charring apple wood

Treatment and handling of your distillate.

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baldyben
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Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2021 7:03 am

charring apple wood

Post by baldyben »

Got some nice seasoned apple wood given to me. so i have a question
I know toasting to certain temperatures induces certain flavours from the wood but what does CHARRING really do
I have seen youtube videos of people charring the wood with blowtorches till it looks like charcoal on the outside before putting it in their raw spirit. Is there any benefit to this. (does it act as a charcoal filter)
thanks in advance
Dave
OtisT
Master of Distillation
Posts: 3175
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2015 11:59 am
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: charring apple wood

Post by OtisT »

baldyben wrote: Sat Jul 24, 2021 9:18 am Got some nice seasoned apple wood given to me. so i have a question
I know toasting to certain temperatures induces certain flavours from the wood but what does CHARRING really do
I have seen youtube videos of people charring the wood with blowtorches till it looks like charcoal on the outside before putting it in their raw spirit. Is there any benefit to this. (does it act as a charcoal filter)
thanks in advance
Dave
Charring will add a char flavor and much darker and reddish color. Just like what it does for a bourbon. Too much char and you can get an acrid smell/taste that just ruins a drink for me.

I’ve played with fruitwood a bit and my tastes have evolved over time. I find I prefer the raw apple wood best, toasted second, and toasted/charred last. It is obviously just a personal preference and really depends on what you are adding it to. In a bourbon, give it a char. In a whiskey, toasted or raw. In a rum, raw or maybe toasted. You can check out some of my exploits playing with fruitwood in the thread linked in my signature below. Good luck. Otis
Otis’ Pot and Thumper, Dimroth Condenser: Pot-n-Thumper/Dimroth
Learning to Toast: Toasting Wood
Polishing Spirits with Fruitwood: Fruitwood
Badmotivator’s Barrels: Badmo Barrels
baldyben
Novice
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2021 7:03 am

Re: charring apple wood

Post by baldyben »

You can check out some of my exploits playing with fruitwood in the thread linked in my signature below. Good luck. Otis
Funny , I had already seen your posts yesterday. Excellent write up . Was interesting reading. I need something to take the raw edge of my spirit. I know aging does that. but i don't want to wait 10 years ...lol.
Any suggestions......
OtisT
Master of Distillation
Posts: 3175
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2015 11:59 am
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: charring apple wood

Post by OtisT »

baldyben wrote: Sat Jul 24, 2021 11:28 am
You can check out some of my exploits playing with fruitwood in the thread linked in my signature below. Good luck. Otis
Funny , I had already seen your posts yesterday. Excellent write up . Was interesting reading. I need something to take the raw edge of my spirit. I know aging does that. but i don't want to wait 10 years ...lol.
Any suggestions......
I’m no expert, but I don’t recall any wood alone taking away smell/flavor/bite from a product. Maybe my charred products have benefited from something the char removes, but I really only noticed the added smell/taste. The best way to take the edge off of a product is time, and time on a good wood is better. Edges can also be rounded by dilution with a neutral or similar base spirit that does not have those harsh edges, but that also dilutes the good flavors. You could also redistill your product if a wide cut is the cause of your rough edges.

Of course, the best best scenario is to avoid the harsh edges all together. For me, the key to a non-harsh product include 1) focus on a clean and happy ferment that does not have off flavors, 2) run your still at a proper collection speed, 3) good clean cuts, and 4) proper wood that is properly seasoned. Any one of these areas can add off flavors if not done properly.

Best of luck to you,
Otis
Otis’ Pot and Thumper, Dimroth Condenser: Pot-n-Thumper/Dimroth
Learning to Toast: Toasting Wood
Polishing Spirits with Fruitwood: Fruitwood
Badmotivator’s Barrels: Badmo Barrels
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