Oaking, Aging, Filtering

[Otis Campbell]

Tell me if I'm on the right track here..

Oaking, simply infuses a woody taste to your spirit.
Aging, time chemically changes the alcohol making it "mellow" if you will. As wine does?
Filtering, removes flavor?

So..
If you were to heat your spirits and steap on oak, aka this so called nuclear method.. Extracting the wood flavors into your drink to a point you are satisfied..
It is then oaked?

Then let it sit months or years allowing the alcohol to "mellow"
It is then aged?

Then you should pretty much have done as the big distilleries have done...
Except they do it in one step?
Resulting in the same end product?.... For the most part anyways..

Is this some what accurate?

[Otis Campbell]

Wow! I just knew one of you veterans could elaborate on this one...

[ga flatwoods]

No one answered Otis because there is much written on the subject here. The nuclear thread you mention is quite involved with differing opinions on the subject. Oaking is not necessarily aging but could be if referred to as kegging or even aging. Nuking will yield up a lot of the flavors from the oak as would boiling tea. However steeping tea is a lot different with differing results. Same with the nuking. In MYopinion, nuking DOES NOT provide the same enhancement to the spirit as does aging in or on oak. Aging is a slow process of all the molecules finding their own and settling into a new chemical environment for a differing end result from whence it was first created. As an example, we can all make a fairly good chili that would be enjoyed the same day it wss made. However, give it a day or two for all the flavors to blend and it keeps getting better until all gone. Only time can age. Oak can be sped up to get some of the flavoring but not the whole process as would aging on/in oak. Are both chilies good? Yes. Are you satisfied with it the first day? Maybe. Are you willing to wait for tomorrow for it to taste even better? That's up to you.
Again, there are those who may disagree with me but this is how I lok at the big picture.
Hope it helped.
GA Flatwoods

[acfixer69]

Well somewhat. There is no question to answer only opinions.

AC

[ga flatwoods]

+1 acfixer. Opinions

[Otis Campbell]

I have searched and found very little on aging...
Especially on the main site...
Anyhow..

So one thing I wonder is..
If you nuke a whiskey and get some oak flavor in it, then you jar it and put it up, will it change?

I say "change"... Will it mellow? Could it improve? Will the throat burn ease? Etc.

I read a lot stating that once a whiskey is bottled it will no longer age?, but some seem to thing otherwise.?!?

Guys, I have waded through threads for days and am not finding much.
Sorry to be a bother!

[ga flatwoods]

Otis what are you wanting to accomplish? If it burns it is either bad cuts, or too high abv. If hou nuke then you forced chemicals from the wood into the spirit very quickly. They will not instantly flash into an end product. So it will change some after set aside from nuking. How much it will improveIis subject to many variables. If discussing keg or whiskey aged on oak for extended time, it is reasonable to assume that when taken out of the oaken element thst it will not then continue to age. My take on it.
GA

[Otis Campbell]

I have no particular goals....
I am just having a hard time understanding..

It seems the words oaking and aging are used loosely?

[acfixer69]

Try doing oak barrel agein and get back when done.

[Otis Campbell]

Try doing oak barrel agein and get back when done.

Yea... I'll be right back..

And hey..
They say 69 is best enjoyed with women not men...
You should give that a try and get back with us.

[Max_Vino]

Hi Otis,

I just noticed your post....here try this:
http://www.tuthilltown.com/wp-content/u ... ation1.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
There is a lot of good information there and coarse filtration won't hurt you.

cheers,
Max

[doggman007]

Thanks Max the last link you posted was great,some of it a bit over my head but very informative I now have a much better understanding of the maturation process now, Thanks

[doggman007]

It says presentation 1<are there more?