Cycling 5 gallon oak barrel

[Honest_Liberty]

I have been reading a ton on small barrel aging and the issue with keeping it for 3-4 years minimum for Bourbon.

I also hear sticks are great but maybe don't quite have the same quality of complexity over that time frame.

So here is my thought:
What if one were to purchase a 5 gallon new charred oak barrel, filled it for a week or two, pulled it out and set in glass, and put in a fresh 5 gallons for two to four weeks, and vice versa for three years.

Bourbon 1: 2 weeks
Bourbon 2: 3 weeks
Bourbon 1: 4 weeks
Bourbon 2: 6 weeks
Bourbon 1: 6 months
Bourbon 2: 9 months
Bourbon 1: 1 year
Bourbon 2: 18 months

I'm assuming as each gets refilled, and the return gets smaller with longer maturation time, bourbon 2 would need longer each time than Bourbon 1, to get the similar profile.

Then, at 3-4 years one would have 10 gallons of aged bourbon that more closely matches something done in a 53 gallon barrel.

Then at the end of three years fill it up with a fresh bourbon and just let it sit for 3-4 years.

I haven't been able to find any threads on this approach or results if tried

[Windswept]

why not just get a second barrel?

[Deplorable]

Dont over think it and over work yourself. If you start with a new charred 5 gallon barrel, plan for 10 to 14 months for the first fill, and an additional 6 months to a year for each subsequent fill. Depending on your enviromental factors, heat, humidity, and temp swings over time your results will vary a bit. Arid climates favor evaporation of water, while humid climates tend to lose more alcohol.
After teh contents have reached the desired oak influence, if you fell they need more time maturing, let in continue to mature in glass, and let it breath from time to time.

[Twisted Brick]

why not just get a second barrel?

Based on surface area to volume, the same spirit that could take 12 years to extract the correct amount of oak from a 53gal barrel could be over-oaked in a 5gal barrel in 18 mo's. A carefully crafted spirit can take longer than 18 mo's to mature on its own aside from oak contributions. The trick is having maturity on both fronts occur simultaneously. Like Deplorable says, external factors (in addition to personal cuts) makes this a moving target. Honest Liberty was inquiring how he could ride the linear curve of a barrel 'wearing out' evenly between two batches.

[Honest_Liberty]

why not just get a second barrel?

Honest Liberty was inquiring how he could ride the linear curve of a barrel 'wearing out' evenly between two batches.

Yes.

[8Ball]

Here’s what I’m doing with a 5G Gibbs:
UJSSM x 12 months
All grain bourbon x 24 months
All panela & molasses rum x 36 months (current fill)
All malt whiskey x 60 months, then draw a little & replace a little as thirst & angels dictate.

[Twisted Brick]

Here’s what I’m doing with a 5G Gibbs:
UJSSM x 12 months
All grain bourbon x 24 months
All panela & molasses rum x 36 months (current fill)
All malt whiskey x 60 months, then draw a little & replace a little as thirst & angels dictate.

Thanks for the report, 8Ball. How did the all grain bourbon evolve over 24 months? Angels get much?

I ask because I'm about to fill a once used (bourbon) 5gal Barrel Mill barrel with an all grain bourbon and curious about spirit development year #2 in the barrel.

[Honest_Liberty]

Here’s what I’m doing with a 5G Gibbs:
UJSSM x 12 months
All grain bourbon x 24 months
All panela & molasses rum x 36 months (current fill)
All malt whiskey x 60 months, then draw a little & replace a little as thirst & angels dictate.

I'm very excited to attempt this but I'll change out with my bourbon gumballhead at first.
Maybe do the sweetfeed where you did the panela and rum.

Very excited to go with this plan

[8Ball]

Here’s what I’m doing with a 5G Gibbs:
UJSSM x 12 months
All grain bourbon x 24 months
All panela & molasses rum x 36 months (current fill)
All malt whiskey x 60 months, then draw a little & replace a little as thirst & angels dictate.

Thanks for the report, 8Ball. How did the all grain bourbon evolve over 24 months? Angels get much?

I ask because I'm about to fill a once used (bourbon) 5gal Barrel Mill barrel with an all grain bourbon and curious about spirit development year #2 in the barrel.

Hey Twisted, this is what I copied from my notes:
Filled 5G Gibbs cask for second use with 62.5% BPB. Aged two years. Yield was 5.15G @ 44%. 26 bottles of 750 ml.
Angel share was 33%.


Getting ready to pull a gallon of rum out. Will replace it with some I have aging on glass and will top off again to see how much the angels took in 13 months.



Edit: Forgot to answer the spirit development part. Turned out very nice & smooth. Almost all the bottles are gone. Gave over half away. Great reviews from seasoned sippers. I personally think that it was only just starting to get awesome. More time would have been better, but 2 years is definitely good.

