Aging woods - toxicity

[Drunk-N-Smurf]

I don't know if it really means much for our purposes, but I found this page:

http://www.degutopia.co.uk/degutoxic.htm

I know some people have been aging on cherry wood, and I was curious if any of the aged spirits have ever been tested for cyanide content? Since cyanide accumulates in the system, I wonder if aging on cherry wood (or woods with similar affects) is a good idea or not? (Possibility of residual cyanide in/on the wood?)

Just a thought.

I smoke, so a little more cyanide aint gonna harm me any worse, but maybe some (ahem) pure bodies out there?

[oliver90owner]

Better be careful not to eat apple seeds, in that case?

RAB

[bellybuster]

I have only ever used cherry in my short stilling time.
From the listed page

"Wood contains cyanogenic glycosides which release cyanide when ingested. Only safe when dried thoroughly and all leaves/bark removed."

I'm not worried.

[hikfromstik]

I may be mistaken but , I think only the dried leaves and bark contain higher levels of cyanide like chemicals. I smoke bbq and cut a cherry tree for cooking wood and was told by a cattle farmer that it contained cyanide. I googled it and found out that it is only in high levels in the dried leaves and bark. As long as only the innner wood is used , you should be fine .I use it all the time with meat smoking and I'm still alive.

[Truckinbutch]

I may be mistaken but , I think only the dried leaves and bark contain higher levels of cyanide like chemicals. I smoke bbq and cut a cherry tree for cooking wood and was told by a cattle farmer that it contained cyanide. I googled it and found out that it is only in high levels in the dried leaves and bark. As long as only the innner wood is used , you should be fine .I use it all the time with meat smoking and I'm still alive.

I use a bit of it in the bbq grill . Quite a bit of it in the wood heating stove . I am hesitant to use it in liquor . Many local watersheds have been contaminated from large sawmill sawdust piles leaching cyanide into the streams . Seems that the toxic properties can be reconstituted in dry wood in a moist warm environment .

[BrooklynTech]

You can buy cherry wood smoked and malted barley for use in beer fermenting so I'd think it would be ok to cure w/again as long as it's the heart wood and not the bark.

[HolyBear]

I dunno about the inner wood but, grazing on black cherry will kill goats deader than a hammer...

[Bushman]

Fruit wood should all be safe if dried and you use only the heart wood (inner wood as stated earlier). After drying you should char or toast it using methods mentioned on several threads.

PS: I am currently aging on some plum wood that I am sampling at it is starting to turn out very nice.

[nondrinker]

I have not researched the topic in depth but...
I have been a curious reader in regard to poisons including cyanide, ricin and anthrax.
Trace amounts of Ricin and Cyanide are found in nature.
Some Rosary Beads are / were made with castor beans. Castor beans can contain trace amounts of Ricin.
While reading up on my tasty Loquat tree's fruit I discovered that its seeds may contain trace amounts of Cyanide.
If a chemist were to synthesize the pits in order to produce a deadly dose I suppose he could.
If I happen to ingest a tiny particle hopefully it will pass through without killing too many brain cells.

Perhaps the same is true for these wood species. Lets hope so.

ND

[Truckinbutch]

I question a divergence from tradition . I have successfully coopered buckets and butter churns from cherry wood . It is a beautiful wood that is easily worked . Much easier than white oak . There must be a valid reason for commercial distilleries demanding white oak barrells through the ages . Should be food for thought for everyone to contemplate .