Exotic woods and aging

[distiller_dresden]

Well, this developed out of looking for Japanese maple on ebay...

Anyone ever worked with exotic woods?? I'm looking into raw aged and dried but untreated:

African Padauk
Mexican Bocote
Central American Cocobolo
Central American Leopardwood
Belizan Honduran Rosewood
Brazillian Purpleheart (Amaranth)
Mexican Ziricote
African Bubinga

There are so MANY of these and I've found on ebay that they sell chunks which are basically perfect dominoes for working into custom gun or knife handles. The gun handle pieces are thicker and perfect for dominoes, and they are cheap, like starting bids of $1.25 and $3-4 shipping, or buy-it-now prices of around $10 with free shipping, PLUS each 'lot' or purchase includes two pieces. Especially with the gun handle pieces you could cut each piece in half vertically and end up with 4 dominoes of a completely exotic wood that I'd imagine few if any people have ever experimented with in aging.

You can go to wood-database.com to check toxicity as well, to make sure what you're getting won't be poisonous. It also includes information about color, and smell/scent of the wood, which would give you a halfway decent idea or guess towards what it may do while aging your spirits...

[Desolus]

I am perfecting my absinthe and currently playing with a mix of light char sassafras and medium toast pear wood.

[der wo]

Didn't we have a member who started 100 threads about different woods? But as far as I can remember without results?

Anyway, d_d where do you have the list from? Why those wood species?
I don't know all of them. But for example something like Cocolobo, I don't think it's usable. Yes, it's wood, but something absolute different from ok or maple. If a north European from the 18th century would see it, he wouldn't think it's wood perhaps. It's like the wood for musical instruments fingerboards. When you saw it, it stinks a bit, you don't get those nice flavor offresh sawn wood. And I know that if you have to work with such woods you have to wear a dust mask, because the saw dust is unhealthy.

[Hoosier Shine9]

D_D

I am not sure if they are suitable for aging purposes.
I do know, in woodworking, most if not all that you listed are on the "be careful list".....wear mask/breathing apparatus when cutting, turning, sanding, to protect from breathing in dust.
There are a LOT people that get rashes on their skin from Padauk, Bocote, Cocobolo, Purpleheart (Amaranth), Bubinga.

be careful.

[cranky]

That's one of the problems with exotic woods, some woods are poison, even some you may not think like some cherries, which is why I haven't used my cherry wood for aging. Even before I began using it I did a ton of research just to verify I could use Japanese maple for aging. I found a lot of good info on some meat smoking websites about a lot of stuff but I also think there is a thread here somewhere addressing many woods and their possible use for aging.

[Swedish Pride]

Didn't we have a member who started 100 threads about different woods? But as far as I can remember without results?

Anyway, d_d where do you have the list from? Why those wood species?
I don't know all of them. But for example something like Cocolobo, I don't think it's usable. Yes, it's wood, but something absolute different from ok or maple. If a north European from the 18th century would see it, he wouldn't think it's wood perhaps. It's like the wood for musical instruments fingerboards. When you saw it, it stinks a bit, you don't get those nice flavor offresh sawn wood. And I know that if you have to work with such woods you have to wear a dust mask, because the saw dust is unhealthy.

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=59798

most of it without much follow up


memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=38503
also did a lot, more info but he got busted by and ex if I remember correctly

[MichiganCornhusker]

I've used some Amburana for aging panela rum and it is very nice. http://newmanlumber.com/cerejeira/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Lots of warm flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.
The wood smells great even uncut.
It is used for aging some cachaca products.

Based on an article about other woods used for aging cachaca, I've also used canary wood.
It is pretty intense, and I'd use way less of it that I typically use for oak aging.
Great color, and kind of a lemony flavor.

Notexotics, but I've used maple and cherry before with good results.

Maple gives a deep rich dark red color and a flavor different than oak.

I've seen cherry get some bad talk on here, but I've used cherry for whiskey and had very good results.
It was just regular furniture grade "cherry" heartwood, not wild cherry, maybe that is the difference.

[distiller_dresden]

Hey der wo and Hoosier - I actually didn't heavily research those woods, and I haven't purchased anything or planned yet -- the list was just me poking around on ebay and finding a few examples of exotic woods I'd never heard of that are available. It seems to have sparked a lot of conversation, which makes me happy! Because I am a crazy freaking mad scientist/alchemist in doing stuff, although I've settled a bit and learned some lessons 7 months into the hobby, I still have that tendency and now I'm leaning into woods - I am picking up some yellow birch toasted medium dominoes I found online, and I found some 'competition heart cut' sugar maple dominoes. They're supposed to be for smokers, but the wood has been air dried and aged, and I got 80 -- EIGHTY!! -- 1" x 1" x 5" dominoes for $25. Can't wait to get them so I can toast them off, I think I'll toast about 50 at medium, and 30 at heavy.

I've also (Cranky wouldn't be surprised lol) searched ebay, Amazon, Google, the internet UPSIDE DOWN for Japanese maple in any form to no avail. I've even looked for like 'hobby' wood, like blocks used for carving or something, as I found several ink stamp style decorated JM wood blocks on ebay, but for the life of me I can't find the blanks. I just can't find JM wood/lumber anywhere, so I'm beholden to the tree service guys I've reached out to locally to stumble on some, or my buddy John finding some. I blame Cranky for saying, "Hey, you want to hit this glass pipe full of crethoin (crack/meth/heroin, obviously)?" Of course I also love Cranky because I'd hit it again the first time over and over without looking back, Japanese maple is my absolute favorite and I just HAVE to find more; I need to stumble onto a whole tree having been removed or something maybe via my tree service guys. That's my dream anyhow, so I would have like 100s of dominoes :shudder: ohhh yeah...

