How to remove to much charcoal taste??

[MikeyT]

Let my bourbon age for almost a year in a Gibbs charred barrel. It is real smooth, but with to much charcoal taste and smell for my palate.

Any way to remove some of the charcoal taste and smell without altering the basic flavor? The bourbon was filtered through coffee filters before bottling.

I did rince out the barrel before using it and did let it soak for a couple of days. In hindsight, I probably should have gotten a 'toasted' barrel instead.

[tracker0945]

The only way I could advise would be to blend it with some un-charcoaled product to dilute the effect but others may know more.

[tracker0945]

The more often you use your barrel though the weaker the flavours will become.

[Dunderhead]

Blending is the way to go this is onething the BIG
plases have us beat they have bairels that is 1--3
years old they blind them together to get what they what
they what want , to much oak add un oaked and age aiittl
longer , I have ben there , now i'm trying make what
i usedto do in 100drs i e'm trying to do ingal
you hear about 20--30--ormore year hooch? it mite
be in bairiles thats 4 or 5 years old to start with.
new beral about 6 mo

[tracker0945]

Thanks for jumping in Dunder, I was pretty sure I was on the right track.

[Dunderhead]

Usto be a gy hear that made chares and stuf outof
them he bout barrels buy the truck load 20$ a peace
I think there about 3 years old ? Id bye 4 keep my
stuf in them 3years and bring them back and swop
fer 4 diferint ones

[MikeyT]

Started the 2nd fill of my 5 gal charred Gibbs barrel couple of weeks ago. This morning I thought I'd check it out.

Drained off the 2 gallons that was in it and there musta been a half gallon of charcoal chips that came out. No wonder the first batch had such a heavy charcoal taste and smell! I had siphoned out that 1st batch.

So, I got about a dozen rocks just small enough to go through the bung hole and shook the crap out of the barrel. Then removed the rocks, rinced it out again, and put the 2 gallons back in. Musta been another pint of charcoal chips that came out with the last rincing.

So, even tho I rinced it out before the first fill, the alcohol and a year of aging musta loosened up a lot more chips.

Were I to do this again, I think I would get the toasted barrel. Either that, or do something to knock more of the charcoal out before the first fill.

If the toasted keg did not add enough flavor, then ya could always add charred white oak strips yourself.

ps - After just 2 weeks with this last fill I definitely noticed a change in the smell and flavor of the bourbon. Still raw, but already changing for the better. I think I'll only go 6 months with this fill.

[punkin]

Started the 2nd fill of my 5 gal charred Gibbs barrel couple of weeks ago. This morning I thought I'd check it out.

Drained off the 2 gallons that was in it and there musta been a half gallon of charcoal chips that came out. No wonder the first batch had such a heavy charcoal taste and smell! I had siphoned out that 1st batch.

So, I got about a dozen rocks just small enough to go through the bung hole and shook the crap out of the barrel. Then removed the rocks, rinced it out again, and put the 2 gallons back in. Musta been another pint of charcoal chips that came out with the last rincing.

So, even tho I rinced it out before the first fill, the alcohol and a year of aging musta loosened up a lot more chips.

Were I to do this again, I think I would get the toasted barrel. Either that, or do something to knock more of the charcoal out before the first fill.

If the toasted keg did not add enough flavor, then ya could always add charred white oak strips yourself.

ps - After just 2 weeks with this last fill I definitely noticed a change in the smell and flavor of the bourbon. Still raw, but already changing for the better. I think I'll only go 6 months with this fill.

I wanted heavy char for my barrell, but the lady at the cooperage talked me out of it, saying i'd experience exactly what you're saying Mike.
Glad she did now after reading that, she reckoned their medium toast was perfect for a bourbon barrell. I'm yet to find out, it's only been in there a couplea weeks.

[Dunderhead]

Why not age 1-2 mo so that it is light use to cut hevey
stuf with?

[pothead]

Why not age 1-2 mo so that it is light use to cut hevey
stuf with?

That;s what I was thinkin,too

[junkyard dawg]

Of course thats the right thing to do... Cut your strong flavor stuff with light stuff or white stuff.

So, I got about a dozen rocks just small enough to go through the bung hole and shook the crap out of the barrel.

Why in the world would you do that? That barrel is just exactly as it should be... that charcoal performs an important function. Its been stated many times on this forum that you need to check your product after a while to see if its flavor has developed enough. Smaller barrels age faster and clearly a year was too long for yours... A couple of months is all I have ever needed.

There are more than a few reasons why whiskey makers use new charred american white oak barrels... You just left it in too long. Whiskey makers also practice blending different barrels... you should too.

[Dunderhead]

I would agree with Dawg most "taste" comes
from wood not charcoal ,Charcoal makes it
mileder

[junkyard dawg]

Charcoal does the same thing as carbon filtering for neutral spirits... It adsorbs some of the stuff you don't want... You don't want to get rid of it...

Gibbs barrels are really tannic... If you leave product in it too long it becomes like cough syrup. I've done it too, but just blend in some white dog and it'll all work out fine... Good filtering with a coffee filter works wonders too. Be sure to pass the likker through the same filter a few times... The particles that get caught build up a filter bed and make the coffee filter work much more efficiently at removing small particles.

[MikeyT]

UPDATE -

I filered my bourbon a couple more times and it has now set in bottles for a few months (capped with corks). The heavy charcoal taste has disappeared and the color has less red in it. The color now looks more like that of a darker store bought bourbon. The taste however has gotten even better. I like to pour a couple shots in a small brandy sniffer and swirl it and smell it and sip on it for an hour or so. Finding this site was one of the most rewarding ventures of my life.

One more gallon to go to fill up my 5 gallon Gibbs barrel for the 2nd, and last, time.

(pausing to take a sip)

[zymos]

What is a "Gibbs" barrel?
Is that a brand, or seller, or a certain style of barrel??

[Dnderhead]

one of better brands

[MikeyT]

What is a "Gibbs" barrel?
Is that a brand, or seller, or a certain style of barrel??

http://www.gibbsbrothers.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Rummeriffic]

I filled my first Gibbs 2 gal. charred barrel right around New Years with DWWG. After only 2 months it is really dark, too oakey but still has that 'white dog' bite to it. I think I'm going to buy a med. toast as well and double up the recipe next time. I like the color from the charred barrel, but I think a little more time in a toasted barrel with less oak flavor wold be really good. The stuff from the charred barrel is smoother than the white dog, but not smooth enough and with too much oak. I'm sure the barrel will mellow out with age.

[MikeyT]

I filled my first Gibbs 2 gal. charred barrel right around New Years with DWWG. After only 2 months it is really dark, too oakey but still has that 'white dog' bite to it. I think I'm going to buy a med. toast as well and double up the recipe next time. I like the color from the charred barrel, but I think a little more time in a toasted barrel with less oak flavor wold be really good. The stuff from the charred barrel is smoother than the white dog, but not smooth enough and with too much oak. I'm sure the barrel will mellow out with age.

Now that you have the charred barrel, just do as I did. Put some med sized rocks in it, rattle them around for a while, then wash it out good.

From then on you can put charred strips of White Oak in to control the flavor to your liking.

My 2nd filling is now about 3 months along. Probably bottle it around Dec, 2008.