About Oak Chips

Just Wondering · Post by **Just Wondering** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 9:48 am

If major distillers leave their product in Oak Barrels for years then why do we remove the Oak Chips after a couple weeks or months?

I got about 12 Gallons of 65% ABV UJSM sitting on Heavy Toasted Oak Chips. Sugguestions when to remove?

I also got 1 1/2 Gal 65% Rum with Heavy Toasted Oak Chips and a Cinnemon Stick. Sugguestions

Thanks in Advance

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 10:52 am

its a volume/surface area thing....

You should take out the oak when it tastes right to you. You can easily over-oak spirits with cubes and chips.

pintoshine · Post by **pintoshine** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 7:14 pm

Golf clap...
Good answer. It is done when it tastes done.

Post by **blanikdog** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 10:17 pm

junkyard dawg wrote:You can easily over-oak spirits with cubes and chips.

You certainly can. I've over-oaked to buggery in my early days. Let your taste buds be your guide.

blanik

BW Redneck · Post by **BW Redneck** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:53 pm

Shavings will do it even faster. Used them my first few times, kept overdoing it. Redistilled so many times (too bitter) that I had almost made a UJSM into a neutral (considerable, it was pot stilled.

) Went to cubes, never went back.

Post by **bronzdragon** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:02 pm

I like cubes ... never did like all the floaty pieces in my jars. bleh

~r~

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 9:08 am

I've even left product in a gibbs barrel too long and over oaked it that way...

Nothing beats a good barrel tho...

As-Ol-Joe · Post by **As-Ol-Joe** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:37 am

I bought some Jack Daniels smoking chips. Put some in the oven on the low rack and high broil. Left them in there until they were toasted and starting to smoke a little. The wife loved that.

Going to put about an ounce to a quart of 55% UJSM and let it sit for a week or two. Hopefully it color and mellow it.

mtnwalker2 · Post by **mtnwalker2** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:37 pm

I have had good results, putting 62% on oak for a week, diluteing to 55% on the chips for a week, then dilute to 50% or even less and letting age with constant shakeing and opening jar for O2. If You don't add too many chips or sticks you can just let it mature for a good while longer at a weaker %. When I said constant shakeing, I meant a bit of it every several days. At the last stage only occasionally. Opening the top for an occasianal breath of fresh air. If its just begginning to over oak, dilute a bit more than normal, take out some of the oak and continue, or add some diluted neutral to the same ABV. Just a little. Further age on the oak at a weaker ABV. Much more complex flavors. Doesn't take long relatively to a cask.

As-Ol-Joe · Post by **As-Ol-Joe** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 5:55 pm

What exactly is over oaking? What is have sitting on oak now has a nice amber color and is starting to to have a nice, sweet, oakey aroma. It has been sitting for about 4 days.

CoopsOz · Post by **CoopsOz** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 6:04 pm

Take a little, dilute and taste...if it tastes good, its done. For an experiment (if you think it's done) you could take most of it off the oak and just leave a nip or two to remain soaking. Come back to it in another week and do a comparison, if you like the extra oaked stuff better, throw some more oak on your previous take. If you don't like it better than nothing is lost.

Post by **blanikdog** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 7:39 pm

What coops said.

It's really a personal taste thing. Impossible to describe a taste. Four days seems a little short to me. I usually leave it for a month or two.

blanik

As-Ol-Joe · Post by **As-Ol-Joe** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 8:18 pm

I plan on letting sit for several weeks, I was just checking it this morning.

May have to give a taste just to be sure

Post by **bronzdragon** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 2:31 am

Like was said earlier ... it's all personal taste. Some things I like a lot of oak on, like my whiskey or dark rum. Some things just a bit.

~r~

Bsnapshot · Post by **Bsnapshot** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 8:59 am

I was just woundering if the Jack Daniels smoking chips are made of American white oak? I have several oak wood logs I use in the backyard for campfires so are they the same as American white oak? They were cut in northorn Wisconsin.

As-Ol-Joe · Post by **As-Ol-Joe** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 9:24 am

The Jack Daniels smoking chips are made from the white oak barrels that they age their whiskey in. They run them threw a chipper and sell them for smokers.

