Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

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Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by haggendas »

OK...so I'm a bit confused. Whiskeys are made from grains, rum from sugar, and vodka's (or neutrals) are made from anything so long are they are stripped to pretty much flavorless.

I came across other members here aging their neutrals in oak chips. What would you technically call this? Would it be considered a whiskey, vodka... :think: ?

Please advise.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by Prairiepiss »

Oaked neutral.

I would call it a waste. But that's just me.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by Frosteecat »

I think you'd end up with oak flavored vodka...not a popular brand I see in the liquor stores. You'd be forcing vodka to act like a whiskey, instead of taking a richly potential flavored grain alcohol and inviting it to "dance" with and interact with the oak in subtle and complex ways, thereby enhancing its inherent qualities and dimensions. The oak complements the grain, but a neutral would only wear the oak on the surface, with nothing flavor wise to combine with in order to create a unique flavor profile.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by haggendas »

Thanks PP

For the sake of fulfilling my curiosity and all novices alike...I'm a bit ashamed to say it, but gonna try it out .... :wtf:
I'd like to see how it tastes.

and Frosteecat...your description made me hungry...or at least thirsty.... I felt like I was reading a dinner menu! :thumbup:
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by Frosteecat »

Me too lol!

I would like to know how it turns out. It would be cool if you could do a side by side neutral vs. pot comparison. I have certainly been wrong a time or two. :ebiggrin:
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by NcHooch »

There's always going to be some flavor from the wash, so toss it on some oak and forget about it for a year and see what you end up with . I've been enjoying a 2-year old UJ recently that was distilled with a BOK, it's very very good.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by haggendas »

NcHooch wrote:There's always going to be some flavor from the wash, so toss it on some oak and forget about it for a year and see what you end up with . I've been enjoying a 2-year old UJ recently that was distilled with a BOK, it's very very good.

How would you describe the taste? Like a whiskey?

Would you pass it off as whiskey or call it oaked vodka as PP stated? If it does taste like whiskey would it be politically incorrect to call it that?

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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by Bayou-Ruler »

haggendas wrote:
NcHooch wrote:There's always going to be some flavor from the wash, so toss it on some oak and forget about it for a year and see what you end up with . I've been enjoying a 2-year old UJ recently that was distilled with a BOK, it's very very good.

How would you describe the taste? Like a whiskey?

Would you pass it off as whiskey or call it oaked vodka as PP stated? If it does taste like whiskey would it be politically incorrect to call it that?

HD

Taste like Seagram 7
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by Barney Fife »

Taste like Seagram 7

I was just gonna say, it should come close to a Canadian Whiskey, since they reportedly distill to near-neutral, and most of the flavor comes from aging in used bourbon barrels.

So, save those used sticks/chips from aging your UJSM, and re-use them with your neutral.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by Dnderhead »

"Canadian Whiskey, since they reportedly distill to near-neutral,"
Canadian whisky or most is a blend of up to 50 different whiskeys.and use a lot of corn,
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by mash rookie »

Its called just plain crazy! Just kidding.

When I did my research with JD chips I did soak some good vodka to test the results. It imparted some color but not much flavor. The effort was to determine if the chips would make a whiskey flavored drink. This was done with consecutively with UJ and rum.
I did not test with off flavored neutral with additional time to see if it would improve the flavor. They did remove flavor from rum.

A master chef once said, You taste with your eyes before your mouth.
I do think that they would smooth out neutral and make a kind of light type whiskey. You can do better. Make good neutral and good UJ for the chips.

One of my first times in Canada I ordered a whiskey. The waitress asked Bourbon or Rye? She said they referred to their blended whiskey as a Rye.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by Barney Fife »

.and use a lot of corn,

Yes, and the corn is distilled to neutral.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by haggendas »

Ok, I went ahead tossed in some chared and toasted hickory chips and jasmine rice in a pint of neutral...yes hickory because that's all I had and I was in a rush to try something.... Well, its been a week and I'm gonna have to say I'm not a fan of the hickory flavor. The wood flavor from the hickory definitely comes through and I think I will use test batch as an essence.

This experiment got me curious about the rice so I will try infuse the neutral with jasmine and basmati rice to see how that comes out.
I will definitely find some oak and try it out too....

