Getting oak here is hard, and expensive esp for a student like me, I can access many types of wood but they are intended for arts and crafts so I don't want to risk it and end up poisoning myself, a less optimal alcohol is better than going to the hospital and potentially dying.
Some ideas I got include using bamboo skewers as they are food safe and relatively cheap. Other option is buying wooden kitchen utensils like but it may end up with varnish and/ or some other nasty chemicals.
So have anyone tried toasting then charring some bamboo and aged spirit in it? I am not looking to make the best alcohol or a particular style, I just want to add color and some flavor. To increase the flavor I thought about adding a drop of vanilla extract to get it some of the oak vanilla flavor (just a hint.)
If someone have other suggestions I am interested to hear them too, my still will be a small one, lab setup, 2L flask with a good condenser and will make mostly mixed stuff.