Fast Aging with Heat and Light

[The Yeasty Boyz]

Just saw this article in Wired magazine today (June 2017 Wired Magazine.)

I found it pretty interesting and I think I'll be giving it a try.

The rough process involves heating and maintaining distillate between 140-170 degrees for a few days, transferring it to a glass carboy, blasting it with halogen lights and then returning it to the heating vessel for a few more days. I knew that aging in barrels goes quicker when the barrels are slightly warmer than usual. I had no idea you could heat it up that high and that light would break down the oak.

Bryan Davis claims he can age his rum in 6 days and have it taste much like rum that has been aging for 20 years. He also stated that he would like to use this process as a way to rapidly prototype different spirits.

Everyone has their own preference on aging. I just thought I would share and see what you guys think.
Links to pics:
http://imgur.com/nOFPSgW" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow - cover pic
http://imgur.com/5lqZieM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow - diagram
http://imgur.com/KSerASM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow - text


PS. I scored this hunk of copper for free yesterday. Stoked! Im gonna use it for a new column and will be making some bubble plates.
http://imgur.com/KSerASM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[still_stirrin]

Hocus, pocus...

[SaltyStaves]

You can get very good results from the heating process, but I've been disappointed with the lighting experiments.
It leaves a bitterness like aloe vera, which takes months and lots of headspace in the bottle before it diminishes. Even then, I've not detected any benefit that I can attribute to the light treatment. Shielding the distillate above where the oak is resting helps, but its still not satisfactory in my testing.

I look forward to hearing about your findings.

[The Yeasty Boyz]

Good to know. I have not tried either process. The longest I have ever aged on a barrel has been 3 months. I do not have anywhere near the pallet to determine complexity of flavors between a well and poorly aged spirit. That being said I love what a few oak chips and a barrel can do to some neutrals in very little time and if it can improve within the same time frame I am game to give it a try.


What do you mean by shielding the distillate? I have always heard the better barrels where the ones stored at the topmost part of a wharehouse due to the increace in temp so the heating process makes sense to me. Not sure where I stand on the lighting but I do have a 100W HPS light so I will give it a try.

[NZChris]

This is old news. See http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 44&t=55301

[SaltyStaves]

What do you mean by shielding the distillate?

The more of your distillate you expose to light, the more bitter it will be.
LS' reactor lights the bottom of the tube (where the oak settles). The majority of the distillate in the tube is not directly illuminated. So don't make the mistake I did and expose the whole vessel. Cover it up except for where the oak is sitting (which should be at the bottom unless you've got a lump of charcoal).

[Pikey]

This is old news. See http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 44&t=55301

INteresting thread Chris - thanks for that

[Oldvine Zin]

Screw the heat and light thing, all you need is a pyramid, sum crystals and a ouija board
oh and some time and oak to finnish it
OVZ

[bilgriss]

I went to the crossroads.