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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by blind drunk »

One of my first times in Canada I ordered a whiskey. The waitress asked Bourbon or Rye? She said they referred to their blended whiskey as a Rye.
Chime in here Blind drunk? Is that still done?
Sorry Mash, I have no idea. When I order a drink, I usually do it by name and not by type. Last Royal Crown I had was undrinkable. Wonder why :wink:
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by Dnderhead »

Canada laws a bit different,,if it contains rye they can call it rye .no mater how much is in it.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by mash rookie »

Dnderhead wrote:Canada laws a bit different,,if it contains rye they can call it rye .no mater how much is in it.
Are you the big blue super computer? Bored with rocket science?


Ok, I went ahead tossed in some chared and toasted hickory chips and jasmine rice in a pint of neutral...yes hickory because that's all I had and I was in a rush to try something.... Well, its been a week and I'm gonna have to say I'm not a fan of the hickory flavor. The wood flavor from the hickory definitely comes through and I think I will use test batch as an essence.
Make BBQ sauce with it. That is what I did with my hickory test.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by haggendas »

Make BBQ sauce with it. That is what I did with my hickory test.

Mash, that sounds like an excellent idea!

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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by midisoul »

I've Oaked neutral a few times and it changed flavour depending on the nature of each batch Oak used.
I collect the oak from a barrel maker nearby. It's offcuts from used wine barrels that have been left outside and are at time fairly weathered.
I sand the dirt off the outside but leave the char and the wine residue in place. With each new batch of Oak used, I check the spirit after two days
and then again daily until it tastes acceptable. It tastes pretty nice usually - a cross between Butter and Caramel and definitely sweet.
It's not one That I can drink in too much quantity as it gets a little sweet after a few shots.
I always use American Oak in small chips about 20mm square by 6 mm thick
The rate of 10 - 15g oak per Litre Neutral at of 55%
Apart from the oaking of neutral - I generally make Rum and the neutral is generated after the spirit runs have hit the wall,
I change to a reflux head and continue collecting until its (the now Neutral) all gone.
I use the same oak for ageing Rum and am used to the oak taste.
I always mix the aged Neutral down to 43% and drink it with cola its pretty nice. It even tastes a little like a boutique rum :)
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by Rrmuf »

I was researching tom cat gins and found nothing on the site, but I think this discussion helps. Has anybody tried to put a gin on oak? Thoughts?
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by jayka »

https://youtu.be/w827WkP-AVc check this vid out and then see if your still interested. I probably wouldn't age a full neutral but you could probably have some fun with other liquors.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by 8Ball »

haggendas wrote: Wed May 16, 2012 7:59 pm OK...so I'm a bit confused. Whiskeys are made from grains, rum from sugar, and vodka's (or neutrals) are made from anything so long are they are stripped to pretty much flavorless.

I came across other members here aging their neutrals in oak chips. What would you technically call this? Would it be considered a whiskey, vodka... :think: ?

Please advise.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by Rrmuf »

jayka wrote: Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:55 am https://youtu.be/w827WkP-AVc check this vid out and then see if your still interested. I probably wouldn't age a full neutral but you could probably have some fun with other liquors.
Thanks for that! Gives me a sense of what to do, what not to do, and what to perhaps expect. I'm intrigued!!! I actually have a nice Tom Cat Gin to compare against!
SO, further advice notwithstanding, I think what I will explore goes something like this:

- Ferment and strip a batch or two of Ted's FFV
- Infuse with botanicals a-la OEG (I need to research what would work best)
- Distill (pot-still)
- Keep the resultant distillate at ~120proof
- Age with oak chips
- Report back. I might actually move this to the Gin section.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by Deplorable »

Ive had a wheat vodka from Heritage Distillery that was finished for 2 to 3 months in used bourbon barrels, and I have to say it was a very nice neat vodka.
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Re: Aging netural spirits in oak chips...what's it called?

Post by Rrmuf »

Deplorable wrote: Wed Dec 02, 2020 7:44 am Ive had a wheat vodka from Heritage Distillery that was finished for 2 to 3 months in used bourbon barrels, and I have to say it was a very nice neat vodka.
Ditto here, except it was (is) a very pleasant oak-aged gin from Vermont.
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