Knuklehead
(member)
06/03/04 10:06 PM
Used whiskey barrels
is there any truth to what I have been told that if you get a used whiskey barrel an fill it with water you will extract the alcohol form the wood and make whiskey. I find that hard to beleive but I was wondering if anyone knows more about this
I am Canadian
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kahluaman
(newbie)
06/03/04 10:16 PM
Re: Used whiskey barrels new [re: Knuklehead]
I don't really know. The logical answer would be no. Barrels breathe, and evaporate the alcohol within; we all know of the "angels share". I guess that if you had a newly discarded barrel, you might wring some of the left-over alcohol out. If any, I don't think it would be much. My 2 cents.
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beer4meok
(stranger)
06/04/04 03:30 AM
Re: Used whiskey barrels new [re: Knuklehead]
When I lived in Toronto approx 15 years ago, I used to buy the used whiskey barrels for $25.00. Then put 20 to 30 liters of distilled water in, seal it up and place on it's side, roll it around a few times then let it sit,then turn it one and a quarter turns per day(so it soaks a new part of the barrel every day) for 10 to 25 days depending on the strength that you want.Tastes great and is very smooth. Make sure they are recently emptied .
I wish I could buy some around here.
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theholymackerel
(enthusiast)
06/04/04 08:24 AM
Re: Used whiskey barrels new [re: beer4meok]
I'm sure you'd flavor the water that way... but gettin' alcohol... come on... I don't believe it would create a drink with any good amount of alcohol in it.
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Blanchy
(member)
06/04/04 08:29 AM
Re: Used whiskey barrels new [re: theholymackerel]
There is a drink they used to make in Canada (Fourway help me out here) called Screech which was water added to rum barrels. It seems to me you could hit beer to wine strength if you didn't add much water, and if the barrels were really cheap, then why not.
Chuck
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theholymackerel
(enthusiast)
06/04/04 08:48 AM
Re: Used whiskey barrels new [re: Blanchy]
With two of ya'll talkin' 'bout the same thing, I'll have to believe.
Cool! I learn somethin' new every day.
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pothead
(member)
06/04/04 09:29 AM
Re: Used whiskey barrels new [re: Knuklehead]
Even if the barrels were emptied ten minutes before you were to try this...you MIGHT get like a 2%abv whiskey flavored water. But, wouldn't it be easier to just take a liter of whiskey and mix it with about 10 gallons of water??lol
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Blanchy
(member)
06/04/04 02:39 PM
Re: Used whiskey barrels new [re: pothead]
I am assuming that the guys that did this were dock hands with used barrels so it was basically free. I can also imagine that if you drop about a gallon of water into a 66 gallon rum or whiskey barrel, the stuff you get out will knock you on your ass. Especially if it was a cask strength to start with.
Chuck
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Knuklehead
(member)
06/04/04 04:32 PM
Re: Used whiskey barrels new [re: pothead]
I really have no interest in triing this. I just had 2 people ask me if I wanted to buy some Seagram's whiskey barrels for $40 CAD. I would like to buy or two just for the looks but the thing is that the guys that are buying them told me that you could fill them with water and make whiskey. I figured that you could get some whiskey coloured and flavored water out of it but I really doubted you could extract any alcohol from the wood because it just makes sense that it would have evaporated. I was just wondering if anyone else had ever heard or done such. Thanks for the replys guys.
I am Canadian
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Fourway
(addict)
06/04/04 09:19 PM
Re: Used whiskey barrels new [re: Knuklehead]
it really works.
even whisket barrels that have been emptied for a few weeks have a puddle of booze in the bottom (at least two or three liters) and many more liters of alcohol soaked into the wood.
There are a bunch of different names for it. this is one of the dozen or so things called "sneaky pete" among other things.
water and alcohol have an affinity... they like to get together, very high proof etoh will soak up water out of the air. Water in a whiskey barrel will draw the etoh back out of the wood.
People who do this usually wind up with something in the 30 to 50 proof range depending on their technique and the freshness of the barrel.
its not really germain to a discussion of the distilling craft though... it fits better with discussions on making prison cell pruneo and straining sterno through burnt white toast.
"Dad was a drunk with a fishing problem". --Ben Willis
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beer4meok
(stranger)
06/05/04 07:50 PM
Re: Used whiskey barrels new [re: Fourway]
Thank you fourway, "sneaky Pete" is the way to describe it, after you are finished fighting with the barrel to get it into a bottle or glass,the next thing you know your having a conversation with the wall trying to figure out how you got so pissed on this mild and meek pale yellow stuff. To all the disbelievers and armchair experts DON"T KNOCK WHAT YOU NEVER TRYED,go and spend some cash and have an opinion that counts.
Now where did you say I could buy some of those barrels?
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theholymackerel
(enthusiast)
06/06/04 06:59 AM
Re: Used whiskey barrels new [re: beer4meok]
It tickles me to see a "stranger" pop up and declare that most of our opinions don't count.
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swpeddle
(newbie)
06/17/04 10:38 AM
Re: Used whiskey barrels new [re: theholymackerel]
Where I live, they used to sell the old rum barrels to the public after they bottled the rum. As I recall, it got to the point where there was a lottery for them since so many people wanted a barrel or two. However, the barrels haven;t been sold in years. It may be because the rum is now shipped here in SS containers, or so I have heard.
Steve
PS around here I have heard the results of the barrel rise to be called "swish" and "Screech" is still available but it's really just a std 80 proof low/mediocre quality mixed rum.