Green spirits

[elektrosport]

Finally had the chance to access my product. Most of it aged quite well but I'm a bit puzzled by two of my jars.

A jar of applebrandy/calvados and a jar of my last gen rum both turned a nasty blackish/grayish green from the oak. It's oak from an old whiskey cask which I cut into staves of 1"x1"x8", baked in oven for an hour at 350F, and gator charred on one side. Both products taste like chewing on a stick but finishes off with a nice vanilla.

My question is, how can I give the spirits a more appetizing color without the use of caramel? (don't want the added taste)

Cheers,
ES

[bearriver]

Caramel color used in baking.

[moosemilk]

Did you clean what would be the outside part of that barrel stave? Like cut it away? I remember reading in another thread somebody had a similar problem and that was the culprit.

[elektrosport]

I would like to say I did trim off the outer part of the stave, but truth is I can't remember and I'm fearing I might have not. However I wasn't too impressed with the exterior of the barrel so it would be kind of odd if I didn't trim it?

Anyway it looks like an old cup of tea, a tannic soup. Should I keep it or re-distill when I do my next batch?


Cheers,
ES

[rad14701]

Do you know whether anything else was ever stored/aged in the barrel after the whiskey...??? Maybe some wine was aged in it and that is causing issues... Just something to consider...

[elektrosport]

I can't say for sure, but it was sold/advertised as an old whiskey cask and it was obvious it had been re-conditioned at least once.


Cheers,
ES

[jus teasin]

I put some on oak in Aug. a week later it was green. 2 weeks later it was dark green. I looked at it this morning 1 month later and it is now a dark amber color
I am going to leave it on oak for 2 more weeks and see what it does.
it has great flavor and is pretty smooth now time will tell.

JT

[jus teasin]

time to update.
I have a bourbon that is a year old and very smooth.
I have a whisky that is white oak distilled and put on oak 1 week after the red oak.
I have the red oak that started out green.
Every time my friends sample all three they always pick the red oak as there favorite. It is now a very nice dark amber color.
as far as oak goes I will continue to use both red and white.

JT