Thanks MtR for sharing the details and results of your batch.MtRainier wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 5:44 am It turned out ok. I had it in a once used 3 gallon Gibbs Bros barrel that had HBB in it for 4 months for the first run through. I left it in that barrel for a year with one extra stick of charred white oak that I stuck in there through the bung hole and then pulled it out when it started tasting too woody to me and put it in a glass carboy where every month or two I open it and give it a good shake to try to keep some oxidation happening. I don't know if that's a good protocol or not, but that's what I kind of came up with. The HBB from the first fill was good tasting right after 4 months. Not as complex as a fancy bourbon, but better than the little semi-local distillery that sells at the farmers market.
The rye is definitely whiskey. It doesn't have the spice and citrus and other complex flavors that a "real" well-aged rye has. It also is a bit thin somehow. Maybe some of the body in a whiskey comes from time spent in the barrel breaking down wood components in addition to the typical caramel and vanilla flavors that we associate with oak? The compromises we have to make to simulate aging whiskey on small scale don't seem to end up with product that is better than the bottom shelf at the local store. At least in my experience. Still fun to try, though.
Most of the advice I’ve received and the reading I’ve done say that it takes a lot of time to develop a good all rye spirit. I just tasted the same recipe of all rye whiskey aged 3 and 5 years in new oak charred barrels and there was a noticeable difference in maturity. I’m hoping this barrel I plan to fill will age 5 years.
The thinness you mentioned is something I’ve been reading about and tasting in my research. Many threads I’ve read say that some malted rye in the mash bill will add some body or mouthfeel that the raw rye is missing. A biscuit malt rye was specifically recommended by one friend for adding mouth feel.
Glad to hear that rum just gets better and better. I just filled a used barrel with dundered rum myself and am looking forward to it developing over time.