what does "young" whiskey taste like?

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what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by distill_smith »

I have corn based whiskey that has been twiced distilled and 0.75 oz (whole piece) of charred white oak added per quart (glass mason jar) and aged for four months. I am just beginning to sample it. It seems to have a fairly good flavor, except something in the finish is kind of harsh (I don't really know else to describe it). Is this the youngness of it, or something else, how do I tell? The jars have been sealed for the whole time, should I be venting it in some way ? Thanks
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by Sporacle »

Young whiskey tastes harsh, could be heads, could be a stage of the aging process (the flavour seems to change a bit in the early stages) I give mine a shake and open them up every once in a while.
Make something else and forget about tasting it for another 8 months :D
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Let it breath a bit from time to time.
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by 8Ball »

I leave my lids a little loose with a coffee filter. I also cut a little groove in my corks for air exchange.
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by distill_smith »

I had been considering drilling a small hole in the lids and covering with a couple of layers of micropore tape
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by Sporacle »

Or just open the lid from time to time, saves your jar :thumbup:
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by The Baker »

I think I already asked this (maybe on another forum);
but didn't get any comments and it seems pretty relevant here.

I am not that experienced or able a taster of whisk(e)y, and I am making Uncle Jesse's simple sour mash.
Currently on the fifth ferment...
so, yes, young, though that is not the main consideration.

Not using all corn, using a little wheat (because I had some on hand)
and a little barley (because I couldn't get corn at first)
and corn (crushed maize) after I could get some;
and a little handful of popcorn (!) because my wife bought it for an on-line family zoom gathering
where everyone was munching on something and she didn't like it much and I didn't like it at all...

Stored in glass (just cut it from the cutting jars which I opened for a few days) with some bourbon cubes
and some chips that I had on hand.

Can anyone suggest a couple of commercial bottles that taste somewhere near the same
as what I am aiming for?
Maybe fairly basic, say up to medium price and fairly available.

That would be interesting and quite valuable to me and to others as well.

Geoff
Last edited by The Baker on Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by The Baker »

And thanks, distill_smith, for your original question.

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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by distill_smith »

I'm with you baker. I know what I like, but its really difficult to articulate what I'm tasting. I don't know what uncle Jessie is supposed to taste like. I typically get a bottle of something I like and compare it, as best I can, to what I've made
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by Oatmeal »

Did it taste harsh when you put it in the jar? Could be some tannins coming out o the oak....
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by Yonder »

Harsh? Subjective, but I’d say you cut too much heads into the whisky. Oak will age that out somewhat, after time.
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by Sporacle »


Can anyone suggest a couple of commercial bottles that taste somewhere near the same
as what I am aiming for?
Maybe fairly basic, say up to medium price and fairly available.
Geoff, I've just started the UJSSM thing, mine tastes bourbony, much like rums are different but still taste rummy. My suggestion would be to grab a bottle of reasonable bourbon and mix a shot with soda, ice and do a side by side with yours. I've given mine to a few friends mixed that way and they pick it as bourbon. Aside from that maybe Santa might send you a Bourbon :D I do like a UJSSM with ice, soda and a squeeze of lemon
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by NZChris »

If I want to drink UJSSM in four months, I select a nice narrow cut and leave it white.

At four months on wood, any whiskey of mine has too much tannin and is too astringent for my tastes, like oak tea. A couple more years on the wood fixes that. Mine is aged in 2/3rds full jars to allow for some O2 in the headspace.
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by Sporacle »

Chris I just used the last of a 3L jar of UJSSM it was sitting on dominoes at 1 per litre for about 3 weeks at 62 got a colour pretty much immediately, I just added a fresh 3L to the jar and absolutely zero colour from the original dominoes, be interesting to see if any flavour comes across :thumbup:
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by NZChris »

Sporacle, I can get color in days and weeks, but when I do, it gets astringent not long after. That's one reason why I've taken to keeping most of my corn likker white. Well cut white dog UJSSM made from nice corn can be delightful hot off the still and for years afterwards. I found some 6YO last week. I don't think it tastes much different to when it was first made. I probably still have some of it's oaked cut here if I spent the time to look for it :D
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by The Baker »

Thanks, sporacle.

What do YOU consider ' a bottle of reasonable bourbon?'
That is exactly what I want to know. (Though you have just got me part way....)

I will take your recommendation or your couple of recommendations
and mix a shot with soda, ice and do a side by side with mine.

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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by Sporacle »

What's reasonable is very subjective Geoff, I don't mind a Woodford Reserve on the rocks others may differ, my UJSSM I drink early and narrow cut (I'm currently drinking a 3 week old)
Total honesty, at 3 weeks it is around or a bit below Jack Daniels smooth on ice, it is narrow and my fients go to a neutral so I'm not concerned. It allows me to have a ready to drink now and stops me from fiddling with the stuff that needs time. :thumbup: if mine is the same or similar to a 40 dollar bottle then I'm happy
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by Saltbush Bill »

distill_smith wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 12:46 pm I had been considering drilling a small hole in the lids and covering with a couple of layers of micro-pore tape
Do it , I doubt you will regret it , Ive done it with both Rum and UJSSM before and after I owned Barrels ,....it works and works well.
The difference was that I covered the hole with something as simple as a coffee filter.
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by Sporacle »

