Perfume Tasting Scotch after aging in Oak Barrel

[okie]

I have a well made 5L oak barrel that I first seasoned with American whiskey. Yeah it's medium charred. I have aged two previous batches in it and they came out great. I aged them about 4 months, 12 or 13 weeks each. The last batch I aged I went 14 weeks. I had sampled it at about 10 weeks and it was exceptional.

When I drained the barrel and proofed it I had a drink and I was shocked to find it tasted like perfume slightly. I have never had that happen before. What happened and is there anything I can do with the aged scotch? I tried blending some and it just makes what I blended it with taste worse.

I gave some to a friend and he loves it. Maybe it's my palate.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

It happens. May have been in there before aging. I still don't know why it happens, but I had it to, once.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... t=+Perfume

[bitter]

Perfume? or Vanilla? You might have just started to get the Vanilla comming through. I'd be tempted to leave it longer and see what develops... I find with oak there are some akward times with aging. For me about 3 Month till 6 months is not so good but after 6 months wow!

B

[GrassHopper]

I haven't had that happen yet. I did observe that a new barrel really imparts oak taste fast. My first new barrel (5 gal), I left for about a year and it was very oaky. I did another batch in that same barrel and pulled it at 3 months and it was terrific, but only slightly amber. I just did another new barrel and just pulled it today as it was getting oaky but still very good and fairly dark, but not like the one at one year, which was very dark.

[bitter]

I was not saying all 1 year in the barrel. Was saying age in barrel till were I want it and put in glass with big cork to bulk age the rest of the way. I find the difference time makes is amazing! Even the bottles I did in the spring are much smoother now than they were back when it was bottled and it was great then! Now I am going towards what I thought was over oaked back then.

B

[GrassHopper]

Yeah, I totally understand that bitter. I was just commenting on my own observations. I wonder if the first 1 yr overoaked stuff will ever mellow out and I wonder if leaving/aging in the barrel for years will get better. I don't know because I'm too new at this.

Sorry op, will get back to your perfume concerns.

[okie]

I filled the barrel with Reverse Osmosis water and I'm going to let it sit a while.
I might try buying distillers charcoal and running some through that to see what happens. I don't want to remove taste and it might do a broad stroke and remove a lot.
I'll let you know.

[bitter]

Yeah, I totally understand that bitter. I was just commenting on my own observations. I wonder if the first 1 yr overoaked stuff will ever mellow out and I wonder if leaving/aging in the barrel for years will get better. I don't know because I'm too new at this.

Sorry op, will get back to your perfume concerns.

Np Grasshopper, Longest I have on oak is about 14 months. Its a gallon of UJSSM that I missed the cuts a little on due to a cold. I have left it on oak the T-pee way 6 sticks per gallon. at about 11 months it tasted over oaky. Now its starting to taste better again. Going to leave it a good long time and see what happens. Never know might get some nice vanilla. Can smell it comming now. And the missed cuts has mellowed and its a tasty drink now.

I have a bunch of other I can drink so left this alone as a test.

B