Straining distillate through charcoal

[00Buck]

Have any of you found any benefit to this? I have some chips from a toasted oak barrel and it was suggested to me to put some in a funnel so my distillate can run through it before getting collected. I dont see any real downside to it but was wondering what your personal experience is from it

[jonnys_spirit]

Look up the Lincoln County Process and compare/contrast that with activated charcoal filtering.

Give it a go

I’ve drank plenty of Jack Daniels products back in the day and other tennessee whiskies which use the LCP to be classified as Tennessee Whiskey.

Cheers,
-jonny

[Stags]

I used to do the same thing with a stainless funnel and crushed sugar maple charcoal. Some pointers-

1 choose your final filter media carefully. Make sure it won’t react with ethanol/ acetone. Coffee filters get gummed up quickly.
2 I would recommend making cuts and then filtering. Filtering can create smearing so cuts first is the way
3 you will lose some flavor and proof, but can make slightly wider cuts
4 wash your charcoal with hot tap water first. Colander in the sink. Until the water runs clear. Or your whiskey is going to look v dark

Imo, I did this out of tradition when I was young in the hobby and had to make up for funky mashes and poor cuts. Now I see it as an unnecessary PITA. If I want to call something a tn whiskey now I just throw a few chunks of washed charcoal in the barrel or jar and let it sit. The Lincoln county process doesn’t specify that the spirit has to be moving while it gets filtered

[jonnys_spirit]

I sorta feel like you'd want more than a handful in a funnel and have considered for tradition sake making a spool that could be filled and allowed to drain slowly but yes also agree that throwing the sugar maple (or other) charcoal into the new-make jug, letting it sit, and then filtering would do the same. I guess we do that to a certainextent with other woods when we "alligator char" them but they also have some toast/raw towards the middle of the finger where the char didn't penetrate that deep and sugar maple is sort of specific to the JD profile. I believe that "TN Whiskey" has to use sugar maple charcoal but one could certainly use a different fruitwood charcoal for instance if you wanted to be a little crafty and experiment.

Cheers,
jonny

[SaltyStaves]

Jack Daniels use mellowing vats where the distillate sits in the charcoal (up to three days IIRC). This is a lot different to Dickel, which drain their spirit through.

I enjoy JD's products, especially at higher proof, but George Dickel is utter filth to my palate. Too each their own, but childhood memories of chewing on mineralic vitamins aren't what I'm looking for in a whiskey.

[subbrew]

I enjoy JD's products, especially at higher proof, but George Dickel is utter filth to my palate. Too each their own, but childhood memories of chewing on mineralic vitamins aren't what I'm looking for in a whiskey.

Now I might have to go find a bottle of Dickel. In my early 20s Dickel was my go to, i.e. 40 years ago. I still have the plastic tackle box and poster "Waters for washin, Dickels for drinkin" from joining the George Dickel spirit appreciation club.

[SaltyStaves]

Now I might have to go find a bottle of Dickel. In my early 20s Dickel was my go to, i.e. 40 years ago. I still have the plastic tackle box and poster "Waters for washin, Dickels for drinkin" from joining the George Dickel spirit appreciation club.

No. 12 will give it to you in heavy doses. The 8 year Bourbon isn't put through the LCP and doesn't have the mineral notes.

[Saltbush Bill]

and it was suggested to me to put some in a funnel so my distillate can run through it before getting collected.

Did the person suggesting this have much distilling experience, did they understand the difference between filtering through activated carbon and the Lincoln County Process?

[00Buck]

I used to do the same thing with a stainless funnel and crushed sugar maple charcoal. Some pointers-

1 choose your final filter media carefully. Make sure it won’t react with ethanol/ acetone. Coffee filters get gummed up quickly.
2 I would recommend making cuts and then filtering. Filtering can create smearing so cuts first is the way
3 you will lose some flavor and proof, but can make slightly wider cuts
4 wash your charcoal with hot tap water first. Colander in the sink. Until the water runs clear. Or your whiskey is going to look v dark

Imo, I did this out of tradition when I was young in the hobby and had to make up for funky mashes and poor cuts. Now I see it as an unnecessary PITA. If I want to call something a tn whiskey now I just throw a few chunks of washed charcoal in the barrel or jar and let it sit. The Lincoln county process doesn’t specify that the spirit has to be moving while it gets filtered

This is kinda what I was looking for. I couldnt figure out any benefit whatsoever to using it cause its in contact with with the distillate for like 2 seconds. Makes sense to strain everything through cheesecloth/felt for anything else but I dont get the full idea behind just letting it run over toasted wood

[00Buck]

and it was suggested to me to put some in a funnel so my distillate can run through it before getting collected.

Did the person suggesting this have much distilling experience, did they understand the difference between filtering through activated carbon and the Lincoln County Process?

No. The old fella probably cant even spell Lincoln lol. Its my great-uncle. Hes 80 and swears it makes it smoother and better tasting. But I take all the old timer advice loosely cause technology changes and things get proven different

[Renhoekk]

Jack Daniels use mellowing vats where the distillate sits in the charcoal (up to three days IIRC). This is a lot different to Dickel, which drain their spirit through.

No, JD uses the Lincoln County process where the white dog is slowly filtered through 10ft high barrels of charcoal. It takes about 3 days from top to bottom.

[SaltyStaves]

Jack Daniels use mellowing vats where the distillate sits in the charcoal (up to three days IIRC). This is a lot different to Dickel, which drain their spirit through.

No, JD uses the Lincoln County process where the white dog is slowly filtered through 10ft high barrels of charcoal. It takes about 3 days from top to bottom.

Correct, I should not have said it sits. It runs down. My point was the time difference. Dickel moves the distillate through considerably quicker IIRC.