StillSmart

Honey Whiskeys are very popular. The modern original (and imo best) is Irish Mist. For both cost and effectiveness I'd think the honey should be part of the aging and not the brewing process. Alternatively, I'd blend.

Edit : I've been pondering on this since posting. I love the idea of leaving the oak to "marinade" in honey before using.

Your approach here is very Debussy, my Wagnerian approach here would be to just dump the honey in there

Robert.

Whereas, I'd suggest that trying to soak the wood in honey would be a waste of time.

Honey is hygrophobic so there's little to no liquid to absorb from the wood. Honey wouldn't be much more than a sweetener if added to the spirit for flavouring.

While adding a spirit or sweetened spirit/liqueur to the wood is very different as its the alcohol that extracts the flavour elements from the wood........

Looks like loud and shouty Wagner wins?

Robert.