2 Year bourbon with "Quantum Aging"

[kuraokami]

Hello All,

After a year of learning and trials from help of the community i've gotten my general white / clear spirits down *atleast to what I like. Thinking about jumping into brown finally and have my hand at it. I've looked a the aging sticks to at least give me a start of seeing how flavor develops. Came across this the other day



And saw that he's also selling a 2 year bourbon with this "process". Anyone have any idea what it might be? Seems like some marketing jargon layed on top of an already known process and if I can make some decent bourbon in 2 years that would be amazing.

[greggn]

And saw that he's also selling a 2 year bourbon with this "process". Anyone have any idea what it might be?

I followed the link, read the interview, and then poked around his distillery's website. Nowhere, that I saw, does he describe the "technology."

What's troubling is his timeline (per his website) :

"In March 2020 Legends Distillery opened for business" and yet their Straight Bourbon Whiskey won Double Gold in 2020. How does a product that requires 2 years of aging win competition in their first year of business ?

(yeah, that's a rhetorical question ... I know the answer)

[LordL]

And saw that he's also selling a 2 year bourbon with this "process". Anyone have any idea what it might be?

I followed the link, read the interview, and then poked around his distillery's website. Nowhere, that I saw, does he describe the "technology."

What's troubling is his timeline (per his website) :

"In March 2020 Legends Distillery opened for business" and yet their Straight Bourbon Whiskey won Double Gold in 2020. How does a product that requires 2 years of aging win competition in their first year of business ?

(yeah, that's a rhetorical question ... I know the answer)

Could be some pilot samples tried though?
My guess is it's just like that danish "modern" whisky producer, forced through temperature and ultrasound + oxygen. Or something similar.

[tommysb]

An explanation of the process of the Danish company is contained here:

https://etoh.dk/theory-process/


EXTRACTION

At the beginning of the process previously used or new barrels are being disassembled. Next, whole barrel staves are loaded into the Jensen reactor, while other parts are chopped into chips and used in an ultrasound casket. We carefully select the types of barrels used for each product and are able to compose mixed sets of different barrel staves.

By the combination of ultrasound and heat exposure, we accelerate the extraction of precursors and flavour components as lignin, polyphenols, short and medium chained fatty acids, hemicellulose etc. Some components are important for the later transformation while others give direct flavour to the spirit.


TRANSFORMATION

The key flavour of aged whiskies are esters. Esters are formed by condensation of alcohol and organic acid (Carboxylic acid). The most abundant alcohol in whisky is ethanol and therefore most of the esters formed are ethyl esters.

However, other alcohols are also present in the spirit, they are collected from the tails fraction during the distillation process (butanol, propanol, amyl alcohols etc.). Additionally, depending on the distillate and the barrels, different organics acids are being extracted or created via chemical reactions.

The process of esterification depends on the type and strength of alcohol and organic acids. This is the beauty of aging, as the results vary so much depending on the quality of the barrel and the spirit.

Jensen reactor, while other parts are chopped into chips and used in ultrasound casket. We carefully select the types of barrels used for each product and are able to compose mixed sets of different barrel staves.


HOW DOES IT WORK?

The production begins with careful selection of New Make, which is a base for our future aged spirit. We are supplied with craft, high quality Scotch distillate and match it with precisely selected oak barrels.
It’s important to know that New Make is not entirely “clean” of other congeners (compounds created during distillation that are not ethanol and water). There are hundreds of different congeners in whisky with different properties and flavour profiles.

This includes compounds desired by distilleries: esters, aldehydes and higher alcohols, but also sulphurs and acids which are generally unpleasant. The highest quality of base spirit lets us focus entirely on the maturation process, which is the crucial step in the whisky production. Aging vastly distinguishes raw spirit from the final whisky product due to reactions which occur between distillate, congeners and barrel wood components.



Our current reactor Jensen Mk I, employs 6 different acceleration aging techniques, combined in one production unit.
That is:
– elevated operational temperature,
– high ultrasound wave extraction,
– inorganic acid catalysator,
– increased wood to liquid ratio by addition of both oak chips and oak staves,
– controlled micro-oxygenation process,
– usage of flow rate and constant circulation of the liquid,


DIVING IN DEEP

Now, let’s dive deeper, what each of those parameters does for our final product:

Elevated temperature helps to break the cell walls of the wood and in consequence release a higher amount of soluble phenolics, colour compounds and ellagic acid. Additionally, higher temperature decreases the activation energy of the reaction which in consequence leads to an increased reaction rate.

