Wood shavings

[neil]

I got three kilos of toasted wood shavings that I want to use for aging. Does anyone have experience with oak shavings for this purpose? As a try out I made and extract with pure ethanol and the color from the ethanol went from clear to dark copper in a matter of 2 days. So maybe there is a time saver in using shavings, or it doesn’t work out at all. The scent from it was very oaky and somewhat recognizable tannin.

[FtW]

Shavings will color it up & impart some flavor, but more of a woody flavor rather than the vanilla/caramel, etc. notes oak is supposed to impart (from my understanding).
I have trouble finding white oak here in BC, I usually try to buy locally & searching around the lower mainland I wasn't finding anything bigger than shavings at wine stores & cubes at a homebrew place. When I was in there getting a few things the cubes were a 100 gram bag that looked like about 1/4" squares for $7.
I recently picked up a bag of Jack Daniels smoker chunks at a hardware store , cut off the outer edges to see some clean wood & charred em up. On the first batch aging this way & hopefully it doesn't give much extra JD taste. The chunks of stave in the bag are about 3" square & 3/4" thick, good size bag for $17.

[bearriver]

They work well enough for some and not for others. I think Cack said he uses chips in conjunction with nuclear aging and that suits him just fine. Try it and see. Make
sure you do some comparisons with other methods to find what works for you. Use labels and keep notes.

One thing with toasted chips is that they are toasted at a homogenous temperature. They get the same level of maillard reaction throughout all the wood like with traditional pumpernickle bread. Where as chunks or staves will be toasted more on the outside and less on the inside, creating a gradient of different flavors that the alcohol may interact with.

I prefer making dominoes from a used bourbon barrel. This time of year is the time to buy. I can get a once used, whole and intact bourbon barrel for less than $140 at my hardware store right now. $40 for a half barrel sold as a planter box. Check local hardware, Home Depot, Lowes...ect

[neil]

Shavings will color it up & impart some flavor, but more of a woody flavor rather than the vanilla/caramel, etc. notes oak is supposed to impart (from my understanding).

So, no good then.

I have trouble finding white oak here in BC, I usually try to buy locally & searching around the lower mainland I wasn't finding anything bigger than shavings at wine stores & cubes at a homebrew place. When I was in there getting a few things the cubes were a 100 gram bag that looked like about 1/4" squares for $7.
.

The botanic name is Quercus alba for the white variety. Is it the same as Quercus rubra (American oak) in use and flavor? It’s a very common tree here and the second wide spread oak variety. I’ve got a few logs in the shed en tend to use it for maturing. Like a read here, I would char it slightly on the outside and toss it in.
(btw: cost $60 per 1m3)

I recently picked up a bag of Jack Daniels smoker chunks at a hardware store , cut off the outer edges to see some clean wood & charred em up. On the first batch aging this way & hopefully it doesn't give much extra JD taste. The chunks of stave in the bag are about 3" square & 3/4" thick, good size bag for $17.

Do you need to char the chunks before use?

[FtW]

If they are shavings like the wine store stuff I saw (small shavings like after sharpening a pencil) I wouldn't go with them.

I'm really not sure how other oaks might be, pretty much everything I've read about aging spirit is all the American White. I have been checking the wine & homebrew stores more than looking for a chunk of tree, that would be best though...
I saw a post referring to hardwood building supplies for a source today, I think I will check the local places on my next search for oak.

[neil]

If they are shavings like the wine store stuff I saw (small shavings like after sharpening a pencil) I wouldn't go with them.

It's not some sort of sawdust. The pieces are as big as you normally would get form a wood planer.

All I read about was that American oak was used to make whisky barrels. I assumed it would be the Quercus rubra variety of oak. I'm planning to cut the bark off and make staves or chunks from it. Now I have to figure out what the best size is.

[White_Lightning_Rod]

I'm planning to cut the bark off and make staves or chunks from it. Now I have to figure out what the best size is.

Here is a great tread that cover's Oaking pretty well

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =4&t=50348

[S-Cackalacky]

I've had pretty good luck with the JD chips sold for BBQing. If you try them, do it by weight. As Bearriver said, I use the nuke method as a sort of adjunct to the aging process. I do 3 cycles with quart mason jars filled to about 4/5 full. I put about 2 ounces of chips straight from the bag in each quart jar. The nuke cycle includes about 3 hours in the freezer after getting to room temp and then back to room temp after removing them from the freezer before releasing the vacuum. I take it off the wood for further aging - strain 3 of the quart jars into a 1 gallon pickle jar and cover lightly. I give them a good shake and airing once every week or two. Oh, and I also put a couple drops of vanilla extract into each quart jar before the 1st nuke cycle. After a couple of months it starts developing that sweet caramel flavor. It gets better the longer you leave it. I draw a fifth out of the aging jar as I need it. By the time I get down to the last of it, it is truly good.

Other white oak sources - I recently picked up about 15 lbs of very old white oak scrap pieces from an old timer who builds furniture from wood salvaged from old buildings (how many times did I use the word "old" in one sentence?). I plan to cut it into sticks (3/4" X 3/4" X 5") and use T-Pee's oak aging method which I'm sure he will blatantly self promote if he sees this post. If you have a furniture builder or woodworker in your area, you might think about approaching them for scraps. If they're a decent woodworker, they should know the difference between types of oak. You can also find it online in various forms. Rockler Tools sometimes has white oak slabs online. The whiskey barrel planters are also a good option if you can find one and it will provide enough aging sticks to last a very long time.

Anyway, that's my take on it. Good luck.