[Twisted Brick]

Edit: Forgot to answer the spirit development part. Turned out very nice & smooth. Almost all the bottles are gone. Gave over half away. Great reviews from seasoned sippers. I personally think that it was only just starting to get awesome. More time would have been better, but 2 years is definitely good.

Amazing - you stiffed the angels (but then your barrel is a Gibbs). I'm in for a long haul, then. 44% means no proofing down, which is good. With the hot Los Angeles summers, maybe I'll keep my barrel in my Harry Potter closet in the house. Would love to finish up closer to 50%. Thanx.

[8Ball]

Edit: Forgot to answer the spirit development part. Turned out very nice & smooth. Almost all the bottles are gone. Gave over half away. Great reviews from seasoned sippers. I personally think that it was only just starting to get awesome. More time would have been better, but 2 years is definitely good.

Amazing - you stiffed the angels (but then your barrel is a Gibbs). I'm in for a long haul, then. 44% means no proofing down, which is good. With the hot Los Angeles summers, maybe I'll keep my barrel in my Harry Potter closet in the house. Would love to finish up closer to 50%. Thanx.

Oh, sorry. It finished at around 60% cask strength. I proofed it down to 44% with distilled water. The cask holds about 5.5G, and I think I wound up with around 3.75G @ 60%. So yea, about a third to the angels in 2 years.

[8Ball]

Here’s what I’m doing with a 5G Gibbs:
UJSSM x 12 months
All grain bourbon x 24 months
All panela & molasses rum x 36 months (current fill)
All malt whiskey x 60 months, then draw a little & replace a little as thirst & angels dictate.

I'm very excited to attempt this but I'll change out with my bourbon gumballhead at first.
Maybe do the sweetfeed where you did the panela and rum.

Very excited to go with this plan

I’ve been happy so far. Good luck. Let us know what you wind up doing and how it works out.

[n_plains_drifter]

I’ve been happy so far. Good luck. Let us know what you wind up doing and how it works out.

8B: Taste report on the UJSSM? I'm about to launch phase 1 of your methodology. Wondering whether you got a worthwhile drop out of the first 12 months or whether in retrospect you would have saved that virgin for a 'true' bourbon?

Thanks, Drifter

[8Ball]

I’ve been happy so far. Good luck. Let us know what you wind up doing and how it works out.

8B: Taste report on the UJSSM? I'm about to launch phase 1 of your methodology. Wondering whether you got a worthwhile drop out of the first 12 months or whether in retrospect you would have saved that virgin for a 'true' bourbon?

Thanks, Drifter

While the UJSSM turned out great, I would have saved it for an all grain if I were to do it over.

My second fill was a ‘true’ all grain bourbon x two years and it was (yes, it is all gone now ..,) amazing.

My current third fill of all molasses, pure cane syrup, & panela rum just passed the 14 month mark of a three year solera process. I pulled 1G out last week and topped off with almost 2G of some I have aging on glass. Will top off again once or twice this year to replace angel share, then leave it alone for the last 12 months.

Building up the next fill now. It will be an all malt whiskey for 5 years. I’ll just draw off a little at a time & replace it with new from that point forward.

[n_plains_drifter]

Thanks for the update. Yeah, that is what I'ver been thinking about, but I figure that I'm so far down this path that I should just fill it with UJSSM and get it started. I don't have the patience to run that much AG that quick. I'm going to get the keg filled, take a month off, and then start a slow process of filling a 5G stainless with AG so that I've got it ready when the UJSSM comes out.

I’ve been happy so far. Good luck. Let us know what you wind up doing and how it works out.

8B: Taste report on the UJSSM? I'm about to launch phase 1 of your methodology. Wondering whether you got a worthwhile drop out of the first 12 months or whether in retrospect you would have saved that virgin for a 'true' bourbon?

Thanks, Drifter

While the UJSSM turned out great, I would have saved it for an all grain if I were to do it over.

My second fill was a ‘true’ all grain bourbon x two years and it was (yes, it is all gone now ..,) amazing.

My current third fill of all molasses, pure cane syrup, & panela rum just passed the 14 month mark of a three year solera process. I pulled 1G out last week and topped off with almost 2G of some I have aging on glass. Will top off again once or twice this year to replace angel share, then leave it alone for the last 12 months.

Building up the next fill now. It will be an all malt whiskey for 5 years. I’ll just draw off a little at a time & replace it with new from that point forward.

[8Ball]

Thanks for the update. Yeah, that is what I'ver been thinking about, but I figure that I'm so far down this path that I should just fill it with UJSSM and get it started. I don't have the patience to run that much AG that quick. I'm going to get the keg filled, take a month off, and then start a slow process of filling a 5G stainless with AG so that I've got it ready when the UJSSM comes out.

You can start aging with some toasted and charred white oak bones placed inside that stainless vessel while you build up enough AG to fill that keg.