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I searched "cinnamon, vanilla, oak" and stuff like that and found a lot of opinions about what is good and what's not. Sounds like a "best BBQ in the south" discussion.

My 1st question is, do commercial distilleries use things like that along with the oaking?

Secondly, if any of you guys do this, could you clue me in a little? After spending hours reading those search results, I'm going batty.

I did make a pint of brown with just cinnamon in it so I can add a little at a time. I also made 1 of the recipes that had cinnamon, maple syrup, cloves, corriander and nutmeg in it. It smells good but I made it too sweet. I may make a pint with no syrup and just add that at sippin' time.

I'd be helpful to have all of this together in 1 place. I've just been drinking it oaked and it's good enough but, I'm just looking for some different ways to enjoy my creations.

""do commercial distilleries use things like that along with the oaking? "
its not allowed in whisky.so unless it a flavored drink the answer is no.

You know? I've read that a million times and just was on such a single track I didn't think of it. I was thinking things like bourbon, rum, tequila... gin and just forgot there were regs they have to go by.

Thanks Dnder

it is not just regulations,some how we have to distinguish one from the other.if you could mix/ferment/distill any thing ,any way you wanted .
then instead of names for different drinks we whould just say ethanol?.so just dump it all in a big vat and mix it up?.or it mite be anything in that 100 year old scotch ,could be vodka?

IMO the problem with spicing is that everyone's tastes vary on what tastes good and what does not. Some drinks go well with some spices but how much spice for how long is typically to the taste of the drinker. Much like oaking, do you like a lot of oak or a little. Something like the "best bbq" argument. BBQ sauce being the spice & the meat being the product.

I made a faux scotch that was stripped and infused with ceylon cinnamon & heather tips then spirit run, watered to 65% and put half of the product on med toast French oak staves and half on med toast Am oak cubes & after a month and it is really nice. I had no idea what I was doing I just thought it would be cool to try it out and see what happens, it just happened to work out wonderfully.

I think a lot of trial and error is in order. If you start getting good results I'm sure this thread would be one of the most viewed on the site as people are always looking for something different to try out. Not only is there a lot of different products to try there are endless spice combinations. Also, please post what you try that DOESN'T work!

I think "best-bbq" pretty much nailed it.

I've done a bunch of things and its all subjective to your personal tastes. No harm in trying anything. I have redistilled mascerations of just about everything you have in your spice cabinet.

What oak are you using? I found that charring the oak myself was almost always the best flavor I could get. You get more of a "real whiskey" flavor.

you may/may not like it, all it is artificial flavoring.its trying to make something a weak old taste like its 5 years years old,of course this is not going to happon no matter how hard you try.even the best chemist cant do it.iv tried it I thank its a phase most go threw .i wasted a allot of booze trying.but have fun..

Dnderhead wrote:you may/may not like it, all it is artificial flavoring.its trying to make something a weak old taste like its 5 years years old,of course this is not going to happon no matter how hard you try.even the best chemist cant do it.iv tried it I thank its a phase most go threw .i wasted a allot of booze trying.but have fun..

I have to agree, there is no way to replace time when it comes to aging.

I'm starting a collection of jars containing different spices masserating. It started with the cinnamon for my fire piss. I found I could add a little of it to this drink and some to that drink. Just makes things a little easier. And you can mix a little at a time to get the flavor you want.

Currently I have the cinnamon, vanilla beans, Orange peals, and lemon peals. I plan to add a few more soon. Nutmeg, allspice, and cloves are on the list. Not so much for whiskey but more for a spiced rum. Or whatever I feel like trying. Just age the product on oak. If you so choose. And add a little of this and some of that. And a splash of this. And you have something different. That can be done in small amounts so you don't waste a whole jar of product on a failure. If I find something I like. I mite consider ageing a jar with those spices in it.

Just my way of experimenting. And trying to get the most out of it.

I use white oak charred on my grill. It's works really well once you figure out how much char you like. I'm doing the same thing with pint jars with different spices in them, just messing around. Cinnamon and nutmeg are my favorites eight now. The clove one id pretty good. I'm kinda going for a punkin pie thing. I'm also trying maple syrup.

I once made some black peppercorn vodka that was hot as hell. Just little in a bloody goes a long way. Some DA on the cooking channel said put about an inch of peppercorns in the bottom of a bottle and fill with vodka and let sit a week.