Pine nuts/cones/needles

[Ratty]

I have done a search of the site and can find nothing on this. Does anyone know if it is possible to use pine (in any form) to flavour spirit?

Thanks.

[Ayay]

Pine wood...no

Pine needles...no

Pine nuts...they taste good, but i have not seen much of any kind of nuts for stillin. Maybe as an after-flavour kind of thing like coconut likker.

[Ratty]

Ye - was thinking of macerating in the alcohol, like you would cherry brandy for instance?

[LWTCS]

I'd be inclined to toast em up(or the like) real good.

[Dnderhead]

yes iv seen something on it just the other day , you end up with something like gin? they were using new growth pine needles. did not pay much attention as I do not cared for gin. Much of that was used in gone by days as spices was not available as now. the monks also used unusual ingredients.Many of witch
are not even mentioned to day as they were narcotic.

[Sbeghan]

Pines are nontoxic. There may be some exceptions but as far as I know they're all nontoxic.

Anyway, you can use the young needles, the dried resin from sap, or if you're very adventurous, try some of the wood (let it dry for a year like a hardwood and consider toasting).

There's a species that grows in the piedmont that has very fruity smelling needles that I like a lot. I haven't positively IDed it but I think its either the eastern white or the shortleaf pine.

[rubber duck]

I don't know abought pine but i herd somthing abought a outfit in oregon useing spruce tips to do gin.

[father william]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retsina" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

"His contemporary, Pliny the Elder, does recommend the use of adding resin to the fermenting wine must in his work Naturalis Historia (14.124) with the resin from mountainous areas having a better aroma than those that come from lower lands"

They also coated the outside of clay containers with pine resin to seal the container and prevent evaporation and oxidation, which introduced resin into the wine over time.

My gut feeling is that adding resin to the ferment and allowing the flavor and aroma to come across in the distillation process might be a better route than adding resin after the distillation is done. It'd be more like gin that way.

[Ratty]

Thanks for that - really interesting. It has prompted me to have another look.

I discovered this link to pine needle tea - it seems to me that if you can make tea with them, then so you can wine.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2102192_pine-needle-tea.html

I shall try next time I am in France with my pine trees!