Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Treatment and handling of your distillate.

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pintoshine
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Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Post by pintoshine »

First let me say, I am in no way being paid or promoting this product for money. I am simply relaying a personal experience that astounded me. I am a particularly cynical person and don't believe much advertising. Most things that sound too good to be true usually are. This demonstration as related to me was not rigged that I could tell and was the real thing. There was no advertising involved from the representative. This was a simple matter of "Here if the proof".


I had a very excellent demonstration of this product this week while attending the distillers convention in Louisville KY.

The demonstration involved some excellent apple vodka, and some small containers. Each container was filed with a small amount of vodka and a small amount of spiral was added.
As explained to me by a knowledgeable representative, I mean really knowledgeable, the toasting process develops the vanilla and the caramel much better than charring the oak. If you are wanting to mellow you spirit the charring is necessary but if you are wanting to flavor up the spirits, the toasting is remarkable. The geometry, allows the toast to penetrate completely through the wood rather than sitting on the surface. The spirit can also penetrate the wood better because the toasting has opened up the pores.
Here is the punch line. 48 hours after adding the spirals I smelled, tasted and discovered, to my complete amazement, this added a huge amount of flavor. woody, sweet, spicy, and extremely aromatic. This beats brands, sticks and most everything else I have tried. I wanted to bring home some samples but I had limited carrying space.
If you want to be completely amazed, order a package from the website.
Dan Call
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What web site.....

Post by Dan Call »

Are talking about your web site? If not, which one?

Also...would like to read more about the conference, I wanted to go but couldn't.
pintoshine
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Post by pintoshine »

I am sorry I thought I added that
https://www.thebarrelmill.com/spirals.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow is the link.

Needless to say it will take me a bit to get the review of the conference finished it was great and it was large. The amount of information and the sights and smells were extreme, to say the least. I will probably be adding this information to one of my blogs.
Dan Call
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Want to read....

Post by Dan Call »

Thanks man....I'm very interested to read about the conference. You didn't happen to make it over to the Gault House bar D Marie's or to the Oscar Goetz Museum of Whiskey History did you? Great stuff there. Or...the Holy Grail of Bourbon's passed, the old Sitzel Weller Distillery down by the river.
pintoshine
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Post by pintoshine »

no none of those extremely famous places but we did get to see a lot of stuff.
This is what we did
http://www.distilling.com/PDF/conference08.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Dan Call
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Vendome

Post by Dan Call »

So you got to tour Vendome Copper?? Incredible!! I'd love to see that stuff. Been by there several times, talked to them on the phone. They want even look at you unless you've got that all important distilling license.

My time there was also quite occupied by a buxom red-head who I wish now I had married.....my goodness...those Kentucky bred women...
wineo
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Post by wineo »

I have heard rave reviews from winemakers using those spirals.They must be good.
Old_Blue
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Post by Old_Blue »

Hmmm...

I got an old wood lathe around here somewhere.

Time to break it out.
Fire is the devil’s only friend - Don McLean
Jump in where you can and hang on - Brisco Darling
Dan Call
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Looks like...

Post by Dan Call »

It would seem that the wine industry has predominately used this product. But it's a boon for the DIY guys and craft distillers, a natural consequence of the upswing in interests.

I know that Southern ingenuity will provide us with fine examples so we can even DIY this, it's only a matter of time. I'm most interested to see if indeed these things really do allow a more complext flavor profile.

I also predict that people here will be doing the same concept with different types of wood.

What am I talking about...someone here has probably already done it.

So what I'm getting from this is the thickness of the wood in the spirals is more conducive to simulating the wood in a barrel.
BantamBrewer
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Post by BantamBrewer »

Interesting...I just did a search on this site before I placed my order for 2 packages of these yesterday. The search came up empty but low and behold I log on this morning and found this post.

On their site it says that it takes up to 6 weeks for the flavor to be extracted. From what Pinto is saying I may have to do daily samples or I might overwelm my Apple Jack.

Pinto, was the vodka already diluted to it's finished % when they added the spirals? IYHO should I dilute or add them at a higher % age then dilute?

By the way you can see that this is my first post but I've been lurking and reading for quite some time now. Doing my third spirit run on my valved reflux this weekend. I've been brewing all grain ales and making country wines for years and found this to be a natural progression of that obsession. You've got to love a hobby with great rewards!
pintoshine
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Post by pintoshine »

I believe that because of the complexity of each spirit, it takes some experimentation to find the balance of water solubles and solvent soluble flavoring components. A general guideline would be to start at about 60 to 62.5% abv. The vodka was at 45% if memory serves but this was a very impromptu demonstration. The results amazed me and I am not easily impressed.
Maybe you should take the lead and let us know about your results.
Asohosy
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Post by Asohosy »

Timing could not be better. I am trying to emulate a rum aged in charred french oak.

Pint, how about the color is the result as quick and dramatic for the color?
pintoshine
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Post by pintoshine »

Oh yes, the color was outstanding in such a short time. Much better than I am getting with charred oak.
punkin
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Post by punkin »

In my very limited experience i've found the colour and flavour which is imparted by timber to be extremely reliant upon the type of spirit it is placed in. I don't know anything factual about this side of the flavouring magic except to say that my peach brandy has drawn a lovely golden hue and strong toasty taste out of the same timber in two days, that my UJSM will need 6 or 8 weeks from to draw a daistinctly different colour and flavour from. The same timber will affect UjSM with a small amount of barley in the grain bill in a very different way again too.
I'm thinking apple vodka would be in the fast takeup range.
You haven't said, but one assumes, Pint, that there were some control vessels in the demonstration as well with plain toasted sticks of the same surface area and maybe some chips as well?
pintoshine
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Post by pintoshine »

no sorry, I was relying on my own experience with chips, brands, and barrels.
I don't think the apple vodka was unusual in its uptake and coloring nature but the vodka was borrowed from another producer. Russel really had no part in the demonstration other than supplying the spirals.
punkin
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Post by punkin »

Does sound an interesting development Pint. I'd like to try some if i find it anywhere over here.

