

Robert.

the barrels are 3 litre's each, point taken about the honey as i noticed this weekend when i moved one barrel that the honey has seeped out and i have a big old sploge on the worktop, i dont really understand why the honey is leaking out but the alcohol isnt. i think i will bottle this lot and wash out barrel,s.

i love this hobby

ginger

My guess is that the alcohol has leaked out, but has also evaporated.

I will +1 with Chill here,and suspect that SOME alcohol has been lost.
Probably due to the barrel being insufficiently wetted out,but what do I know?
I have not tried this myself,and conjecture upon hypotheses.
But hold my hands up to it.
I do know some stuff,some I learn,on a daily basis,some I strive for.
But the daily battle with life,seems to keep me going.

Robert.