Bourbon Chunks

[optic]

Got a bag of J.D oak chips from planet barbecue and have had a couple of litres soaking for 3 days now and the colour change is amazing,also it has started to take on that J.D aroma.These are without doubt IMO much better than the Still Spirits or Essencia chips,was wondering about the Scotch Whisky chips they sell as well but it doesnt make it clear if they are chips from a genuine Whisky barrel?.

Optic

[tedmoo]

Good Day,

Did a taste test on the girlfriend (avid JD drinker!)...

1.Still Spirits Tennessee Bourbon Essence sachet
2.Still Spirits Tennessee Bourbon Chunks
3.JD
4.Jack Daniels BBQ smoking Chips

Results: (mixed with coke - colour before mixing)

1.Tasted 'fake' and over the top with flavour(fruity in the Girl friends opinion). Trying too hard to be JD. Good Colour.

2.Bit Dark colour (added more chunks on day 10 to make darker thinking JD was darker than I remembered), GF thought was alright, but a bit 'soft'. Personally think lacked a bit of flavour.

3.She could tell straight away this was JD.

4.Had to think again whether 3/4 was JD! Said tasted a bit Smoky. To me tasted a bit 'woody. Good colour, only had about 8/9 days on the chips but had a bit more chips to 'neutral'ratio.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased that how close they can resemble the real thing using an Air Still and soaking in chips.

BUT 1 question Aidan, did you find a 'woody/smoky' taste/smell and if so how do you recommend removing it? Aging in a bottle? Airing? Would a bit of maple make too sweet?

Thanks Muchly

[Almanac]

I'm assuming the JD Barbeque Chunks you used were the same ones shown in earlier post and that you filtered through cotton wool to remove particles etc when finished soaking.

When I've used these JD Barbeque Chunks I did find that some bags were quite 'woody' while others were 'smokey' and when I found this I would empty the amount of chunks I wanted to use into a colander and rinse them with plenty of cold running water. This always got rid of any 'woody' problem

The proportions of chunks to spirit I recommended were what I found worked best for me so increasing/decreasing the ratio is up to yourself but I can't speak as to the results other than what I've posted in the past.

I also found the 'whiskey' could sometimes (not always) have a slightly smokey flavour but this mellows over time. I opened bottle last Sunday evening that was just 4 months old and there was no bad smokey flavour. Having said that, good Bourbon does have a feint smokey undertone so maybe I've just become accustomed to that taste. I never drink shop-bought Bourbon or Sour Mash any more as I find it too sweet and lacking body.

I've experimented with Maple Syrup in this type of spirit because I found that on a rare occasion I got a batch off the chunks that lacked something in the mouthfeel. I put this down to the fact that we don't know if the chunks were from a barrel that contained premium Bourbon like Knob Creek or Booker Noe or if they came from a barrel of run-of-the-mill sour mash that would be used for blending.

In any case I would only add Maple - 2ml at a time in a 70cl bottle - then leave for 24 hours before tasting/adjusting further.

I have also used very small amounts of Maple to smooth out a spirit I intended to keep as sipping whiskey. Occasionally I've had a batch come off the JD Chunks that was exceptionally good - much better than JD - and this stuff I now bottle in 5lt DJs and leave to age. I currently have 3 aging like this and one got 25ml of Maple last Dec because the mouthfeel was not rounded enough while the others are like a premium Bourbon. Roll on the Summer when they'll get bottled and consumed with great gusto.

If your GF is mixing with Coke (sacrilege) she's not really going to notice the subtleties in a Sour Mash/Bourbon but Maple, along with Coke, would be far too sweet and I'm sure she's sweet enough.

Hope all this waffle helps.

AM

[Capt-Cudellez]

Tedmoo, what abv were you ageing at? I find anything over 65 is very woody when doing rum. Less wood for longer is also a good thing in my book.

