aging in 5ltr oak barrel

[Dnderhead]

yes that is what Id try. but let me say that I do not use barrels that small. after you build up some barrels on hand maybe try the soaera system.
with what Iv read about them there just not worth the money.if it just flavors then you mite better just age on wood.

[blind drunk]

For me, I'd rather a barrel with almost no oak left in it and use it only for its breath ability. Then I'd oak with stick. Just a thought, bd.

[Mud Mechanik]

A hell dont worry about it MM I was going to get me some anyway. Have yours ever tasted like wood? I am hoping if I leave it longer maybe it will fade
what do you think..

As Dnder said, I don't think the wood taste will ever fade, though the bite will dissapear with time. You could try and dilute the oaked stuff with a good neutral of the same proof, that may help. MM

[Kentucky shinner]

I think after doing more research the wood taste it my fault. I put my barrels in the freezer for about 1 week the second week after filling them. I have read this is called distressed aging which is really not recommended. experiment that did not work for me.
I think I am going to dump what is in my barrels into a stripping run with some ujsm wash then try it again without putting in the freezer...
KS

[NcHooch]

So, whats the consensus here on the aging period? ...
I just filled mine up this past weekend with NChooch's 60% ABV Carolina bourbon.
I'm thinkin either somethin like 2-3 months or 2-3 years
NChooch

[Kentucky shinner]

Well Rockchucker My hooch is still in the barrels. I pulled a little sample day before yesterday and I honestly think the flavor is starting to smooth a little. It does not taste so woody to me now. I have stopped sampling it every couple of days. It has been two weeks since I pulled a sample. I guess I am going to let this experiment go for one year and see what happens. If you use them I would suggest the first batch to only leave in for about 2-3 weeks then pull you a sample if the taste is to your liking then empty it and refill. I really think I screwed the pooch on mine by trying to force age it in the freezor to 2 weeks... Damn it really got oaky.. so decided to just leave it in the barrels for 1 year and see what happens. Kind of my little experiment with ageing in the little 5 liter cask. The color is great it looks wonderfull in the glass.. the flavor is really not what I am looking for though.. guess I will find out next June..

[Kentucky shinner]

Ya fill up your barrels and just make sure and sample it I would say every week. When you start to taste the oak. I would drain it and age it in a jar where it can air out some. The refill the barrel with more spirit and again taste it each week. I think you will find the second aging will be better.

[NcHooch]

Ya fill up your barrels and just make sure and sample it I would say every week. When you start to taste the oak. I would drain it and age it in a jar where it can air out some. Then refill the barrel with more spirit and again taste it each week. I think you will find the second aging will be better.

KS, you make it sound like we's got gallons of white dawg layin around just waitin to be aged ....Dang, took me a whole month to collect 5 liters of 60% to fill it the first time.

NChooch

[Kentucky shinner]

You will.

[MuleKicker]

Ya know, they say the second aging with them small barrels is better. I wonder if a guy could use heads/tails junk likker to age the first time to burn it out a bit before puttin the good stuff in. Or if that flavor would wreck the barrel all together.
maybe a dumb idea...... I have those sometimes.

[Kentucky shinner]

I have been wondering the same thing Mulekicker. I thought I read on here somewhere that Rockchucker said he filled one of his barrels with some sacrificial hooch.. I am guessing it's just some shit he had laying around.

[Kentucky shinner]

Ill tell ya the shit that came out of my barrels after 2 months, hell I would rather suck a fart out of a chickens ass than drink that shit....

[Rumstill]

Would it do damage to put a high ABV in the barrel to fade the wood tastes out of it? just basically put a neutral 60-65 in there for a few months to slow it up so you could run rum in it for a lot longer to be able to age rather than flavour

[NcHooch]

Would it do damage to put a high ABV in the barrel to fade the wood tastes out of it? just basically put a neutral 60-65 in there for a few months to slow it up so you could run rum in it for a lot longer to be able to age rather than flavour

That's normal aging strength, so it's safe to say that you wouldn't be damagin it.

NChooch

[Kentucky shinner]

I think Im gonna dump one of these little barrels in my next fients run... and start over with it. I just dont believe the wood taste will go away. I will let you know how it comes out.

[MuleKicker]

All chickens aside. Wonder if you could rerun the sacrificial booze afterwards and get anything useful? Like maybe loose the wood flavor, and wind up with something palateable.

[Kentucky shinner]

All chickens aside. Wonder if you could rerun the sacrificial booze afterwards and get anything useful? Like maybe loose the wood flavor, and wind up with something palateable.

That might be an idea.....you mean just run the 5 liters by itself...?

[Kentucky shinner]

cut to 45%

[MuleKicker]

All chickens aside. Wonder if you could rerun the sacrificial booze afterwards and get anything useful? Like maybe loose the wood flavor, and wind up with something palateable.

That might be an idea.....you mean just run the 5 liters by itself...?

I would run by itself, atleast the first time. Wouldnt want to ruin anything else you throw in with it if it dont work.

