Jack Daniels Oak chips. How to use them.

[mash rookie]

Here are my conclusions after using JD chips for several months and several experiments with them.

They are an oaking chip, not a flavoring chip. They work particularly well for whiskey. UJSSM, SweetFeed, Etc.

They will not make a neutral taste like whiskey.

Other chips or staves, no matter how deep the char always seemed to leave a bad woody taste from the tannins that can take months or years to dissappear.

Because the JD chips have already been exposed to alcohol the tannins are not present.

They are well suited for the impatient distiller. You can over oak without ruining your booze with to much tannin. For this reason, oaking can be done faster by using greater amounts of chips. You literally can fill your oaking vessel with chips.

How to use them. Fill oaking vessel ½ full with new chips, top with blended UJSSM and cover air tight. Leave a couple inches of head space.

Start tasting after two weeks. On the first use of the chips 14 – 21 days your booze will be ready to bottle.

On second and third use of the chips it will take an extra week. When chips start to wear out add a little fresh chips to the mix.

I like to oak at 100-110 PROOF (sorry my bad ). Lower ABV= darker, rich caramel notes. Higher ABV= lighter smoother tasting after dilution.

Caution! You can over do! I left a vessel open, soaking for six weeks on new chips. I got a dark nasty syrup. Left on chips too long then too much alcohol had evaporated concentrating the remaining tails.

Rum. I have rinsed spent chips and used them on rum. I found that they smoothed it out after a few weeks but also removed some of the rum flavor.
I don’t recommend their use on rum.

Do not discard spent chips. They are great for smoking meats on the BBQ
Mash Rookie

[banter_king]

thanks MR i'll give your method a go after my next stilling session. my first attempt at oaking has been sitting on a handful for just over 3 weeks at the moment. is getting better by the day. two weeks sounds pretty appealing though.

[Prairiepiss]

MR you mite want to change where you said 100 110 ABV to proof?

Good write though.

I didn't see any mention of toasting? Have you tried toasting them? I would think this would give you more tannins or carmalized oakyness. That you say you are missing.

[banter_king]

the bit about oaking ABV got my thinking. I know you are starting a solera type thing to PP. I think it would be good to have different jars at these different ABV in the system to get all of these flavors. Just a though. I am using the JD chips so i think i will atleast try it.

[King Of Hearts]

I tried them and all they did was add color and not much else.

[kenfyoozed]

I tried them and all they did was add color and not much else.

I tried them as well, and found i have better results with the chips i can get at my LHBS. They are made by Crosby and Baker. I use the light and dark toast. I get color and flavor. Next thing on the list is to try some of the oak spirals, before i use a barrel

[King Of Hearts]

I buy staves from Oak Solutions group.

[mash rookie]

Hey everybody. Dont knock them until you try them.

Toasting hurts. I advise against that. Nothing to gain except a burnt sugar taste.

Use them as described with UJSSM or a grain type whiskey ferment and you will be impressed.

This post was not made without considerable experience behind the statements. They work extremely well when used properly.

I can expand on the post if anyone has questions on how to use them correctly.

MR

[rtalbigr]

Not bein negative MR, but I tried the JD chips a good while ago and then I threw them in the trash. But then I have decided that barrel aging and time is the only way to go. Tannins are only a problem if the aging process is short changed. Aging is best accomplished with time. If our goal is a vastly superior product then why should we short change ourselves?

Big R

[likkerluvver]

..... I like to oak at 100-110 ABV. Lower ABV= darker, rich caramel notes. Higher ABV= lighter smoother tasting after dilution.

I'm as confused as Piss over this MR.

You must have developed a very high octane rig or process. I'm happy to nudge closer to 96% abv. Or am I missing something which is clear to everyone else

[Odin]

100 - 110 proof ...

[Odin]

I have two links. One (the first) is the one I use and the one I think MR writes about. They work good in my opinion. Better than brewshop oaking chips, that are just too small:

http://primogrillsandsmokers.nl/jack-da ... khout.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

And than a member of another forum found another sort of JD Chips. These seem to be bigger, more like staves. Anyone experience with those? Any comments?

http://www.kadowebwinkel.eu/Webwinkel-P ... -kilo.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I am thinking on buying them, just because they are bigger. Should improve wooding even more, no?

Odin.

[cornbred]

Are these the chips for cooking with or something different? Where can I buy them?

[Prairiepiss]

I use oak staves. And no I really don't know that flavor. I'm hurting in this department. My taste buds elude me. That's why I was asking. I personaly don't like the woody flavors that come from non toasted oak. It's like chewing on a piece of wood to me. I like the flavors I get from a toasted oak. I'm just trying to understand them.

[Bushman]

Odin your first link looks like the bags of JD chips I saw when I visited MR over the Thanksgiving weekend. I would say everyone has different tastes, for those of you that tried them and did not like them, did you do it the way MR recommends. The reason I ask the question is I am oaking in small barrels (5 liter) they work but I would buy larger if I were to do them again, but after tasting MR's liquor I would be hard pressed to say he is doing anything wrong!