Would be especially usefull for extending the time between recharring my barrels, assuming i could get em to fit in an inch hole :?:
BantamBrewer
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Post by BantamBrewer »

punkin wrote:Does sound an interesting development Pint. I'd like to try some if i find it anywhere over here.

Would be especially usefull for extending the time between recharring my barrels, assuming i could get em to fit in an inch hole :?:
My order arrived today and they measure 15/16" on the OD.
Uncle Remus
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Post by Uncle Remus »

So Pinto if I was to try these what level of toast would you suggest. My instinct would be to go for the heavy toast..... Your thoughts??
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day and drink beer.
pintoshine
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Post by pintoshine »

I am used to that new barrel taste and the heavy toast was very close. I would probably save the light toast for a golden rum or a light whiskey like early times.
ER70S-2
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Re: Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Post by ER70S-2 »

Hey Pinto
i picked up some of these spirals from the barrel mill and they're great. If you tell them that you are using them for spirits they will send charred ones. I just tried them in a 6th generation batch of UJSM. I put one of the small spirals in a 3 liter jug at 65%, in four days it had a nice colour and the flavour is very nice, much nicer then the charred white oak that i have made myself thus far. It smells much more like a traditional whishey now as compared to what i was getting before.
Anyhow, I think I will be sticking with these for awhile, i want to try them in my next rum wash.
regards
ER70s-2
pintoshine
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Re: Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Post by pintoshine »

I asked Russell about charring the spirals. His reply was "do you want mellowing or flavor?" I replied flavor formost and a bit of mellowing. He suggested adding a bit, very small amount, of some fine quality activated coconut shell carbon, in place of charring the oak spirals.
I though about his reasoning for a bit. I suppose his thinking is that charring the spirals would render a significant amount of the flavoring area useless. In addition, coconut shell carbon is less active than coal(stone) carbon, and has larger crevices to absorb longer chain organics, such as what is in tails. I know I am getting technical but I don't know any other way to explain it.
Rather than go way off in left field, I will post the results of some of my carbon research in the R&D forum when I m finished.
Ftero
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Re: Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Post by Ftero »

I've been using these in my gallon jugs to age what I've been making for a couple of months now.
One thing that I noticed; they swell up and can't be removed from the jug if still wet, when you want to change them out for new ones. I have zapped them in the micro-wave until most of the moisture has steamed off, then they come out fine.

I throw the old spirals in the oven to flavor salmon or whatever when I broil. I wonder if they would be any good on a barbecue?
Oaty
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Re: Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Post by Oaty »

The site seems to have different toast levels. Do you know what toast charring to recommend? I'd assume the heavy.
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pintoshine
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Re: Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Post by pintoshine »

When I sampled the experiment that Russell presented at the convention I liked the heavy toast the best. It was very bourbon like. The medium was more like a blended whiskey which contains neutral alcohol.
Asohosy
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Re: Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Post by Asohosy »

I currently have two sticks in a 6.5 gallons carboy with 5 gls of agricol rum at 75% ABV. It got very dark quickly. I tasted it yesterday after 5 days and it didn't have the heavy charred oak taste that I like yet. I plan on leaving it the full recommended 6 weeks.
RobM
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Re: Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Post by RobM »

I spoke with Russell and he suggested mixing the charred and medium toast spirals. Thus, I have 3 gallons of borubon aging on 1/2 of a medium toast and a 1/2 of a charred oak stick in a stainless steel soda keg I use for beer. It has been in 2 weeks. You will get full extraction in 6 weeks and he said it may take upwards of 3 months to fully integrate.

Rob
casino_boy
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Re: Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Post by casino_boy »

I have 1 gallon jug aging on 1/3 stick of mediem toast spiral.
It's 90 proof corn whisky with a small honey bear added and one apricot.
Do you think i should add one charred oak stick?????????
Thoughts comments any one?

Will this 1/3 sprial get to woody in flaver if I go the 6 weeks????????
Cheers
trthskr4
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Re: Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Post by trthskr4 »

Ftero wrote:I throw the old spirals in the oven to flavor salmon or whatever when I broil. I wonder if they would be any good on a barbecue?

My wife makes me cut some staves from a barrel and toast them in foil while grilling to a heavy toast. She/we loves the flavor the oak toasting gives the meat. The only thing we haven't done it with so far is chicken, which I cook in a can anyway cause I can never get it done thoroughly on the grill. I put my used staves still wet with likker in my smoking box and it gives it a light whiskey flavor that is good also.
15 gallon pot still, 2"x18" column with liebeg condensor on propane.
Modified Charles 803 w/ 50gal boiler, never ran so far.
Greenrvrshine
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Re: Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Post by Greenrvrshine »

Anybody still playing with these? I've got 4 to mess with, seeing what it will do to some all bran. Started changing the color in minutes.
Greenrvrshine
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Re: Barrel Mill Infusion Spirals

Post by Greenrvrshine »

Jesus, in 2 days it has darkened to a very dark brown. No responses?
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