[Kentucky shinner]

ya your right mk... I will do that. I may try this weekend if I do I will post results...
Thanks Muleass Oh I mean Mulekicker

[MuleKicker]

I have been called worse

[loneswinger]

So it sounds like the consensus on these is: Don't use em?

I have always aged in glass with oak at surface/volume ratios similar to full size barrels with good results. In my experience whiskey will really start coming around after 8 months to a year, minimum. So you would have to reuse these little guys to get to the stage where you COULD age for a year or so without overoaking. Then when finished with aging that batch, the little guy would be all used up? Seems like a waste of money, time, and good hooch.

I think you have to find a way to get the right surface/volume ratio. Somewhere in the ~ 50 cm^2/Liter range, and you just aren't going to get that with these little guys by themselves. Maybe you should dedicate a 5 or 6 gallon batch to one glass carboy + 1 little keg. You get the glass carboy topped off with white. Then pour from the carboy into the keg until full. Let that bit sit in the keg for a week or so, then dump from the keg back into the carboy and mix it up with the white. Once mixed, pour from the carboy back into the keg until full. Repeat once/week in the beginning. Once/month later on. This strategy, or something like it, would be what I would do if I had one of these kegs.

-Loneswinger

[Kentucky shinner]

OK guys I got a pleasant surprise. I emptied my 5 litre barrels Saturday, each into 1 gallon jugs. set them under the cabinet to dump back into the still and rerun some day. my Neighbor was over last night and we were tasting some of the stuff I have been making. He saw the 2 jugs and was like hell what is this. I told him to taste it and give me his opinion. It may have just been the difference in the char inside the barrels but One jug was really good. the other is pretty hot and pretty oaky. My neighbor liked both, but liked the lighter color much better. I had only tasted the stuff out of one of the barrels. The one that was really good was yep you guessed it, the sweet feed likker. The strait corn was not quite as bad as I had originally thought but it has one hell of a bite to it. The sweet feed honestly was very velvety smooth and had a wonderful flavor.. I am putting both back to just let age and see what happens. My likker was in the barrels just a little over 2 months.. If you read back in my post I thought all of this shit was ruined. But honestly it has really smoothed to the point that the oaky flavor is very nice now. It has a very vanilla type flavor to it also.
Yep I'm gonna drag the little barrels out of the cabinet and refill....
After 2 months I had lost about a quart to the angels... I hope they got a buzz.

[Mud Mechanik]

I'm glad it come around for ya KS, I was starting to wonder if my barrels were different from everyone else that commented. Mine was very smooth and tasty.
BTW, I like the new look MM

[Kentucky shinner]

I'm glad it come around for ya KS, I was starting to wonder if my barrels were different from everyone else that commented. Mine was very smooth and tasty.
BTW, I like the new look MM

I refilled my barrels last night..

[loneswinger]

Ok I tried some of the sherry to see how woody it is , so far no wood taste and it seems to really be soaking into the oak. I also got a wine barrel from a friends' vinyard It is awesome but 60 gallons! I hate take it apart for the staves but I might. Any recomendations?

You put sherry in it first eh? That might help to mellow it out (the barrel that is).

Oh man 60 gallons. Not sure how I am gonna fill it but I want it. Let me think about that.........you would need to process somewhere in the range of 500 gallons of mash to fill it with 60% spirit after cuts. My biggest fermenter is 25 gallons, could upgrade to a 50 gallon. That would be 10 batches. Probably would fill it with scotch, so that would be 2-55 lb bags per batch or 20 bags at $70 each is $1400 total + propane plus time = Not gonna happen.

Seems like a waste but taking it apart for staves is probably the way to go.

-Loneswinger

[NcHooch]

I tasted the bourbon I filled my barrel with last weekend , it had been in there of 2 weeks and it was smooth n tasty
...slightly oaky and with a hint of fruit and vanilla ...Mrs Hooch thought it had a taste of maple walnut ice cream

I'm leaving mine in for a good long while

NChooch

[Caprimulgus]

NcHooch, your post made up my mind. Now, I wantz one!

But, I'm getting confused here. A month per gallon, 30-40 days per gallon, 1 week per liter, warnings about over oaking. Then people go and age a 5 liter barrel for several months. I mean, two months already is three weeks more than 1 week per liter, right? I gues the best method is to get one myself. Fill it and not listen to any rekommendations. And just taste the stuff as I go along Kinda worried there wont be any left once it gets perfect though.......

[Kentucky shinner]

I would suggest you taste once a week. I left mine for 4 weeks before I had tasted it and thought I had screw up and left it to long.. It was really oaky and very hot. it had one hell of a bite to it. I left it alone for little over 2 months and decided to just dump it out. To my surprise it was really good...
Your judgement how you do it I guess.

[Austin Nichols]

I took 5 liters of the rum I ran last week that has been soaking with charred oak sticks, raisins and black whole peppercorns, put it in the oak barrel for 24 hours and it's brilliant

Bottled 4 liters and took a liter for scientific purposes