Sundae Chocolate Bourbon

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

That one will work! Might even be the one I used. I don't know if the little bit of variation will make a huge difference. I would say any would work. The darker toy wan't the spirit, the more heavy the caramel.

[Copperhead road]

Nice recipe, thanks for sharing....
Think I need to get a chocolate sundae bubbling sooner than later.........yuuuummmmmy!!!!

[zapata]

Lol, I take it you arent a beer brewer? I get your answer, yes, use one, I don't know which one it was, probably doesn't matter too much.
To a beer brewer that's crazy talk! You cant sub caramel 20 for caramel 120! I think I'll go with 40, hopefully get some of that toffee in there
http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Products/Caramel.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

I am a beer brewer. I brew more beer than whiskey, I think. But .5 lbs, and then distilled... flavor will not be as dramatically changed as in my beer. I might have done middle of the road 60.

[cede]

I came accross this recipe and I have over 4 lbs of chocolate malt and some other crystal malts so I might try this soon.

Does anybody has done some aging and tasted at 6 months or over and can report ?

Thanks !

[fizzix]

Does anybody has done some aging and tasted at 6 months or over and can report ?

Only 4 months here, cede, (barreled March 25th). Took me a while to get a barrel.
Nothing like the white at all.
It's still young, but the potent flavors are mellowing and the chocolate is just a hint so far.
Would also like to read a 6+ month review.

[OtisT]

I just threw my cut into a new small bourbon barrel. 2L. I understand the recommendation for longer aging due to the dark grains. Unfortunately I’m using a tiny barrel, so I will need to age this in glass after it’s done in the barrel.

Chocolatly Goodness.

This turned out really nice. Only two weeks in the new little barrel and it has taken enough oak flavor and char, but it still needs more color and time. The smell of chocolate from the British Chocolate Malt is very prominent. If I were going for a subtle chocolate profile, I think 5% may be better than the 10% I used in this batch. I plan to sit down with this Bourbon later when I have more time to smell it again to try and identify the other scents and flavors hiding under that chocolate.

I now plan to let this age in glass for 6 months or more. I have some once used small oak sticks I may use to give it some more color and to help it mellow.

6 month report:
I have been aging this for about 6 months in jars. They still needs more time, in my opinion. I am waiting for the oak to chill out a bit and develop more. I have three jars: one white, one on MT oak, and one on MT oak plus I added a small stick of toasted cherry for a month or two before pulling it. The Chocolate malt and Dark Crystal malt I used are very promonant in the taste of each jar, but not too strong that you loose other tastes. The flavor on these specialty malts sure come through clear, and smells/tastes pleasant. The jar with cherry has a bit of the cherry smell on top, and I feel it tastes a bit smoother than the oak only jar.

I’m happy enough with the taste of this experiment that I want to try this recipe again, but I will use a barrel for aging next time.

Otis

[Irishgnome]

SCD,

Would you recommend white, yellow or a mix of the corn meal?

Have you played with this at all? Anyone?

I just placed a large order, then questioned what I ordered when I received the shipping notification.
The corn meal is easy for me to find local, so I'm not too worried about it.

Just figured I'd ask.

Cheers,
- Irish

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Im not sure that would matter to much. I haven't personally played around with the type of corn myself. I usually see the corn as the bulk of the alcohol, and sweetness. The malts are the spices in the meal, imo.

Play around with 2 side by side test and report back! Although, these bold chocolate and caramel features will most likely hide the subtle differences. Better recipes for that experiment

Let me know how it comes out for you . This recipe is a year before ready. But it's worth the wait!

[Irishgnome]

10 – 4 SCD

I just stripped 10 gallons of this and need finish up.

I used Agricor, which I believe is yellow.
Looking to fill two barrels to enjoy this time next year. I’ll make sure I use white on the next batch, that way I can taste test at the same time.

This was pretty interesting on the few pulls I took during the striping run, I can only imagine how good this will be in a year.

Thanks for sharing!

Cheers!
- Irish

[fizzix]

9-months in a small cask now, and I'll let it go probably another 9.
Not that it's unacceptable by any means, au contraire mon frère. Chocolate notes ju-u-ust starting to come to the fore.
The flavor marriage is only getting better than even 6-months ago, and I have lots of other liquors to distract me for the extended wait.

