Aging with casks/wood chips

[Jimmy]

Anyone have any experience with either of these? I'm working on some experiments at the moment, it'd be good to hear from people who have tried this already!

[Phantom]

My "assorted fruit brandy" (actually distilled wines and meads that I haven't liked and distilled, modified cider kits) has, so far, got two different packs of "oak chips" in it. The first one was really designed for adding oak flavour to wines, the second just said that it was "toasted oak chips" (medium toast).
They're currently in the jar I've been filling with various batches.
Now I don't know how it actually works out compared to a barrel - i.e. the area of oak that's actually in contact with the spirit - or whether it's likely to be suffering in anyway because it's in glass and the only part that is even slightly air permeable is the cork (natural oak imparts various flavouring elements as I'm sure you know, as well as very slow oxidation/evaporation).
My problem is, that I'm getting impatient. I've done some digging around and have noticed that you can get various additives from Brouwland in Belgium (they're under the liqueur/distillation section).
I was going to try the oak flavouring one, and the one that reduces "alcohol hotness", plus as most of the mix I'm experimenting on is from distilled cider, I might also get some of the apple flavouring essence - so I can make it a bit more "Calvados".
I'll post when I've tried some of this (I was going to just try a small quantity to start with, just to see how smooth/drinkable I can make it - it should be easier than waiting for a few years)

[ex expat]

Hello Jimmy,

thanks for the reply to my kaluha recipe,I hope you try it,and enjoy it too.

while I was working in the middle east we used to put any (magic elixia, we called it sidiki which means friend in arabic) with light or heavy odors, into a 5 gall glass pot with wood chips ,sold to use on a bbq for smoking food ,the best we used was Jack Daniels chips, the longer you can leave it on the wood the darker it will become and it takes on a lot of the taste ( not up to scotch standards) but if you concider that anything that has been run off for more than a week in thought of as vintage then you get an idea of how long we left it for.

we had an annual Burns Supper when the brown sidiki had been left for almost 1 year and that was great try it Jimmy you wont be dissapointed

[Jimmy]

Cheers - interestingly, that's pretty much the method I'm experimenting with at the moment! I've got a full article about it on the way so I won't babble on until it's finished, but you're right, it seems to work really well. I'll try and get it done soon!

[Phantom]

I got a delivery from Brouwland in Belgium last week.
A small bottle of "Oak-a-Vin", which is an oak extract that can be added to wines, spirits, etc. A bottle of Ebsloh Distipur, a crystaline substance (don't actually know what it is) that you add to distillate to remove the harsh "new spirits" flavour, and some apple and some calvados essence/extract to try.
I've yet to try any of them but I'll post how I get on.
The only downside being that because Brouwland is in Belgium, it's not so cheap to pay in euros at the moment. I might end up getting bigger quantities if I do a "baccy run"!
Closer to the actual thread topic, I found, on thursday, a place that sells barrels. Proper French Oak barrels. The only downside being that they are wine barrels, so not toasted internally, they've been used for either burgundy or bordeaux and therefore stained red inside, and they're "industry standard" size a.k.a. 225 litre/50 gallon.
Apart from that, they'd be brilliant. They're only 12 months old and look pretty much brand new externally - the wood being very, very clean.
At about £60 each, that's a hell of a lot cheaper than paying the 550 or so euros for new ones (if you could find a french cooper in the first place ).

[Jimmy]

That sounds like a good deal. I'm currently working on some experiments to see how aging vodka with wine stained barrels works out - I will let you know as soon as I do!

[Phantom]

It does look like a good deal, except the hassle of actually distilling that amount of spirit would take some time!

[goinbroke2]

It does look like a good deal, except the hassle of actually distilling that amount of spirit would take some time!
Hassle?? It's NEVER a hassle to make likker!!! LOL!

I know what you mean, I'd look at it as a challenge!
Just for info, the only single malt whisky distillery in North America is the Glenorra Distillery in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. To make their GlenBreton Rare, they use Ice Wine barrels from the Jost winery up the road. Personally I HATED scotch..until I tried GlenBreton. It is very smooth and they say the clean cool flavour comes from the ice wine barrels.

If you have access to wine barrels I would buy one and either use it as-is, or take an oxy/acetalene torch and char the insides. Never tried to buy a wine/whisky/any barrel around here in many years. Back in the mid 80's I bought several "swish" barrels which were just empty whisky/rum/vodka barrels. Pour in 12 L of boiling water and let it sit on it's side. On the end we would mark a 12 slice pie and move it one "pie" every 2 days. In 24 days we had 30-40% whisky/rum/vodka.(a couple barrels were duds mind you) I think it was $40.00 a barrel back then. A litre was about $18.00 so it was certainly worth it.

[goinbroke2]

Here's the link and proper spelling.
http://www.glenoradistillery.com/

[Opus 27]

Has anyone tried these; \"Bourbon Chunks\". My local HBS has just got hold of some to try. Produced by Essencia of Christchurch NZ. (Obviously being shipped to the UK as I\'ve just bought them in the UK.) The individual pieces of Bourbon Barrel are about 20X20X20mm cubes. It say\'s on the packet \"Add to 2 Litres of 40% spirit/vodka leave for 14 days and filter off. Requires no other flavouring.\"

The pack weight is 100 grams. I think it was £3.45p (GBP) for a pack.
Opus 27

[hoppinmad]

I\'ve got some 3year seasoned english oak and apple wood that I use for smoking fish and bacon, might try some on my distillate but was wondering whether to blowtorch it or oven bake or both or neither, any experiences advice or musings gratefully accepted

[Opus 27]

Ok Bourbon Chunks by Essencia!

First of all taste is subject to the palet of the taster and this is purely my take on this product.

This is the first Bourbon that I have produced that tastes 100% perfect. The taste is spot on. All too often I find the essence type flavourings (a) too sweet and (b) over powering. These Bourbon Chunks however have a lightness or mellowness of flavour pretty close to JD. My tasting was 12 days into the suggested 14 if that will change over the next 2 days I will find out. Realistically how long you give it is upto you and the same goes for the suggested quantity of spirit.

In conclusion I give it 10/10 and will certainly buy more and at under £3.50 for 2 Litres bearing in mind thats both flavour and oaking in one go it\'s a good price.
Opus 27

[hoppinmad]

Opus,

Sounds great I\'ll be sure to get some the next time I go to stock up, did you do the full 2litres?

[Opus 27]

Yes 2 Litres. Just spoke to my HB Shop and their getting me a 500 grm pack (sufficient for 10 Litres) for £11.97.
Opus 27

[optic]

Opus 27

have you looked at this website www.essencia.co.nz