[Odin]

Bushman,

I agree. I followed MR's instructions (on an earlier bunch of posts) and it worked out fine. So he uses the chips as I do. Thought that would be the case.

To repeat my question to others on this forum: do you know the alternative I posted above? More like staves made from old JD's ... They should work the same (depleted of tanines and such), but are much thicker. Might give a slower, yet more characterful ageing in the end?

Odin.

[Odin]

An internet buddy of mine from the Netherlands named "Cor" did an interesting test on JD chips & UJSSM. One quart he put on the chips as usual. Another quart he put in a seperate bottle with just as many chips. But this bottle was a Vacu Vin bottle. A bottle that you can use to (normally) keep your wine under a vacuum, thus preventing oxidation. He told me that using this Vacu Vin did miracles to his UJSSM and the wood ageing. The drank got more collour and more taste in not time. He also told me that there is a lot of air trapped inside the chips. I think the vacuum sucks out the air, pulling in the drink, giving you a faster (maybe even more intense) ageing ...

Read his findings and thought I would share that with you guys.

Odin.

[Prairiepiss]

An internet buddy of mine from the Netherlands named "Cor" did an interesting test on JD chips & UJSSM. One quart he put on the chips as usual. Another quart he put in a seperate bottle with just as many chips. But this bottle was a Vacu Vin bottle. A bottle that you can use to (normally) keep your wine under a vacuum, thus preventing oxidation. He told me that using this Vacu Vin did miracles to his UJSSM and the wood ageing. The drank got more collour and more taste in not time. He also told me that there is a lot of air trapped inside the chips. I think the vacuum sucks out the air, pulling in the drink, giving you a faster (maybe even more intense) ageing ...

Read his findings and thought I would share that with you guys.

Odin.

Dnderhead had talked about oaking using vacuum. Can't remember what thread it was? But he talked about putting vacuum to it and releasing it in a cycle type thing. If I'm not mistaken. I would love to try it one day. When I get a vacuum sealer.

[Bushman]

I have a vacuum sealer that I use primarily for the fish I catch and other meats, I have never used the bottle accessory part of it and really wasn't sure what it would be good for. Now your giving me some ideas! Odin did he say how long he left it under the vaccum?

[Dnderhead]

the first time vacuum draws the air out of the wood ,then when the vacuum is released the air is replaced with alcohol.then next time it draws out alcohol along with wood flavors.this exchange takes about 1/2 hour depending on how big the pieces of wood are.(the first time it will bubble ,when it stops it has finished the cycle) this is as far as I took the experiment.I never tried to see if this "extract" whould "bottle age" similar to a barrel.

[Odin]

http://www.vacuvin.com/990/Vacuum_Wine_Stoppers.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Above, a link with how simple a solution might work here.

Odin.

[banter_king]

i actually have one of those. And i don't use it. might have to give this a try.

[Bushman]

http://www.vacuvin.com/990/Vacuum_Wine_Stoppers.html

Above, a link with how simple a solution might work here.

Odin.

Odin, I have a jar and vacuum lid for my industrial vacuum sealer that is what I was thinking about using. It would be nice to use your method if you could get those vacuum set-up to fit on a larger container than a wine glass!

[Odin]

BM,

Yeah, they only come in those cork screw, wine bottle sizes, I am affraid!

Odin.

[MajorMalfunction]

I used them with rum for a two week soak. I got more whiskey flavor than rum now. As much as this was a negative outcome, it was positive in that I cant wait to try with a corn wash.

[Wiorev]

I just got some JD chips from ace and put about 4 grams in with 1.5 quarts of rum. I stuck it in my chest freezer. I plan on taking it out and putting it back in the freezer everyday for about a week.

I have been reading that JD chips just add color... Does it help smooth the likker too?

[mash rookie]

You guys should note that I don’t recommend using them with rum unless you want to mellow the flavor. I found they removed some of the rum flavor. They will smooth it some but be careful. Save some spent chips for your whiskey soak, rinse them and use sparingly. If you are going to use them directly from the bag on rum, rinse the chips thoroughly to remove any left over JD

[fatman]

Does anyone use the big chunks of Jack Daniels aging barrel, they look more like pieces of cut staves, not the ones that look like they been thru a wood chipper?

If so where does one get them? i have been sent a link to someplace in the netherlands???

Or should i just use JD smoking chips found at the big hardware stores or Cabellas type stores?

[Odin]

Sorry fatman, can't help ya out. The bigger staves I buy in The Netherlands.

Odin.

[Durace11]

Does anyone use the big chunks of Jack Daniels aging barrel, they look more like pieces of cut staves, not the ones that look like they been thru a wood chipper?
If so where does one get them? i have been sent a link to someplace in the netherlands???
Or should i just use JD smoking chips found at the big hardware stores or Cabellas type stores?

Search for half barrel related topics. There are a few posts talking about buying half barrel planters and cutting them up to use for oak aging. All of the "Home Stores" should carry them as planters.