As ShineonCrazyDiamond recommends: Patience On This One!

[Beerswimmer]

Any updates? I'm getting ready to start on this. I want to put some in a used 5 gallon barrel for a year or 2. Or would a new barrel be better?

[Tummydoc]

A used barrel would be whiskey, but not bourbon

[Beerswimmer]

A used barrel would be whiskey, but not bourbon

Well I'm also not a licensed distillery that's concerned with advertisement and labeling legalities

[Tummydoc]

It's not about definitions. A used barrel has had much of the vanillin/caramel flavors extracted so you may not get the typical bourbon sweetness from a used barrel. You'll get a whiskey, but a fresh barrel will probably give the taste you are after more than a used barrel

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Any updates? I'm getting ready to start on this. I want to put some in a used 5 gallon barrel for a year or 2. Or would a new barrel be better?

What butch says is correct. I have only put this on fresh wood, as the entire style is based on deep caramel notes.

With that said, the next time I make this it will be going in a used 5 gallon barrel, that follows a complex bourbon. I use Gibbs barrels from Arkansas, and experience has shown me they have a strong second life. This is a bold bourbon, so I am not worried about a lack of depth. But, I won't know until I try it, as neither will you.

I always remind people that we are all the path cutters for originality. Remember, you can always add wood to it if it's too light for you.

[Irishgnome]

My batch has been sitting for 11 months in a new barrel from barrelsonline.com.
I took a pull last night and I was in heaven!
I don’t want to get too greedy and empty it now. I think that the flavors will intensify and some of the heat will settle down with an extra month or two.
I just place an order for grain to make another batch. My plan is to make a batch around this time every year and enjoy this for the holidays.

Just wanted to say thanks again SCD!

This stuff really is the cat’s pajamas!

Cheers
Irish

[BayouShine]

Hey yall, it's been a while since I've popped in. I talked with TB the other night, and it reminded me of this recipe and thread. I wanted to give everyone trying this a little heads up.

If you have the patience to put a bottle or 3 of this type of recipe away for a while, DO IT! I just popped the cap off of one I did that's pushing 3yrs old. It's almost indescribable how good this came out!

Everything has balanced out, and the few overpowering roasted flavors have calmed down, giving the sweetness of the corn room to shine. It's now easily the top #1 or #2 whiskeys I've ever made.

[Irishgnome]

BayouShine,

More info needed!
Did you bottle with wood inside?
Wood age it, then bottle? If so, how long?
Toasted wood, charred?

I just hit the one year mark on my make of this. It’s been resting in a new mini barrel (char level 3) the entire time. Taste is amazing now, slight heat that’s not overpowering.

I’m questioning if I should bottle now and let this sit for a year bottled, or leave in the barrel for longer?
Hell, maybe I should pull and proof a bottle. Keep the rest in the barrel to see what happens.

Cheers
Irish

[OtisT]

I made a small batch of this two years ago and am fixin to bottle the last liter of it tonight. It was delicious last year and is outstanding now.

The previous post asked about how someone aged theirs. Here is what I did. This one for me was a mix of aging styles that was not planned, it just happened this way due to circumstance. I started it in one of those small 5 liter bourbon barrels for two weeks, then I moved it to large jars for 5 months with toasted/charred American White Oak sticks. Then I moved the spirits to a small toasted/charred Oregon White Oak barrel for 3 months before bottling much of it. There was some time in jars there too, for a total of 12 months before bottling. I kept 800 ml of the 60% spirit in a 1800 ml jar and added a chunk of toasted/charred American white oak and it’s been sitting there since last year, being opened every month of so to breath.

I read a post last week about including small chunks of wood in bottled booze, and I think I want to try it. I plan to split that hunk of wood this stuff has been aging on for the last year into slivers that will fit into bottles.

Ya, it’s delicious. Otis.

[Irishgnome]

No test with fruitwood OtisT?

I think some cherry wood for a month could be really nice.

Cheers,
Irish

[OtisT]

Yes, that does sound nice. I’ll have to try it with my next batch. A toasted cherry for 3+ months would really set it off in a nice way. I’ll report back here in two years with the results.

