StillSmart

I\'ve been using Essencia Bourbon Chunks for some time now with good results on my Bourbon. My latest batch however is awful it tastes of saw dust. I shall chuck in the still with my next wash and recover the alcohol. Has anyone else had this problem?
Opus

I did a run using Essencia Bourbon Chunks recently that after 1 month I felt was lacking in taste. Good lady was hot for some Bourbon so I fired 3 bottles of essence in to the demijohn, she was well pleased.
OK it was a bit of a recovery job but it worked.
Still begs the question, what is the correct method for using chips.
Pyro

Did the extra essence as wll to try to save it but the saw dust taste is still there. I shall leave it for a few weeks to see if it improves with time otherwise it\'s going back in the still.
Opus

Just to be sure of what I\'m commenting on, I looked up the essentia bourbon chunks.

To me (and this is just my opinion) they look quite light in char. My main issue is the instructions which say to leave 7-10days.

Now personally I\'ve found that using less oak for a longer time is better that a lot of oak over a shorter period. They say 10 days? I\'ve found that you have white dog at first then after a day or two you have a softer white dog whith a bit of couloring. By the third or fourth day you can start to see/smell the difference.

BUT! I\'ve found after several confirming tests that it improves for about 2 weeks and then goes REAL bad/stinky for about 2-3 weeks and then gets really smooth. After 6 weeks to 6 months it is continually improving. I\'ve only had one bottle that was aged two years and it was incredible.
So, why does it slowly improve, go BAD, then continue improving? No idea but I can replicate it each time.
Now, to your sawdust problem.

To me, that is a wood problem. Either it\'s the tailings of the woodpile or whatever but if you have an off taste to the wood, I would get more/different type and try it. You might have a bad batch of wood.(improper char, would got wet before charing, wood was dowdy/rotten before charing etc) You will only get out of wood what was put in.
Oh, and the \"proper\" way of using wood? Well it\'s kind of subjective because all chunks/wood is not the same, even from one pack to another of the exact same product.

I use medium toasted hungarian oak and use one 1\" square block per 750ml. This will take about a month or more to get real nice and if left for several months will be awesome. I\'ve gone as high as 2 blocks per Litre but that is pretty much the limit. Any more than that and you taste wood...and not in a good way. In fact after experimenting with several bottles I found that 3 blocks per litre give a wet bonfire taste, ruins it and must be redistilled, can\'t even dilute it enough to save. the bourbon chunks look bigger than the blocks I use but they are also lighter in char so I would try the same amount.

One other thing to remember also is you will get different flavours from different ABV.

I like the flavour of oaking at 40% but have since found oaking at 60-65% for a month then dropping to 40% for a few more months seems to be ideal. The higher the ABV the more vanillans and tannins, the lower the more sugars.

Regardless, it\'s what YOU like that is best for you. Experiment.
I don\'t know if I answered or just rambled on because I\'m half likkered right now! HA!

The longest I\'ve ever left it was 6 months and that was on oak of un-specified origin, that did\'nt turn out well at all.

With the Essencia Chunks I usually put 500 grams into 5 Litres at 45% abv for 3 weeks plus a bottle of Essncia Bourbon Essence, filter off and store for 5-6 weeks before tasting. This usually gives me a pretty tidy bourbon. I think this time round I just got a bad batch of oak chunks. Based on your comments (Goingbroke) I wonder what it would be like if I soaked 5 litres at 93%abv and used that as a base for cutting and flavouring, might give that a try next time I do a run. That should be quite soon as I have relatives arriving for my 66th and staying for a while so my stocks are about to diminish quite rapidly and will need replenishing.
Opus

Just put 5 Litres of 55%ABV on 500 Grms of bourbon chunks. Hope to leave it for a month and see what it's like.

Opus

On the subject of Essencia Bourbon Chunks.

The first time I used this branded product, in 2010, I was blown away by the results. It did exactly what it said on the tin ( plastic bag, actually!) I was tasting the product off these chunks against Maker's Mark and Four Roses. There was no contest, the product off the Bourbon Chunks was far superior.

Unfortunately the results from the next two 500g bags were nothing like my first experience. Indeed, I posted in this thread about past poor results.

I recently returned home from a trip to the UK where, undeterred, I had bought another 500g bag of the same "Bourbon Chunks" from my suppliers (lovely people). I was determined to give Essencia another chance and get a good result to prove that the past problems were but a hiccup. (I really wanted to replicate the result from the first batch it really was that good!)

After the initial 7 days, then 10 days, my lovely clean, filtered, spirit has a lovely colour but tastes like crap - I'm seriously considering chucking it back in the still.
(lest anyone suggest there might be a problem with the base spirit - I had tasted it before using on the offending timber, it was nectar!)

I now believe the glorious 'Bourbon Chunks' I got, on that first occasion, were probably part of a barrel from Booker Noe's private stock at the Jim Beam Distillery because every bag I've bought since has been absolute rubbish. The chunks I've had since that first batch taste like they might have come from a disused railway sleeper from somewhere near Kentucky.


