Advice oak prep

Treatment and handling of your distillate.

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lance
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Advice oak prep

Post by lance »

HI i need some help i have just got some american oak from the wood shop it has been there for years on a self it is 25+25 mm square how do i prepare it for soaking and how much do i put in for a 5lt 65% rum sorry about the typing
WithOrWithoutU2
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Re: Advice oak prep

Post by WithOrWithoutU2 »

lance,

Typically you want "seasoned" white oak, not just dried oak. Seasoned oak is weathered/washed by the elements. This is said to wash unwanted tannins.

In terms of how much to use, opinions vary. Some suggest it is best to go for a longer aging period with less oak to give a chance to draw out all the complex flavors from the oak. While others prefer a shorter time with more oak as they feel the longer time can give an "over oaked" taste. It also depends how much surface area you use in the rum. Chips, sticks, dominos, etc will all have different surface area. I'd suggest you do a little research to gain a better idea of what you might like. Oaking is a big topic and has it own section.

All that said, here is something from Saltbush Bill when describing what he came up with after several experiments, ".... 2L flagon has 2 sticks of oak approximately 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch x 4-5 inches long in it". He says this amount allows for both short and long term aging. I've been using this ratio and it seems to work for me.
lance
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Re: Advice oak prep

Post by lance »

So you saying the oak i have is good for nothing???
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EricTheRed
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Re: Advice oak prep

Post by EricTheRed »

lance wrote: Tue May 17, 2022 11:40 pm So you saying the oak i have is good for nothing???
I wouldn't say that.
OAK (of any kind) is like Hen's teeth here is South Africa - and when you do find, it is very very expensive (sosts more than the mash!)

I purchase some kiln dried staves at not to unreasonable price (20mm x 30mm x 1.5m) - cut them into 15cm lengths, toasted them in the oven for about 3 hours at or about 200°C
Then gave them a medium char with the blowtorch
I use 3 of those in a 3.5L glass jar

Maybe not the ideal, but hey, it works. Gives a caramel flavour (too much at first, but it goes away) and the resulting product after about 6 months is very smooth, pleasant, nice colour and nice odour.
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lance
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Re: Advice oak prep

Post by lance »

same here in oz lots of local stuff tasi oak silky oak dont know is it would be good pleanty of other wood mango tamarin iron bark lemon gum spotted gum pluss all the rain forest timber but dont know what to do with it lol
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: Advice oak prep

Post by Saltbush Bill »

A quick search found these.....they should point you in the right direction.......there is much, more out there if you look for it.
Oaking and aging the T-Pee way ~~~~~> viewtopic.php?t=50348
Oaking 101 ~~~~~~> viewtopic.php?f=46&t=28615
Another one here ~~~~~~~> viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6890
many many more here ~~~~~~> viewforum.php?f=4
OtisT
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Re: Advice oak prep

Post by OtisT »

Lance,
Another thing to know about your oak is that you should only use the heartwood for aging. Heartwood is the darker, inner rings of the tree. The sapwood is lighter in color and being newer wood, has too much tannin in it. Tannin makes your spirit bitter. 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
lance
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Re: Advice oak prep

Post by lance »

gunna have a go t pee way see what happens
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