robdouglas wrote:I would just use french oak. JD chips will be stronger in flavour than the spirit so it will task like JD. Or do you want a bourbon tasting brandy?
robdouglas wrote:I would just use french oak. JD chips will be stronger in flavour than the spirit so it will task like JD. Or do you want a bourbon tasting brandy?
looking for brandy taste
How much wood chips per litre of spirit
found some on e bay
they recommend 10 to 15 gm per litre
40% is weak for aging. You could run it again and age it at 60-62.5% with a handful of french oak chips like Rod said.
🎱 The struggle is real and this rabbit hole just got interesting. Per a conversation I had with Mr. Jay Gibbs regarding white oak barrel staves: “…you gotta get it burning good.”
I've never aged brandy under 62.5%, mostly aging at whatever my choice of cut was without dilution. AFAIK, aging on wood at low abv's doesn't work too well and lowest I've done is 55% on a specially toasted oak for an experimental rum.
Oak ratio varies between batches in my shed, so I use fast aging tricks on a sample of a new toast to find my ideal ratios for the batches. Look up nuclear whiskey.
I usually check how my brandies are progressing just before harvest, so about once a year.
robdouglas wrote:I would just use french oak. JD chips will be stronger in flavour than the spirit so it will task like JD. Or do you want a bourbon tasting brandy?
looking for brandy taste
How much wood chips per litre of spirit
found some on e bay
they recommend 10 to 15 gm per litre
Firstly Rod I really think bourbon chips will be a big mistake for grape brandy, I really wouldn't do it. The ratio sounds ok and you can always add a bit more of it tastes and looks insufficient but do use new oak or oak from a wine barrel, you can toast them if you like and that's probably not a bad idea.
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.Benjamin Franklin
