aging in wood kegs

brewster · Post by **brewster** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 8:09 am

i have been aging a neutral spirit for 3 months now in a charred white oak keg and the product smells and taste like wood...can someone help me with this ???
thanks

The Chemist · Post by **The Chemist** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 1:14 pm

What did you expect?

Use it for blending.

TownDrunk · Post by **TownDrunk** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 2:27 pm

Yeah a neutral spirit isn't going to do anything but take on the flavor of the wood.

whiskey is aged in charred american white oak barrels. It helps add flavor to the whiskey. Neutral spirits have no flavor to blend with the oak.

If you redistill, the oak flavor should pretty much dissapear.

Interesting though you have made oak flavored vodka.

Froggy · Post by **Froggy** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:07 pm

I just did the Bundaberg Rum tour here in Australia a few weeks ago.
They still water diluted molasses and when it comes out its pretty well flavourless(I smelt and tasted it). Its not until they age it for two years in the oak vats that it gets it taste

I would of thought that the flavourless spirit I tasted would of got a wood tastes as well?

masonjar · Post by **masonjar** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:39 pm

Was the wood toasted? I noticed a woody taste using non-toasted oak, but a rich, smokey, vanilla taste after toasting the oak.

Aidas · Post by **Aidas** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 11:49 pm

Read Flavoring --> Using wood on the parent site.

Aidas

brewster · Post by **brewster** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 9:59 am

sorry excuse my ignorance...so whats the answer for making a good whiskey....what is it that you put in the charred white oak keg to age ??
thanks for your help....

speedfreaksteve · Post by **speedfreaksteve** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:15 pm

For making good whiskey you put whiskey in the barrel.. not neutral spirit.

Your best bet for now is to follow one of the recipes in the recipe section on here.

Hackers · Post by **Hackers** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:15 pm

If you are wanting to start from neutral spirits you could try soaking your neutral spirits in whisky chips (chips from old whiskey barrels). You can speed up the process by alternating every 3-4 days from room temperature to fridge temperature (to emulate the seasons). This will speed up the aging. when taste and colour is to your liking you will have a very passable whiskey. You can also add essences from whisky kits to vary the flavour to suit your taste. A good way to begin to understand the effects of flavours and aging while havin something to sup

Uncle Remus · Post by **Uncle Remus** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:45 pm

Whiskey is made with an all grain mash. The parent site has all kinds of info on grain mashes. If you put a neutral spirit in oak all you get is oak flavoured vodka. Grain spirits (whiskey) has flavour of grain(s) even when it's white. But it must be distilled correctly. If you run a grain mash through a reflux and pull it of 90-95% you got vodka. If you pull it off below 80% you got whiskey.

Do a bit of reasearch first and then ask questions.

TownDrunk · Post by **TownDrunk** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:29 am

Yeah dude. Just like UR and I both told you. And Do some damn reading newb!! didn't I tell you first that you just made some oak flavored vodka.

For Whiskey, use grain, then use a potstill to distill it. ITs basic freaking info that you should have picked up on.

Ignorance is no excuse for stupidity!!!

And also if you want to call it a genuine whiskey. Don't use those essences on neutral alcohol. Its not the same by any standards. Just cheap, quick, cheating ways to make your crap good.

Please read, read, read, read. Then ask a halfway intelligent question on basic knowledge that is very common knowledge.

Does your momma know your making alcohol? Oh I can't wait till' uncle jesse gets on and rips you a new one....

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:36 am

Wheres that do not feed the troll graphic? This comes up all the time and I've personally answered it in PMs at least a couple of times. search all the posts by brewster to get really bored...

possum · Post by **possum** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 5:56 pm

UR is right on the money there Brewster.
The grain flavors mingle with the toasted or charred wood in a barrel. I did some sugar wash on wood in the beginning, and it tasted sort of flat, and was missing somthing.
After making some grain based mashes, the product was just what I hoped for.