NZChris wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 11:32 pm Sporacle, I can get color in days and weeks, but when I do, it gets astringent not long after. That's one reason why I've taken to keeping most of my corn likker white. Well cut white dog UJSSM made from nice corn can be delightful hot off the still and for years afterwards. I found some 6YO last week. I don't think it tastes much different to when it was first made. I probably still have some of it's oaked cut here if I spent the time to look for it :D
I'll see in about 12 months I've got a all corn about to go in a barrel, definantley going to keep the next UJSSM white :D once again thanks for the info
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by NZChris »

Barrel the all corn, drink the UJ while you wait :D
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by The Baker »

Sporacle wrote: Wed Oct 27, 2021 1:06 am What's reasonable is very subjective Geoff, I don't mind a Woodford Reserve on the rocks others may differ, my UJSSM I drink early and narrow cut (I'm currently drinking a 3 week old)
Total honesty, at 3 weeks it is around or a bit below Jack Daniels smooth on ice, it is narrow and my fients go to a neutral so I'm not concerned. It allows me to have a ready to drink now and stops me from fiddling with the stuff that needs time. :thumbup: if mine is the same or similar to a 40 dollar bottle then I'm happy
Thanks, I will see if I can get me a Woodford Reserve.
I think I have a Jack Daniels, I know they are available anywhere.

Anyone else have another suggestion of a comparison with a reasonable young whiskey? This is really helpful.

I had no thought of drinking a white UJSSM after only three weeks! I will make sure
of some narrow cut from the next spirit run.
Let's see, wash to run maybe tomorrow with some lower tails feints,
then a spirit run with some heads feints (Uncle Jesse's suggestion I think) and some high tails feints.

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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by distill_smith »

Still very new to this, I didn't keep a white sample, to know if the harshness happened during aging or not. I will certainly do this next time.
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by LordL »

And try to taste your cuts properly. Blend them down not only to their intended final strength like 80 proof. Blend it down to its "final procentual share". Is it a 100ml heads jar out of a total 5 liter hearts? Se what it tastes like when you take 1ml from it and pour 50 ml water (or hearts) to it. Which off tastes do you find? Does that taste marry well with some 100 ml tails jar? Try and blend and play around with the cuts as you think you would like your final product.

I have noticed that our small 5l oak cask leaks like a Swiss cheese. We overcompensate by pushing way into the heads. Under the short 12 weeks in the barrel, all heads have gone away with the angels anyway. Makes michters smell like a solvent based paint in comparison. So it's up to how you store it as well. A leaky vessel will act as a slow distill, taking out the lightest solvents first.
Well, that's my experience anyways. Hope I could contribute with some thoughts around all this!
Last edited by LordL on Sat Oct 30, 2021 12:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by 6 Row Joe »

Don't vent your jars to open air. The alcohol evaporates.
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by SmokyMtn »

6 Row Joe wrote: Fri Oct 29, 2021 7:52 pm Don't vent your jars to open air. The alcohol evaporates.

My carboys don't have lids. Just a coffee filter wrapped with a rubber band. Barrels breathe, spirits in a glass needs the same.
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by EricTheRed »

I put a cheese cloth on top of my 4 L glass jars and just put the lid on without turning it
Lets it breath nicely
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by Saltbush Bill »

SmokyMtn wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 6:16 pm
6 Row Joe wrote: Fri Oct 29, 2021 7:52 pm Don't vent your jars to open air. The alcohol evaporates.
My carboys don't have lids. Just a coffee filter wrapped with a rubber band. Barrels breathe, spirits in a glass needs the same.
I agree smokey, Ive left 2 Liter wine flagons open with nothing but a coffee filter and a rubber band for almost a year.
The amount lost was close to unnoticeable, what was noticeable was the huge improvement in the booze that was left.
I have a 2 L flagon of the same booze from the same run that has never been aired in that way .......the difference in quality is large to say the least,
I wouldnt leave that much booze laying around in wide mouthed jars for that long though, a lot more may get guzzled by the angels.
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

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Saltbush Bill wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 8:03 pm
I wouldnt leave that much booze laying around in wide mouthed jars for that long though, a lot more may get guzzled by the angels.
I hear ya on this! Had done a spirit run of BW and had coffee filters over the tops of wide mouthed jars. Was going to give it 24 hours or so to air before making cuts, but something in my personal life came up. It was two weeks before I could revisit the jars and make cuts. By then, I had lost almost 50% to evaporation!!

Not sure if it was the temp or humidity in my garage at the time that accounted for this big of a loss, but I’ll never forget it. On the other hand, it turned out to be an exceptionally smooth batch, and both myself and the angels got sh*tfaced off of it.
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by bluc »

I find sugar washs harsher then all grain especially when young. I dont mind young all grain but only drink young sugarhead when its all I have or trying to keep my hands off the all grain..
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Re: what does "young" whiskey taste like?

Post by Deplorable »

I'm realizing I'm not a big fan of "young whiskey" so I just pinch a tight blend quart, to drink white and throw the rest on wood and wait for the reward down the road. After a year I'm now drinking the stuff I kept my hands off of and just keep making more so I stay ahead of consumption.
New make Corn I like more that new make single malt and new make whiskey, so I just practice patience and wait on the magic of time and wood.
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