tera cotta clay pot aging

[fred45]

has anyone ever used an unglazed red clay pot to age corn whisky. I have used one to store tap water in and it takes out, or lets out the harsh chemical taste. do you think it will help?

[eternalfrost]

terra cotta is pourous, that is why it is used for plant pots. it lets water evaporate out the sides and prevents root rot. my bet is you would just loose all your product in a matter of months

[blanikdog]

I reckon that you're right, EF. They are very porous.

blanik

[fred45]

ah yes,

[berdar]

I caught this post a couple days ago. I remembered it this morning while out getting pots for my wife. What about a Tera Cotta pot which is glazed only on the outside. I found some that have a saucer or base that seal up nice and tight when used as a lid....

Any thoughts?

[nedscreekkennels]

be careful some of the glazes have lead in them. after all the hard work would be a shame to add lead while aging

[Nabatean]

The Romans didnt have barrels and aged their wine in Amphora and Dolia.
Partially burried in sand or kept in cellars to reduce evaporation.

I live in a country without barrels but with lots of terracotta and want also to experiment in this direction. (Plus lots of sand as well.)

I believe that in Belgium/Holland the Jenever is still sold in terracotta bottles and if not mistaken the Tullamore Dew Whiskey can be purchased in similar containers.

Here a link for the terracotta wine ripening amphora :


http://www.chianticlassico.net/wine_in_terracotta.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Sbeghan]

This is an interesting idea. I've drank water out of clay pots and the mineral flavour can often be pleasant.

If the pot is glaazed clear you shouldn't have to worry about lead, but an alternative is to get some pine resin and paint the outside to seal it. The resin is nontoxic and might even add some flavour back in like retsina.

[Nabatean]

Thanks Sbeghan for the suggestion
I tried (with water) to age in different terracotta pots. Unfortunatelythey all leak too much, even if kept in sand.
Painting them with pine resin might indeed be agood idea.
I can now start the quest for the resin