For illustration purposes, Essencia's instructions for using their Bourbon Chunks are:
"For the best Bourbon available to the home brewer :-
• 500g Essencia Bourbon Chunks
• 2.5 litres alcohol
• Soak for 7 days then filter off. (Produces 2 x 1125ml bottles of excellent Bourbon)

Add a further 2.30 litres of alcohol to the used Bourbon Chunks and leave to soak for 19 days.
Filter off to produce 2 x 1125ml bottles of good Bourbon.

Add a further 2.30 litres of alcohol to the used Bourbon Chunks and leave to soak for 5–6 weeks to produce oaked spirit. Filter off, add 1 x bottle of Essencia Bourbon essence to this alcohol to make 2 x 1125ml bottles." End Quote

I am also firing off a salvo of rockets to the Maguire brothers at Essencia in New Zealand because I'm now satisfied, following my extensive testing, that the wood supplied as "Bourbon Chunks" under their name is completely lacking quality of any kind and it's provenance is now in question.

At this point I believe I could extract more and better flavour from lollypop sticks.

I will report back if I manage to get any useful information to pass on.

AM

I thought better about the 93% ABV and settled for the 55%. Mainly as a result of a bit of research which I think would suggest 60% to be the optimum.
My previous batch that caused me concern, ie tasted like sawdust, finally developed into a first class bourbon.
I now ignore the packet directions and leave it on the wood untill it tastes right whether that be weeks or months.

Opus

I've never tried Essencia, but I've had great results with the Jack Daniels barbie chips that come in a nice big bag

http://www.planetbarbecue.co.uk/shopwoodchips.html

It's the woodchips further down, not the pellets at the top!

(link to give an idea, not recommending this company or saying they're cheapest, never tried them!)

I just chucked a handful of them into a glass jar with about 1.5l of neutral, left it a few weeks until I needed a drink and then it tasted pretty good - still some experimentation to be done with quantities etc so report back your findings!

First report: Jack Daniels Wood Smoking Chips
Image Net Weight 800g

Being unsure of the potential, if any, of these chips I simply split the bag in half and put 400g in a 3lt Kilner glass jar with two litres of neutral 40%ABV on Fri 01 Jul 2011.

Little more than 24 hours later the spirit has already taken on a beautiful amber colour leading me to think that the 400g was much more than actually required.

I'm going to set up another 2lt of neutral and start at the other end of the scale with just 100g and see how it gets on.

I'll post pics of both next week when they've both had a minimum of 7 days.

Note: In comparison, Essencia recommend putting 500g of their Bourbon Chunks on 2.5lt of neutral and, having done this already, I found the spirit only started getting a colour after 48 hours and even then in was quite thin.

aidanmac

JD BBQ Chips Update 2
06 Jul this is what the jar with 1.7lt and 100g of BBQ Chps looks like now.


Bouquet is slightly Oaky and with just a hint of caramel/vanilla. Not bad for under 4 days.

After 7 days the 2lt with 400g of BBQ Chips looks like this;


Lovely colour, bouquet is full on with strong caramel and vanilla notes with a touch of Oak in the background. In the mouth the flavour is full but not quite rounded and there is a little bite at the back end and just enough heat. With a little aging in the bottle I think this will be a very good, enjoyable Bourbon type spirit. This will be bottled on 09 Jul and put into storage to age for three months. I'm going to add a further 2lt to the jar and see what happens over the next month or so.

It's too early to draw any hard and fast conclusions but the signs are certainly encouraging.

AM

Great updates, thanks for keeping us all informed! If you feel inclined, try adding 10% actual bourbon to one of your bottles (preferably Jack to match the chips) and you should find that it fills out the flavour and fools the tastebuds into thinking it's pure JD. Then again, I like it with just the chips so I don't usually bother!

I promised a final update on use of JD BBQ Chips. The original test was using 100g in 1.7lt of neutral. A further 100g was added on 10 Jul and 7 days on the jar now looks like this.


The spirit has reached the right colour. The bouquet has improved considerably and has the distinct notes one would get from a reasonable sour mash whiskey. In the mouth it has a little sharpness and just a little heat at the back. All round a good result. With a little time aging in the bottle I'm sure this will be excellent sippin' 'Whiskey'.

If you're going to use JD BBQ Chips I recommend 2.125lt on 200g for 10 days and give your jar a good shake every day. Filter through cotton wool in a funnel to remove and wood particles that may be in the spirit.

I'm going to use the Chips again and expect a similar result after about 3 weeks.

AM

Final Word on Cost - Money's Always Important!

JD BBQ Chips cost me €14.95 (Stg£13.11) for 800g. Purchased locally in Ireland and will probably cost less elsewhere.


Based on the results I've reported above, one bag of these Chips will produce 8lt - 4 batches of 2.125lt* on 200g of chips yields a net 2lt of spirit from each batch at a cost of just €1.87 (Stg£1.64) per litre. *(this allows for 125ml soakage into the wood in each batch)

If you have 4 suitable containers you can have all 8lt of your spirit ready to bottle in just 10 days.

I believe these chips can be reused for a second run if left to soak for 3-5 weeks. you won't need to allow for loss due to soakage or add any Bourbon Essence at the end. This make a potential yield of 16lt from one 800g bag in which case you can divide the cost per litre in half.

Result or what?

AM