Vacuum aging

[liqrlkr]

I need your thoughts on this. I have been looking at the device that you put on the lid of mason jar and it pulls all the air out of it. Any thoughts on how this might affect the clear that I am aging on oak?

[Tammuz]

That would pull but what will push?

[Copperhead road]

A vacuum can accelerate the aging and flavor extraction process with oak in spirits. This is usually done in cycles, but is just another form of rapid aging,
I have not vacuum aged myself but have read an article about a commercial whiskey distillery doing this in stainless steel tanks.

Do you have a link on this device you are looking at?

[Salt Must Flow]

Just search 'mason jar vacuum' and you'll find many search results.

[liqrlkr]

Copperhead! You are right, it would not push the spirits back onto the wood!

[PsychDoc]

Seems this would be similar to the heating/cooling cycle- do we call that ‘turbo aging’?
I think the vacuum would pull the spirit into the wood. Maybe more like pull and air out of the wood allowing the spirit spaces to fill. Release the vacuum, the wood is now ‘squeezed’ by the increased pressure. I imagine any pressure or temperature cycling would have a similar effect.

[Dancing4dan]

Tried this. It colours the spirit. Vacuum cycles move spirit in and out of the wood. Movement is minimal and the “aging” effect is nonexistent. Spirit moves into wood when vacuum is released. Spirits need time to age.

I use a vacuum process to condition oak staves by vacuuming them inside a quart seater with Bourbon, Marsala, or Sherry. I heat the oak and spirit in a microwave (JAR OPEN) together then do repeated vacuum cycles. Works very well to condition the oak so it mimics used barrels or barrel staves. The liquid moves into and out of the wood quite a lot this way and can be seen when cycling. Air pulls out of the wood on first few cycles when vacuum is applied and liquids move into when vacuum is removed. Toasting and or charring the oak first helps. Use aged oak.

Haven’t made any of these for a while but the ones I made are still in use.

[Tammuz]

I have an oiless pump that can be set up to pull a vacuum or pressure. We tried it a on a small 1/2 gallon container. It work to quickly. We were cycling in about 8 times a day 1/2 hour cycle. I want to try this with 30 liter beer kegs and use one at 3 times a week in one hour cycle. An other once a week for a period of 6 months. I'm in the tropics where I hardly get a 10° difference. I want to pull in air to help the oxidation for some rum. I might not have enough time left in me to put it in a 100 Lt oak barrel and wait but I plan on that also along with 2 faux 20 Lt badmos made from ice cream containers. For Rum little for drinking most for cooking and barkeeps. I'm told there's a need for that down here.

[Tammuz]

I have an oiless pump that can be set up to pull a vacuum or pressure. We tried it a on a small 1/2 gallon container. It work to quickly. We were cycling in about 8 times a day 1/2 hour cycle. I want to try this with 30 liter beer kegs and use one at 3 times a week in one hour cycle. An other once a week for a period of 6 months. I'm in the tropics where I hardly get a 10° difference. I want to pull in air to help the oxidation for some rum. I might not have enough time left in me to put it in a 100 Lt oak barrel and wait but I plan on that also along with 2 faux 20 Lt badmos made from ice cream containers. For Rum little for drinking most for cooking and barkeeps. I'm told there's a need for that down here.

Edit: We tried it at 65° and 55° even though it's just a short experiment you could tell the 55 was much better at the time. But that doesn't necessarily mean to be better 8 months from now.