Aging Peach Brandy

[ukeman]

Hi all,

Well, got a batch of peach brandy brewing right now as per the "Fruits/Berries" tried and true recipe. The question I have now is once it's distilled, what does everyone do to age it? From the author I have found out that he drinks it white after distilling. However, I have read a lot lately about brandy and it seems they are always aged on oak. What would be best for this peach brandy? Oak or not? Toasted or charred? Light oak or heavy oak flavor? First time making peach brandy so I don't want to screw up the aging. Bought 2 cases of beautiful peaches to make this brandy with.

Thanks for you thoughts!

[bearriver]

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[Halfbaked]

I like it white, no wood. IF you don't like it after 4 or 5 months put it on wood. Keep some white just in case.

[MDH]

Keep it white. Leave it for six months minimum. It'll smooth up in no time.

[Johnny6]

If you're not convinced that aging white will make a difference, I can tell you that it does. Although I can't speak specifically for peaches, I had a batch of Mini-Wheat whiskey (sugar head) that I thought was a complete failure, off smell and bitter. I pushed it to the back of the shelf to make neutral out of eventually. About 6mos later I took a sip and it has mellowed a lot. Very tasty.

[1RiverRunner]

Keep it white. Leave it for six months minimum. It'll smooth up in no time.

I know it’s an old post, but do members let white peach brandy rest in a glass jars, opening to vent occasionally, or do you prefer another method?

[JustinNZ]

I only do the airing thing if aging on oak. I’ve learnt that oak and my brandies lead to a not especially nice drink where the fruitiness gets overwhelmed, so I stick with white. And closed containers. Others might do it differently.

It’s totally true that spirits can develop in the bottle - those first few days, weeks and months especially. Mouthfeel improvements can be quite striking.

[Bradster68]

I have an almost 2yr old bottle of peach on oak. But the oak peices which I only added 2, are about 1/4 thick 1x1 square. It's still amazingly peachy,but imma put it in another bottle off the oak at 2yrs.

[zach]

I've tried apricot and plum brandy aged in mulberry barrels which is common for commercial product in eastern Europe.

My understanding is that oak might overpower the fruit flavors. The mulberry provides a light yellow color and allows the fruit to shine through.

I imagine peach is similar. I would divide it and keep some white and try some with used oak or oak that is toasted not charred.

[jonnys_spirit]

I'd consider using a very small amount of light to medium toast peach wood instead of oak.

Cheers,
jonny

[OtisT]

Apple wood would be another wood worth trying on a batch of peach brandy. Apple is good raw or toasted and will add some nice light golden color from the wood (not counting the toast). The smell/taste of apple is very subtle and the wood is not bitter. You don’t need to age it a long time to get the benefits, days up to a few months. It does not take a lot of apple wood with a light spirit. Start with around 10 grams/liter.

More details on using apple for aging is in my fruitwood thread in the signature below.

PS. Love the Yoda quote.

[Bradster68]

Otis, Jonny and Zach. Those are all great ideas. Hopefully I get another bunch so I can experiment a little.
Edit
I do have access to all those woods(not seasoned off course). Maybe I better get my but in gear

[jonnys_spirit]

If I just knew where to get 40-50 gallons of peaches without the peach prices . Skins also have a lot of flavor. Macerating new make might impart some sweetness.

Cheers!
-j

[Bradster68]

If I just knew where to get 40-50 gallons of peaches without the peach prices . Skins also have a lot of flavor. Macerating new make might impart some sweetness.

Cheers!
-j

The problem is,I do know where to get them.
But it's 10 hours away. My sister is in the middle of fruit country. She's the one who delivers the last batch