There is a post in this section on the differnt types of wood to use.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5228

Woody_Woodchuck · Post by **Woody_Woodchuck** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 11:22 am

I’ll attest to being able to over oak and its easy to do in your first couple times trying it. I used straight corn whiskey. I tried whittled white oak chips, charred on the wood stove. First attempt used the theory more is better! I crammed a jug with chips and topped it off with raw whiskey. Let it set for a month before opening and tasting. Not a real happy batch, tasted like burned wood. Excellent color but not drinkable at all. Second try was filtering right from the coil as it ran off. A little color but not a lot of flavor. Tried putting a light layer in the bottom of a jug and giving it a couple weeks. How long depended on the batch and flavor expected out of it. Satisfactory results but didn’t really do it for me.

Best results were in an un-charred white oak box (square as I could not make an official barrel shape) with only a lightly burned stick in it. I removed the stick after… ohh... a couple months depending on taste and the rest sat on the back porch for a year. Damn fine drink. I tried several other times and each time the results varied. None were horrible but you needed to check them once a month as they all aged just a little differently. Only thought as to why the results varied was different batches of corn and the actual mash fermenting. Even using the same recipe, each batch does vary some and I found them to age differently. But, having to do a taste on each batch as they age was about as much fun as it gets.

Never tried any other woods, I liked the flavor so stayed with it.

Aidas · Post by **Aidas** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 11:49 am

I've been using my own oak (from the yard) -- quercus robur -- as close to quercus alba (USA white oak) as you can get in Europe

. Actually, it's the same oak used for wine barrels, so it's perfect.

As I've mentioned in other posts, I air dry for as long as possible, split them into fingers, wrap them in al. foil, bake them in the oven for 2-4 hours at 200 degrees C (time depending on the deepness of the toast I'm going for).

I age in 3 liter batches in glass jars, and I've taken to using 80 grams of toasted oak fingers per batch. I age on 40% (despite the practice of many of the more experienced distillers on this forum). I generally can't keep my hands of the product more than a couple of months, but now that I'm drinking less (for happy family related reasons I'll not get into

)I've actually kept a number of batches going for longer than that.

Just yesterday, after realizing that some of my batches have been oaking since July, I decided to check up on them. The July batches were on the verge of being over-oaked, but the vanilla and caramel smell were really up-front and pleasant. Just the way I like. August is probably better, because there isn't even a hint of over-oaking. September is nice, so I decided to take it off the wood too. October needs a bit more, so it's still on the wood.

Thus, I'm thinking that four months on a medium toast is what I like -- though I do know that I like my whiskey deeply oaked, so it might be different for others.

That said, a 10 liter batch of bourbon I've had oaking since the end of june was among the batches I checked. It was absolutely perfect -- dark, mahogony in color, with a vanilla and caramel flavor with a honey and apricot nose. It was definitely better than the 3 liter batch of the same stuff (though just by a tad

). I guess quantity is a variable that I'm unable to really understand.

What it comes down to is this -- experiment. You'll find your level of oaking that you like. Use different toasts (or chars) and age -- try it every couple of weeks until you like it. I don't recommend going over four months (based on personal experience), but who knows.

Hell, if it gets too oakey -- redistill it and start over.

Aidas

mtnwalker2 · Post by **mtnwalker2** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:58 pm

I adjust the chips according to my original spirit. If its a bit harsh, or rather a strong grain taste, I will add a lot less chips and age for a longer time to mellow and extract the flavors of the oak. Letting it breathe occasionally.

If its mellow and almost good to start, like my oats whiskey or corn, i will add a lot more, and watch it very closely- taste mainly- and take it off fairly quick. Personally, I like to get enough ahead to add a smaller bit of oak, med. and dark mixed toasts and let age for longer periods of time- opening it to allow O2 in occasionally. In fact, I am wanting to put some up for great- great grandchildren to enjoy a drop of. My time vault gift to my family. May leave a tad on oak for 70 or more years.

With Wineo's help and guidance, plus hopefully some others, i would like to line the other side with some quality homemade wines for the long haul. Same venture, a wedding toast, funeral wake, birthing, anniversary etc.

Reminds me, I better get my ass in gear, and start makeing more than I can drink. HA!

Ricky · Post by **Ricky** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:28 pm

currently i have a qt of 130 proof on charred oak with a coffee filter in place of the seal of the mason jar lid. same thing done with uncharred oak. after 3 days the charred is taking on a pretty color and the uncharred had a lite yellow tint. i am going to try to wait 2wks and see what happens. i have had good luck with charred after 2wks. this is the first time i have tryed for a tennesse style whiskey. hope it works.
Woody i wish you could explain the box you built. was it a simple box or was there some secret talent to make?