[tedmoo]

Thanks for your comments. I will definitely try rinsing the chips first. I did do the same ratio as Aidan but just 1itre of spirit because I need a bigger demijohn! Also aging at 40%.

Guess I'll learn more and more as I continue delving in to the depths of homemade liqueur! >:D

[Almanac]

For real Oak I'd definitely be using ABV variations and as CC says once you hit the mid 60s you will be extracting things from the Oak that you really don't want in your spirit.

With Bourbon Chunks you're not trying to extract separate components from the Oak, just the remnants of the Bourbon/Sour Mash that was matured in the barrel during its life. For this reason I recommend staying below 50%ABV the entire time.

I'll be revisiting my real Corn Whiskey this spring and will be using American White Oak, that has been weathering outside since last August, to make real Bourbon Whiskey.

I had to put that work aside last year because 1. I needed a serious Pot Still and 2. my fermenters were too small to produce enough wash to make Corn Whiskey work. I now have two 60lt fermenters and a 50lt Pot which is almost ready to go.

It'll still be a slow process to produce any volume but It'll be worth it in the end - in a couple of years when the first bottles of Bourbon Whiskey are ready to drink.

Anyway, I'll post details when I start in case anyone's interested in doing similar - not to mention that you guys will be able to tell me if you spot anything wrong that I miss. and I know you will tell me!!LOL

AM

[optic]

Think this may have been mentioned in another thead on here,but its worth repeating.I went into B&Q today and they now stock the JD oak chips @ £6 a bag,stocked up on a couple and will buy a few more once pay day comes at the end of the month.

Optic

[Almanac]

Went to my local B&Q and found their JD Smoking Chips they're different to the ones I get from the local garden centre. The chips are very small and the bag holds about 15% less. Still at 7.50 (crap exchange rate as usual) they're still a bargain so I bought a few anyway.

Thanks for the heads up!

AM

[Normski]

As Optic says above

I also found some in B&Q in Sunderland for £6 a bag. Weighs in at 942g.
They looked fresh in. So bought two of them.
Looking forward to trying these. Thanks lads for the inspiration.
Norm

[Electrif]

This thread has really got my tastebuds tingling. Will definately be trying this. Thanks to all participants.

E

[chill]

I have found that the taste is every better if you use enzymes to mash ground corn (polenta) that you have cooked up instead of a pure sugar wash. It is some work to cook (OK, a lot) and then strain out of the beer, but the result is very delicious. I was comparing some of mine with JD last night. They were noticeably different but I clearly preferred the taste of mine. Pure sugar washes make Tafia, which tastes inappropriately sweet to me. Using dextrose, or inverted sugar, should lesson this effect. I've aged it (er, well, for a week or two, is that aging? ) on toasted oak and JD chips and enjoyed both.

Chuck

[shawry99]

Sorry for reviving an old thread

I enjoy my JD, but Im a bit confused by these things, do these replace essences?

Are they better than essences if thats the case?

I drink it with coke to slow my drinking down, so is would I notice a difference by just getting an essence rather than this (if I only need this)

Sorry, got a migraine, so Im all over with how Im asking things

Thanks for all your patience

[billmcc]

Have a look here mate

http://www.essenciana.com/The-essencia- ... hunks.html
and here

http://www.essenciana.com/Bourbon_20Chu ... ctions.pdf

[shawry99]

Have a look here mate

http://www.essenciana.com/The-essencia- ... hunks.html
and here

http://www.essenciana.com/Bourbon_20Chu ... ctions.pdf

Thanks mate, probably read that somewhere, but theres so much to take in that I would of missed it

My first wash (Triple distilled Yeast, Carbon, and Turbo Clear pack) is about 5 days in, so Im starting to panic a bit now, especially if I want to go down the multiple still run to get better quality as I dont have containers.

[chill]

I use 1.9L canning jars. Cheap and readily available, at least here. Gallon glass jugs are also good if you can find a source (wine making shops maybe?).

Chuck