Thanks to Cornhusker! Now I need to seek out some Amburana, I just finished distilling a coconut sugar wash that is REALLY REALLY good, it's nutty and has a slight tropical flowery flavor, it does come from coconut flower nectar, and it has an almost orange blossom quality, but not orange blossom - coconut blossom, and nutty too! I think that Amburana would be wonderful in there. I was planning on some maple and that's it, definitely no oak or anything because it's too delicate, and even off the worm, yes THE WORM, it was smooth and not very hot.

I'm hoping to hear from someone about crabapple and pear wood, because I've heard they are similar to maple in that they impart wonderful sweetness and other complementary dessert-like notes, similar to the Amburana if that makes sense.

[Hoosier Shine9]

D_D
looked for about 2 minutes.......lol

https://oregonburls.com/search.php?sear ... n=product#

typed in "Japanese Maple Pen Blanks"....
oh by the way one of the other things I do is wood turning, and make Pens.....

I apologize in advance if I should not have included the URL.


HS9

[cranky]

D_D
looked for about 2 minutes.......lol

https://oregonburls.com/search.php?sear ... n=product#

typed in "Japanese Maple Pen Blanks"....
oh by the way one of the other things I do is wood turning, and make Pens.....

I apologize in advance if I should not have included the URL.


HS9

Aren't pen blanks usually treated and stabilized?

[distiller_dresden]

Thanks Hoosier, I didn't find that, I was searching "Japanese maple wood" or 'lumber' and 'chunks' and 'blocks', 'dominoes', 'smoker'

I didn't even know it was used for 'pen blanks, or really what that is. It does look like some of those are perfect, about 2"x2"x13.5" which I could trim to several dominoes, and they look as if they're untreated. There are several things looking treated there I avoided. I wrote them to ask if those long blanks are untreated besides maybe some kilning, but no chemicals whatsoever. I added that I wanted to use them to age in beer and wine. We'll see what I hear back; Hoosier, THANKS for finding that man!!! I will be elated if that is an option for me to pick up some more Japanese maple to make and toast some dominoes! SQUEEEEE

[Hoosier Shine9]

Cranky......Not always. Typically if the wood is soft (spalted) it will be stabilized.
In that process they vacuum soak the wood in a liquid that can then be heated and hardened. Turns the wood to an acrylic like substance.

D_D might look around the "lumber yards" and see if they have any.
There is a store my Brother (damn I miss him) use to go to that had all kinds of weird woods. It was West & I believe South of him. maybe a 10 minute drive from the Hospital.

[distiller_dresden]

Well Hoosier that was a GREAT find. The raw tiger Japanese maple is not treated with anything. I ordered several -- three -- choice pieces that I knew I could further divide and get dominoes from. All told I'll be able to get 18 dominoes from what I ordered, 1.5" x 1.5" x 4". The final cost with shipping was $50, so I'm paying about $2.75/domino, but 18 dominoes will last me quite some time, possibly more than a a year or beyond. Plenty of time to locate JM appropriately (free or near-free such as lightly bribing tree service guys to save it for me) between myself and my buddy Johnsmyname who is helping me find it in his place in the world over in CT. One way or another, dangit... But I am and my mind is at ease.

Now, this isn't to say I am not still deeply and profoundly interested in this thread! I just ordered some medium toast yellow birch to try. Spiral out and keep exploring is my motto and my way of enjoying this hobby; I have learned to keep it aging more and slow down and make lower final ABV washes for quality distillates. Also, I believe, I'm going to start not putting wash into my thumper, but rather saving 32oz of the fresh wash before I pitch yeast, and then adding 3-4 oz of good vodka to this. I checked for dilution and that should equate to 8-10% ABV, like putting wash in the thumper, but this was I won't have more heads and harder cuts, and I will get MORE of the flavor of the distillate I'm making in the first place in my distillate. Learning always, learning.

Loving this experimenting and exploring woods and getting into options beyond just oak; there are only THREE we can get hold of for God's sake!

[distiller_dresden]

Got my Japanese maple, it's gorgeous. Cut the 1 piece into 36 1x.75x4.25 dominoes -- I'll end up spending about $1 a domino, much better pricing than my initial guesstimate!

Anybody ever used olive wood? I was looking at 'holy land' olive wood pen blanks... Would be interesting, if it tastes like it smells, kind of incense type of smells, very fragrant wood.

What about macacauba or katalox? They both don't seem to be poisonous, and they are dark, would color a spirit wonderful, but wondering of their flavors...

[6 Row Joe]

I found some Amburana chips on E bay and put 1/10 oz. in a pint of UJSSM/rye that was borderline over oaked with dark toast chips. (just something I wanted to experiment with) When I strained out the Amburana chips I thought it was way to over done but it did have rich baking spices, clove, nutmeg, and the sweet and spicy from the UJ and rye. After setting in the jar a few weeks it turned into a smooth, creamy, syrup that smells and tastes like Grandma's kitchen at Thanksgiving. A friend tried it and said it was easy top 5 for the best he has ever tasted. I had to leave the 200ml. sample for him to enjoy. Now I have to duplicate the recipe to make more. I might try a little less chips for a longer time to see what happens. Cheers.

[Ben]

I am perfecting my absinthe and currently playing with a mix of light char sassafras and medium toast pear wood.

Sassafrass oil is toxic.

"Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, sassafras has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions include nausea and respiratory effects. Oil extracted from the roots and wood of sassafras has been shown to be toxic and weakly carcinogenic if ingested. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information."

https://www.wood-database.com/sassafras ... ne%20tools.

[Bushman]

If not using oak I rely on the heartwood of different fruit trees. Currently using plum wood and I like the results so far.