cart before the horse

[jedneck]

Any body pre-age there oak on wine before using for whisky? I'm getting ready to start a single malt wheat and was going to age on either blackberry or peach wine soaked blocks of oak. Wine was made buy my oldman The year before he passed on.

[junkyard dawg]

I've used oak spirals from a cabernet/tempranillo wine to flavor spirits.

It worked out great. You will get a tempered oak flavor and a lot of character from the wine that it was in first.

I'd say try it. Your mileage may vary, but that idea is solid.

[jedneck]

Got the oak in the oven now. Will char in morning and put on wine for a couple weeks or months. Haven't got the wheat yet.it comes in a week. Then malt then ferment. I figure I got 4 to 6 weeks till it goes on oak.

[Jkhippie]

Well, Scotch is aged in barrels that were already used to age bourbon, sherry, or port. Sounds like you're doing about the same.
Good luck.

[jedneck]

Any ideas as to how long to let them on oak. I have some on peach wine rite now.

[KatoFong]

Any update on how this turned out?

[jedneck]

It will be awhile yet. I still have to run something to age them on. I will post the results when I get them.

[Prairiepiss]

Well, Scotch is aged in barrels that were already used to age bourbon, sherry, or port. Sounds like you're doing about the same.
Good luck.

And is probably a blend from different types of barrels. If I'm not mistaken.

[scout]

you are not mistaken prairiepiss. Barrels come in in all manners of shape. They are then repaired by the coopers which means that if a French oak sherry barrel needs a few new staves from cracking, and say there's an other barrel that is mostly trash, the good staves from that barrel would be used to repair the Fo sherry barrel. new staves might be made, fitted and used to replace cracks if there aren't any used staves around. I've used staves from 4 different barrels to repair one "treasure" barrel.

[Braz]

If the intent is to infuse the oak sticks with the wine flavor, I'd strongly suggest using the microwave method described in the nuclear aging thread.

[DAD300]

While I do use chips to age...I also have just added a drop or two of homemade sherry to my rums. Gives a lot of subtle notes and is very controllable.

[Doogie]

If the intent is to infuse the oak sticks with the wine flavor, I'd strongly suggest using the microwave method described in the nuclear aging thread.

I was thinking the same thing to push the flavor into the pieces ... even just one or two nukins to start the process.

How long does wine sit in a barrel (average) anyways? Is it that long?

[Prairiepiss]

While I do use chips to age...I also have just added a drop or two of homemade sherry to my rums. Gives a lot of subtle notes and is very controllable.

This is the method I would look at.

On a side note.
The barrel staves I use to age mine. Are from wine barrels. Although they have been dry for a very long time. I can't tell that I get any flavors from it. Some of them are pinkish purple stained. From the wine.

The one thing I do want to try. I want to age some whiskey on oak. Make a batch of stout and use the oak from the whiskey to age the stout. To flavor the stout. Then age some more whiskey on the oak after the stout. I just need to get off my ass and do it.

[mealstrom]

I've done it before - soak oak sticks in sherry, port, and rum so that I could simulate aging in those barrels. What I found is that it wasn't really giving me enough control over the flavors. If you're simulating on aging in port casks then why not simulate the port-soaked oak? Instead I just oak them to levels I prefer, then add the sherry, port, or rum directly. Doing that let me make a batch that tasted almost exactly like Balvenie Doublewood.

[aquavita]

Loved that Balviene Doublewood when I was drinking Scotch.

[jedneck]

Just sampled the wine with a couple of chunks of white oak that was used for ujssm. Holy shit it took a good wine and made it great. Lots of peach with a bourbon finish. Can't wait to drop them into a single malt wheat.

[jedneck]

Any body have any ideas how to store the oak till my single malt is done. The wine has great flavour and I don't want to over oak it. I'm thinking about vacuum sealing them then freezing. Good idea or bad. I'm open to suggestions.