Aging Rum

[docdave]

RD, LT and Other Rum Guys,

I tried that recipe for rum that you recommended and so far so good. Its tasting good even after the stripping run. I'm planning to air out for 1 week. My question is I don't have barrels for my aging yet. I can get oak from old barrels (too large for aging) or should I get new oak? How do you recommend preparing the wood (toasting and charring), what size should I use per quart or gallon? I know everyone is saying to do periodic tastes to determine how long to age.

Thanks DocDave

[rubber duck]

I'm not as big of a rum guy as some of our other members but I'll give you my thoughts on aging rum.

I like used wood or used barrels. I like toasted wood but I'm not a big fan of chared wood. My favorite way to age rum in quart jars is to take a stave for a well used wine barrel and plane off the outside, toast that up lightly with a torch, leaving the stain alone.

Start with one stick about the size of your index finger, or maybe a little bigger. You can always add more oak but you can't fix it if you over do it.

That's how I do it but I like my rum really lightly oaked.

[docdave]

RD,

Thanks for the advice. Everything you told me so far is working great! Why mess with success! I think I can get my hands on some used whiskey barrels through a relative. I'll try your way first, I don't want to overdo the oaking. I think I will try my hand at some corn whiskey maybe bourbon after I build up my stock of rum. I tried some all grain beer brewing and it seems really logical to me. I'm sure I'll have alot of questions when I start that project.

DocDave

[LWTCS]

I do like a nice char but as time passes I continue to prefer my daily drinking rum unoaked.

The floral notes of this young rum are very pleasant to me. Oaking at present has a masking kind of quality. Unoaked has a more honest kind of mouthy quality to me.
I incorporate little to no heads or tails as such for flavor blending and therfore I feel like the oak has a masking effect on my strictly stilled lighter rum rather than a tempering effect or a smoothing effect it would have on a heavier rum.
I have a collection of used sticks now. So I'll be putting down some rum with those. Seems the only way to really know is to do it. I certainly would like to try a totally spent barrel. Wish I had more to offer but I can't seem to break the threshold of 4 months before I drink it all or give it away

I have a different version of a panela wash down with no dunder and this one is so fruity smelling one would think the base material is fruit
I hope it is hearty enough to carry over when I still it.

Sorry my responce is so unfocused

[Tater]

To my taste less is better also when it comes to the char in rum.Some best Ive made was to add a fresh charred piece of white oak 10 in or so and 1 inch x 1 inch alligator char on all 4 sides.let sit in a 3 gallon carboy full of 120 proof rum for a year with cork stopper.then added rest of ingredients to make our house rum.Mine and the missis favorite drink with coke cola.

[docdave]

Thanks Guys,

I guess what you're trying to say is that I should experiment until I find the taste I like. I think I'll put some in my dad's cellar and just leave it alone for awhile. Meanwhile, I'll build up my stocks for aging and summer drinking. Thanks so much for the advice.

DocDave

[docdave]

A few questions on using white oak,

If using new white, is undressed or dressed wood better to start with?

Also, is it better to cut barrel staves with a rough cut or more of a finer or finish type cut?

DocDave

[Tater]

I use rough cut/split myself charred or not.Dont think it would make much if any difference..