Aging rum in unused oak barrels.

[Moscca]

Just bought 2, 3 gallon oak barrels, used for aging bourbon.
It is the first time I'll be aging rum in barrels.
I understood that a lot of people are aging rum in glass jugs, carboy's ... with toasted and charred white oak of a different degree.
I read that rum should be aged in used bourbon, whisky ... barrels.
But if people have good results with aging on chips, sticks ... why couldn't I age straight in a unused charred barrel ?
Why let the bourbon take the best part out first ?
I think there are mostly economical reasons behind it as bourbon should age in new barrels by law ?
Just thinking.



M.

[Hearts_On_Fire]

I think the idea is get a bit of whiskey flavor into your rum. It's not right or wrong; it's what pleases your palate. I'm too short of spare funds to afford barrels so I just add a small amount of whiskey to my rum. I know it's not proper but it works "okay". I'd love to try to age in a whiskey barrel.

[Prairiepiss]

Really the idea is. And I mite be corrected on this. The rummy flavors are what is wanted to be the dominant flavor. So a used barrel has had most of the flavors pulled out by the whiskey. There fore the rum doesn't pull as much flavor from the oak. Leaving the rummy flavors to be dominant. The little whiskey flavor that would come from a used barrel would be covered over by the rum flavors. Not saying it doesn't add a depth to the flavors. Just that you shouldn't taste whiskey when you drink rum. Same goes for color. Aged rums are lighter in color because the barrels gave most of the color to the whiskey. I know there are a few new rums on the market that have been aged in new barrels. This is an effort by the rum producers to try to appeal to the whiskey drinkers. And maybe get their business.

And most of us use oak sticks and glass jars because we can't afford oak barrels. And or don't have the room for them.

[Moscca]

So in a unused I should leave it less time ?
Colour comes faster then flavour, so no more coloring with carmelized sugar or molasses !!

I think I will order a new charred barrel and do a side by side comparsion.

PP, as for the $$ : a 3 gallon barrel is 59 + 35 shipping. I figured out that if you use it 7 times it would come on 0.59 $ / 750 ml bottle @ 40%.



M.

[Prairiepiss]

That mite be true. But I still don't have $94 to buy one with.

Less time on oak doesn't always equal done. I wouldn't go by color. Need to go by taste. It could look beautiful but taste like crap. I would rather it be darker in color and last good then spot on with the color and taste like crap. See this is where you get into the debate of the proper way to oak age a product and or speeding up the oak aging process. It all comes down to you make something you are happy with.

[Moscca]

Thanks PP, of course taste is something subjective !!

The side by side test will give me more insight on oaking.



M.

[kobold]

i have no bourbon, so i also age my heavy (molasses) rum in a 3gal new charred barrel for a month now (at 55%). the nose improved a lot, but the taste is still just as rough as it was. i will keep it in the barrel for circa three more months and then continue aging in a carboy for as long as needed, fine tuning with oak sticks. my second charge will be also rum, but lighter (muscovado) and my third charge will be single malt whisky. after that i might use it for dwwg and then apple brandy and sljivovica. by that time it will be depleted and i will buy a new one - i plan to start that one with bourbon... i would like a neutral barrel or two, so i won't rechar.

[Moscca]

well kobolt, i'm also a novice so...
My rum distillate was also really good smelling and tasting bad.
But I'm think it has more to do with making bad cuts !
I'm just going to run it again, even the oaked.

M.

[kobold]

well kobolt, i'm also a novice so...
My rum distillate was also really good smelling and tasting bad.
But I'm think it has more to do with making bad cuts !
I'm just going to run it again, even the oaked.

M.

hey, m. actually, just after i posted to this thread, out of curiousity, i took 5ml out of the barrel, dilluted to drinking strength and miraculously it was ok / nice. not only compared to its earlier self, but to commercial rums too. it's not going to win contests at this stage, but the improvement is significant. i think this is mostly due to the cleansing action of the char but the aeration too. i mean i made this rum with my air still, discarding only 50ml of foreshots and keeping everything way down to 40%, no wonder its wild and hot, but it's toning down nicely. it is a good education to the power of a barrel. i would say give it a chance.

[Moscca]

I will, stubborn as I am !!
I think I will leave it a week or so in the new charred barrel to get a nice colour and then transferring it
to the bourbon barrels.


M.

[MyUncleMo]

Revive this thread...
I plan on using a new gibbs charred 1 gallon for my Hook Rum spirit run.
With all the HD reading I expect 3-6 months should add lots of Oak, but I really want to stash it for a year in the barrel. I can always go by taste and put it into a jug to finish. What do you all think?
Can I make my cuts a bit deeper because of the potential smoothing action with the Oak?
How did all of your experiments turn out?

[MyUncleMo]

anybody...? Buehler?
I put my Hook Rum in the Gibbs today.
Seems like I should have alot of fun tasting along the way to get it where I like it.
I will be lowering the ABV in intervals to "charm" the different effects from the wood.