Hi gin professors
Just experimenting with the latest 82% abv batch of macerated and vapour infused product. Hoping for some of the Pinot notes to infuse from the barrel stave pieces I cut down and sanded off.
Looking for advice or suggestions from the masters on here!
This is about 300ml - does this look like enough or too many oak pieces? And roughly how long should I let it sit?
The base gin itself is a slightly modified OEG and is just two weeks off the still.
Cheers all
It depends upon what your goal is. If you want to add a quick bit of oakiness, this large amount will do that very quickly. If you want to add a more mature whiskey quality to it, you would want less, and patience.
Generally it's done when you are happy with the results. Leave a lot of oak in it for long and it will go past that.
Thanks guys. Even after 24hrs it looks like too much .
I was really after the Pinot notes to come through but I’m not sure I’ll achieve that now.
Think I’ll take them out and see how it tastes
Appreciate the input
one of my favourite commercial gins is four pillars bloody shiraz gin.
their site reckons they macerate shiraz grapes in high abv gin for 7-8 weeks.
then squeeze it out and blend with more gin.
sounds like a good way to get a particular wine flavour into a gin.
as for oaking, i'd like to try a barrel aged gin one day.
it's hard to find a bar that doesn't just have bombay & gordons.
these sound ok.
Citadelle Réserve Gin
Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve
Aviation Old Tom American Gin
I grow Pinot Noir and make a fair amount of wine from it. Usually, there is a some left over that does not fit into barrels. With this, I will make a grape spirit that I use to make gin. While it is made from Pinot Noir grape and is pretty awesome, I am not specifically intending to have that be the predominant flavor.
My barrels over time have become neutral, so I use Oak on a Rope inserts. These will sit usually two to three years in the barrel. I have used these inserts after they have lived out their life, mostly for apple brandy or grape brandy, but have not thought to use them for gin. When I barrel age gin, I use small 2l oak casks, sometimes sweetening it a bit for an Old Tom.
That is super interesting FnF !
The reasoning behind my research is a likeness for a specific Central Otago boutique gin that was tinged with pinot and we loved the balance and flavour of.
I have no idea how this commercial distillery achieved it but may find out on future travels. I love the experimentation and seemingly endless possibilities in this hobby. I even thought to extract the alcohol from inexpensive “cleanskin” pinot, or perhaps even add a good quality bottle to my next spirit or gin run
Thanks for the info
If it has color, it could be from a barrel, added wine, or steeped grapes or skins.
If you live in a Pinot region, there is plenty of time to find a winemaker who is willing to let you have some pressings.
My preference for a grape gin base spirit is to do a sugar wash on the pressings and double distill it.
More sugar = less flavor.
Narrower cut = less flavor.
Reflux the feints for very light flavor.
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