Aging Barreled Single Malt Whisky/Bourbon in an Oven

[Red Barn Distiller]

This is my first post since joining the forum a few days ago. I included the following info in my introduction, but thought it might be a good idea to include it in the aging section.

I bought my 10 gallon copper pot still from a business in Tennessee. My first goal was an all grain Tennessee whiskey steeping the distillate in charred maple sugar wood (Lincoln County Process) from my property before aging it for two months in a 1 gallon white oak barrel. I then made a single malt whisky, using 2 row malted barley with 25% of it peated. It has been stored in that same oak barrel since September. In Scotland, their scotch is typically stored in used bourbon barrels, so I decided to do the same. Before barreling it, I steeped the whisky with sherry chips for about a week. I've been "distress aging" it by heating it in my oven, and then putting it in the basement multiple times. The proof in the barrel starts at 110, and was diluted to 96 proof the other night. My oven goes down to 75 degrees, and so I usually keep it between that and 100, but closer to 90. There are no open heating elements in my oven. It seems to be doing the trick heating the liquid to expand into the staves, and then contracting in my 45 degree cellar. When gently heated for about 2-3 hours, I can detect a slight oozing out of the closed bung. I tasted it the other night and it is becoming very smooth, with the peat nicely integrated, along with spice in the back of the tongue, buttery notes, beautiful nose. I'll bottle it in about two months. I haven't come across this approach so thought the info might be useful to some of you.

[seamusm53]

This is a very interesting method to speed up what is normally the seasonal/ambient temperature effect in a rack house. I cannot safely duplicate this with my oven that does have an oopen element and a miniimum setting of 175 degrees.

But it did get me thinking. Could I get the same effect by putting an aquarium heater through the bung hole and using a timer to cycle the heating on and off while the barrel was kept in a cold environment?

Not ready to conduct this experiment myself but ya'll are welcome to steal/patent the idea.

[jonnys_spirit]

Also can wrap the barrel with a heating pad on a timer. Might try that.

Cheers!
-j

[Red Barn Distiller]

Maybe keep the oven off, but place an electric heater in it (or heating pad), with door slightly ajar so that the cord could pass through. Experiment first with just the heater to see if a gentle, warm temperature is possible. The key is a smallish enclosed space and heating unit of some kind, followed by a cool/cold temperature somewhere else. I'm skeptical of the aquarium idea because the whisky needs to heat up into the barrel:?: Oops! Just noticed you are discussing a heater, not a pump. Sorry. Not sure, might work.

[Red Barn Distiller]

Another idea for a dedicated space to heat your barrel is to build a small kiln, like for drying wood at home. There are many instructions online and relatively simple to make.

In any case, barreled whisky benefits from cycles of heat for expansion and chill for contraction.

As far as covering the barrel (pad), on second thought, it may interfere with the oxygen exchange that is supposed to happen through the staves (how ever minutely).

[BayouShine]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38991

[seamusm53]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38991

I was surprised to think I'd missed this but I'd seen 'nuclear ageing' long ago. Actually I wouldn't have been surprised if I'd missed something embedded in this forum's many thousands of entries. Nor would I have been surprised if someone more dextrous than I was able to find it using that pesky 'search' feature - and then of course, point it out. Hah!

But this thread is about something else. Similar but not quite the same as heating/cooling a barrel without need for a rackhouse.

[BayouShine]

Very similar principles. There's a lot more in that thread that just microwaving your hooch.

[zach]

I have a sous vide water bath I use to cook meat. It does a great job on a steak or roast at 132 F for a perfect medium rare.

I've got a gallon of young bourbon on oak sticks in bottle that I might try for a few hours in the water bath at 130 F. I wouldn't trust my oven or the microwave.

[Red Barn Distiller]

I did browse through the nuking thread, but wanted to try and replicate the barrel approach using AG single malt. I think it has the potential for creating a much more complex product, even though I haven't tried the nuke approach and probably never will. This spring I'm upgrading to a larger mash tun and fermenter, and 3 gallon white oak barrel. The 3 gallon only costs a few more dollars than the 1 gallon, which will be used for storing some of my maple syrup. I plan on using the oven process (or kiln) for 3 gallons of bourbon, then scotch, then reconditioning (disassembling, scraping and charring) before using it again, and again, etc. I want to make enough so that I can increase my inventory and give some away as gifts too.

[Oldvine Zin]

Again and again people want to speed up the aging process, it's called aging for that reason. Now at my age I really want to find a way to slow down the aging, as of a couple months ago I turned into a grandpa, reverse nuking anyone??

OVZ

[jon1163]

I keep my oak staved jugs and barrels inside for a week then in the garage for a week. Each transport I open the cap and give the jug a swirl. Has worked great for me.

I live in Washington where it's 70-74 inside the house and 40-55 outside. (unheated garage)

[amdamgraham]

I just checked on two small barrels (1L & 2L) of straight rye that I had left on a low shelf in my kitchen for three months Oct-Dec and the temp fluctuation wasn't enough from day to night to get color and flavor. The spirit is a very weak yellow so I am now setting them outside at night and bringing them in during the day and placing high up on a shelf to get the maximum delta on temperature. In just 1 week I'm seeing the desired level of gentle oozing and staining that tells me I am getting pressure on the spirit. I will continue through January but bottle whatever comes out because with small volumes like this you can't leave it too long or it all just goes to the angels...

[Red Barn Distiller]

"Now at my age I really want to find a way to slow down the aging ..."

HA HA, aint that the truth!

[The Baker]

Again and again people want to speed up the aging process, it's called aging for that reason. Now at my age I really want to find a way to slow down the aging, as of a couple months ago I turned into a grandpa, reverse nuking anyone??

OVZ

For myself and at my age, I am getting cautious about buying green bananas.

Geoff