In an ultrasound system, sound waves cause periodic changes in air pressure. Sound is transmitted through a medium by inducing the vibrational motion of the molecules through which it is travelling. During the ultrasound process, some energy is lost through conversion to heat, and the rest can produce cavitation. Ultrasound cavitation enhances the oak extraction procedure.

Inorganic acid catalysator, similarly to elevated temperature can decrease the activation energy of the reaction. More precisely it increases the rate of one of the most important reactions in whisky production – esterification.

Usage of oak chips in addition to oak staves provides much higher wood compounds extraction than classic barrel-ageing at the same period due to its much higher surface-to-volume ratio.

The micro-oxygenation process improves spirit by providing a crucial component (oxygen) for many reactions in the closed system. Operating in a closed system limits oxygen exposure, adding the gas mimics the natural process of aging.

The optimal flow rate provides sufficient contact time between wood and spirit and ensures proper mixing during the production time.

After 7 to 14 days of applying the above-mentioned parameters, we’re ready to send you a bottle of this novel product.

[Saltbush Bill]

this novel product.

That pretty much sums it up...Marketing at its best.

[LordL]

this novel product.

That pretty much sums it up...Marketing at its best.

Haven't tried it myself. But, if it works, it would be kind of great for us small producers with a bad patience...

I'd love to make and drink a 60 year old Whisky before I die..

[LWTCS]

Resources are becoming increasingly more scarce.
This type of technology that mimicks traditional methods will become increasingly more useful to small operators.

Transparency will be key so as not to be misleading.

[Deplorable]

this novel product.

That pretty much sums it up...Marketing at its best.

Haven't tried it myself. But, if it works, it would be kind of great for us small producers with a bad patience...

I'd love to make and drink a 60 year old Whisky before I die..

You just need to read more. People on here are doing this on a small scale. There are several threads on here discussing the use of ultrasonic water baths to accelerate the interaction between wood and spirits. Ive even read on here the use of air stones and oxygen to aerate the spirits.

[LWTCS]

this novel product.

That pretty much sums it up...Marketing at its best.

Haven't tried it myself. But, if it works, it would be kind of great for us small producers with a bad patience...

I'd love to make and drink a 60 year old Whisky before I die..

You just need to read more. People on here are doing this on a small scale. There are several threads on here discussing the use of ultrasonic water baths to accelerate the interaction between wood and spirits. Ive even read on here the use of air stones and oxygen to aerate the spirits.

Yessir,
At the industrial scale there is even a machine that puts new make through a steric reaction. This technology is not being advertised as a rapid aging process as such.

It is a way ( according to those who have first hand experience with this technology) to improve finished spirit.

[drmiller100]

I know nothing about taste.
I did read in there they seem to be aging their product at a higher temperature. Which to me seems like it might speed things along????

Also if you varied the temp it could create a pumping action pushing the bad stuff out quicker???

[NZChris]

They might be using tricks that have been discussed in this thread: viewtopic.php?t=55301

[Saltbush Bill]

I'd love to make and drink a 60 year old Whisky before I die..

The only way your ever going to do that is if your 18-20 years old now and you barrel that stuff tomorrow, then live to be 80 and one day or week old.
Time is time.......there are no substitutes.

[NZChris]

Time is time.......there are no substitutes.

If I 100% agreed with that, there wouldn't be a heating element ensuring tropical temperatures in my rum cellar.

[Saltbush Bill]

Its nice to know that you have a custom made "Rum Cellar" Chris.....I think I'll just stick to a few barrels in my shed......that seems to work for me.
Its also interesting that you can "create time"

[NZChris]

It's not exactly 'tropical' in my shed for half of the year. It's no more difficult to have a tropical cellar for my rum than it is to have climate controlled 'caves' for my cheese.

I've often read that rum ages faster in the tropics than whisky ages in Scotland and I have no reason to doubt that.

[LordL]

Its nice to know that you have a custom made "Rum Cellar" Chris.....I think I'll just stick to a few barrels in my shed......that seems to work for me.
Its also interesting that you can "create time"

From a chemists perspective it's something like this:

To create a reaction you need two or more substances that are somewhat prone to react with eachother.

If you want that reaction to happen quicker, adjusting temperature is one key.

If the reaction is oxidation, some sort of oxygen must also be present.

For esters, we usually must have a small catalyst in the form of a couple of drops of sulphuric acid.

The question to me is rather, how can we speed up the reactions preferred, and keep other reactions at bay.

Time is just a component in a reaction, wich can be sped up bu antagonising or warming up the reactants.