StillSmart

Mickrick wrote:

Here's where i'm struggling with the concept. Liquor in wood gives a flavour and colour ? Then you're going to take that used wood and hope to impart exactly what to your liquor ? I'm assuming what was in the wood was imparted to the first batch in it ? You're just gonna get the dregs of whats in the wood , and thats enough ?

Liquor in wood Takes from it a flavour and colour, not Gives.
All Scotch Whisky barrels are second hand,(unless remade), mostly Bourbon barrels, due to the regulation that Bourbon must be aged in new Oak, so many Bourbon barrrels available.
A scotch whisky barrel stave has the potential for use for over 160 years,either in the original barrel or remade.
Remake/recharr the barrel, release the lignins and the rest,and start again.
If they have been doing it this long, you go tell them that they have it wrong,

I can see what Mickrick is getting at, there can only be so much useable goodness in the wood before it has become spent.
Using JD chips for the first neuking the sprit is quite dark but after a few goes it is far less dark and less flavour.

When you chip them you expose fresh/unused oak.

Easydrinker wrote:

Mickrick wrote:

Here's where i'm struggling with the concept. Liquor in wood gives a flavour and colour ? Then you're going to take that used wood and hope to impart exactly what to your liquor ? I'm assuming what was in the wood was imparted to the first batch in it ? You're just gonna get the dregs of whats in the wood , and thats enough ?

Liquor in wood Takes from it a flavour and colour, not Gives.
All Scotch Whisky barrels are second hand,(unless remade), mostly Bourbon barrels, due to the regulation that Bourbon must be aged in new Oak, so many Bourbon barrrels available.
A scotch whisky barrel stave has the potential for use for over 160 years,either in the original barrel or remade.
Remake/recharr the barrel, release the lignins and the rest,and start again.
If they have been doing it this long, you go tell them that they have it wrong,

Thats interesting. Legislation makes a good Bourbon. But Whiskey can be made with old wood. I wonder which came first, Bourbon or Whiskey ?
Wine makers get oak effect (mellow/rounded etc..) from literally sawdust sprinkled in a tub of grape juice wash for a week or two. Some Moonshiners claim a great whiskey from dropping a wooden Domino in some likker.

Myself i'd always believed that great whiskey taste came from the naturally pure spring water running through the peat hills, to that end i'll throw a briquette in my next wash. I'll let you know how i go ..............

The jury is still out upon what makes great Whisky.
Some say water,some barley,some the peat for malting.
Yet others claim the shape and size of the still.
Throw Oak and aging into the mix.
Most agree it is a mix of all the above and more.
Mostly, methinks it is a good long time doing it, and learning what works.
It just needs patience.

Robert.

I agree emphatically there there are a multiplicity of factors contributing to the finished whisky, much as Easydrinker listed..

Whilst we can be guided by many of the practices of the large commercial producers, it would seem that not all their methods are aimed at producing the best possible whisky as against producing the maximum amount of acceptable whisky. Given that they pay tax on the 'potential' amount of alcohol from the ingredients used, they tend to discard rather ;less than we might choose to. I suppose the principle is, if you've paid tax on, use it.

I don't try to replicate what commercial producers offer, I simply do my best to produce the best possible whisky my knowledge, equipment, ingredients and time allow. After over sixty years of whisky drinking I do know a good whisky when I taste it, and there are many commercial brands I wouldn't give to time of day to, some single malts included.

Whilst there have been the occasional presents from time to time., as a daily consumer, I haven't bought a bottle of whisky in over ten years.

I do personally like the flavour imparted during the malting process from peat smoke. I have never considered adding peat at any stage/ I am sure that good spring water can be nothing but beneficial, but my own experience of waters which have had prolonged exposure to peat, is that a 'brackish' flavour develops. Not necessarily salty but decidedly unpleasant.

However, nothing ventured???

Good luck, it could well be interesting.

Not wishing to argue unduly, Toper has a point that Malt whisky is currently being churned out faster than ever before, with many 'No Age Statement' bottles now being sold, (who remembers 10 years minimum?) to satisfy the demand.
But unless I am completely mistaken,excise may be calculated on spirit made, but is only taken when the product leaves 'Bond',hence 'bonded warehouses'. With a 2% yearly allowance from HMRC for the 'Angels share'.
There is a market for the by products, (higher and lower fractions) from large stills;- the Office block sized continous stills making Vodka ship out tankers of Acetone and other stuff every day.
My own modest use of a feints reciever has shown me why Malt distilleries, using pot stills, continue to recycle heads and tails to good effect. It IS a kind of magic, it improves what you take, but reaches a strange equilibrium (volume and percentage).No Fores throw away either.
And as for the taste of commercial 'blended' whisky?
There are two or three I might thank you for.
Malts?
Not yet found a Highland one that I would pay for, and only have about 20 or so others that I would.
Personal taste.

Which brings us full circle to essences.
I have not yet found a decent whisky/whiskey one, and apologies to Mickrick for assuming that he was alluding to the profile kit earlier, my bad.
There are a few essences that I use, due to laziness/lack of time etc.
I tend to prefer the Prestige range, Ouzo,Bacardi and Malibooboo seem OK.
My kettle died last night while making a new brew and the replacement ordered from Amazon needed me to spend another 5p to qualify for free postage.
I went with a 280 ml bottle of Irish Cream essence, add neutral, sugar and cream.
14 bottles for £17.(Obviously + cost of neutral,sugar and cream)
The Bootleg Bailey's recipe on this site is good, but I thought this worth a go.
A crimbo drink amongst my fraternity.

Robert.

Sorry, I rambled on a little there.
<Reaches for glass> Can't think why,

It is a interesting position, the modern, date I say younger "brewer" be it whiskey, Ale or wine seems to be stuck in the clone route. "I produce a copy the commercial blah" .... Yet they same people grow their own veg, "you can taste the difference"

Further more they have a tendancy to clone the kit too. Must be stainless is a simple example, utterly pointless tilt hydrometer is a more extreme one. As Toper mentioned industry, for different reasons & different volumes will have and resolve completely different issues. Jonny walker does it like that commercially does make it right.. Just their way.

Perhaps it continues the trend of "know how" but are sadly lacking "know why".

All rather confusing really. (name that quote)

I am here scratching my head,

Robert.

I think i'm qute fortunate. I like most whiskeys, so i've no need to try to replicate anyone elses. Ultimately i find the SS sachets really good. But they're expensive. My aim is to find an easy homemade way to take that spirit to how i want it. "easy" being the operative word as i'm lazy and i don't wanna wait too long. I'll get there i'm sure........

Easydrinker wrote:I am here scratching my head,

Robert.

The Goon Show - Milligan as I recall.