Edit: . Irish gnome. Funny you mentioned adding cherry, because I actually did. I miss-read my hand written label on the jar when I made my last post, mistaking ‘ch’ for charred, when it meant cherry. I found my error by looking back at a previous post. Anyway, those 5 months in a jar with American white oak included a small stick of toasted cherry also in only one of the three aging jars. Great minds think alike.

So I love the smell/taste of what I have but I can not call out the Cherry specifically. With all the other prominent things going on in this spirit, perhaps a bit more cherry wood next time if one wanted cherry to be called out. Otis

[BayouShine]

BayouShine,

More info needed!
Did you bottle with wood inside?
Wood age it, then bottle? If so, how long?
Toasted wood, charred?

I just hit the one year mark on my make of this. It’s been resting in a new mini barrel (char level 3) the entire time. Taste is amazing now, slight heat that’s not overpowering.

I’m questioning if I should bottle now and let this sit for a year bottled, or leave in the barrel for longer?
Hell, maybe I should pull and proof a bottle. Keep the rest in the barrel to see what happens.

Cheers
Irish

This was put into a well used 5gal Balcones barrel with 30 or so medium toast oak cubes for a year, then bottled for the rest of the time. I also had the ability to leave this barrel outside in the 95*+ cajun country heat for the summer, which I felt did this whiskey a lot of good.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Hey guys. Just wanted to say thanks for coming back and sharing your results. Kinda hard to say, "Hey guys, this is a great recipe... trust me and make it for 2 years down the line! "

Im glad you guys have enjoyed this one as much as I have. I enjoy lots of spirits for different reasons, but this one has a special place for me. It's also my father's (il) favorite one, to the level of earning a little more respect and admiration with him.

This has such a deep and full character, and really is perfect for this time of year. It's a nice and cozy whiskey . Will take the winter chill right off .

Anyways, thanks alot for trusting me enough to invest your time and effort in trying this, and for taking the time to report back. It will help the next person looking for that really special bottle.

[Daantje]

Hi guys,

I have been stripping this, or at least a similar version, over the last month. Grain bill has been:
about 80% 35ppm peated barley malt
about 7,5% chocolate malt
about 7,5% caramel malt (cara120)
about 5% cane sugar.

I will be running a spirit run tomorrow (collected about 22 liters @35%ABV or 5.8 gallons @70 proof) and will be cutting the day after. I have seen that the cuts should not be that different than other runs (just more pronounced), but do any of you have any additional pointers to look for?

Thanks

[Daantje]

Ok, just finished, ending up with about 10 liters @70 ABV, or 2,5 gallons @140proof of end product. Although I used quite some more than the recommended 5% of specialty malts, the end product is not overpowering at all to me. Perhaps the European products differs some from US, but nothing harsh about this one. There is a little more buttery/sweet aroma and taste before aging, but noting really out of the ordinary. This after stripping runs and a spirit run on a copper alembic still.

[OtisT]

Ok, just finished, ending up with about 10 liters @70 ABV, or 2,5 gallons @140proof of end product. Although I used quite some more than the recommended 5% of specialty malts, the end product is not overpowering at all to me. Perhaps the European products differs some from US, but nothing harsh about this one. There is a little more buttery/sweet aroma and taste before aging, but noting really out of the ordinary. This after stripping runs and a spirit run on a copper alembic still.

All those specialty grains and you can’t detect anything out of the ordinary? Holy cow, that is a surprise and a shame.

Otis

[Daantje]

Well, 100% peated base malt is sort of my reference, OtisT. It would not surprise me if the flavors will pop-up later, but the warnings that the specialty malts would be harsh and overpowering, well, not (yet) for me.

[StuNY]

Just started a batch of this yesterday- smells so good fermenting!
66% cornmeal
15% distillers malt
9% malted wheat
5% Caramel malt
5% Chocolate malt

US-05 yeast.
Can't wait to taste it!

[Beerswimmer]

Ok, I just ordered a new 5 gallon #3 char for this. I'll be storing it my hot garage for a year or more. My plans are to keep it a bit simpler, but the same aim: 70% corn, 25% Vienna malt, 5% chocolate malt.