Home Distiller

I'm just trying to get a list going of woods appropriate for aging. I think I hit everything, but surely I missed something. I went back through half of the topics in the Aging forum. As I get the opportunity I will go through and research out specific flavor profiles if I can for the different woods. If you have an opportunity feel free to post those specific flavor profiles. I wanted this to be something helpful for people looking for info. I couldn't seem to find one concise post about these.

-Oak
*American(numerous local varieties) Quercus alba
*French(Quercus petraea)
*European
*Spanish(Quercus robur)
*Hungarian(Quercus frainetto)
*Japanese(Quercus Mongolica)
*Red Oak(?)
*Scrub Oak(lots of local varieties)
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Quercus_species
The easiest way to identify which oak in your area is to grab a leaf/fruit from the tree and figure out the trees that are in your region then narrow it down by how the differing varieties
leave/fruit looks. I did this for the one in my backyard and it is only native to the valley where I live.

-Sugar Maple(Acer saccharum)
*Hard(I Believe Curly/Spalted/Tiger/Birdseye are all Sugar Maple)
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_saccharum

-Soft Maple aka Silver mapleAcer saccharinum
*produces a sweet sap, but it is generally not used by commercial sugarmakers because of the low sugar content

-Fruit
*Apple(and Crabapple?)Malus domestica
*OrangeCitrus × sinensis<---This is the sweet Orange rather than the bitter
*Cherry
*Apricot
*Peach
*Plum
*Pear
*Mulberry(should only be used after seasoned and sap, which is toxic, is gone)

-Other
*Mesquite
*Hickory
*BeechFagus var. used for some smoked German malts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beech_tree
*Chestnut
*Pecan
*Alder
*Liptus(Eucalyptus??)
*Butternut
*Cedar
*Ash

End Grain is apparently preferrable to Edge Grain:
It would be great if this sort of thing could be better adapted to use more end grain surface area rather than edge grain. I saw somewhere on here that you get 8x the infusion with end grain over edge grain. The point of the spirals is not only to maximize overall surface area, but also to maximize the end grain area, IIRC.

Originally posted on this page(about halfway down):
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... n#p6748482

This is an explanation as to what the 2 are:
http://designercuttingboards.com/design ... _grain.php

nice compilation. ash could be added. you have alder twice. also, may i suggest using full latin names to avoid confusion and duplicates?

edit to add that Mulberry should be 2nd year + wood and aged at least a year before use as the sap is mildly toxic.

I tried Mesquite and it's much better on steaks than whiskey. Don't think it's toxic, just tasted bad.

Hi,

I've got some oak and crabapple whiskey ageing. took the sticks out after 19 days, the crabapple is much woodier and darker so far the oak is nicer..imay have overwooded both must be patient.
Gonna drink these over the holidays

heartcut wrote:I tried Mesquite and it's much better on steaks than whiskey. Don't think it's toxic, just tasted bad.

There is at least one out there:
http://www.spiritsreview.com/reviews-wh ... endric.htm

I have seen elsewhere people say it makes the whiskey taste like BBQ Sauce.

I'd like to add that maple imparts a pretty strong taste. It really tasted like maple syrup!

striker85 wrote:I'd like to add that maple imparts a pretty strong taste. It really tasted like maple syrup!

Charred? Or toasted?

I find this very interesting. So is the practice "always" to use toasted woods? Or can you use a kiln dried wood like oak, even when it's not been toasted?

inquiring mind wants to know...the smoke from 'toasting' the oak sticks keeps triggering my smoke protector...


Boom

BoomTown wrote:I find this very interesting. So is the practice "always" to use toasted woods? Or can you use a kiln dried wood like oak, even when it's not been toasted?

inquiring mind wants to know...the smoke from 'toasting' the oak sticks keeps triggering my smoke protector...


Boom

in some instances, kiln dried could be ok, or just weathered (sap cleared) even, but it won't have the wood sugars caramelized like the toasted. they can be also charred. or toasted then charred. some woods work well when only lightly toasted like cherry, mulberry or acacia. i toasted chips without al-wrap in my standard kitchen oven and 40m@240C was way too much. i think 40m@180C would be better and there would be no smoke at all.


onemarleyfan, acacia can go onto the list.

more woods in this article: http://www.nicks.com.au/index.aspx?link_id=76.1499" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Thanks for the post!!! Great article

there are many good ones on that site. i just finished reading about calvados.

Some ppl will say end grain is not so good because although it may age 8 times faster you will get way to much tannin exposing the timber like this hence I believe is some ppls problem with chips

Definitely lots of knowledge there. It is nice and "concise". Thanks for posting it.

I noticed whilst searching for various fruitwoods, that there are Mango wood boards out there for sale. Has anyone ever used this?

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 3&start=36

Found this while searching around. There is a lot of good fruitwood tasting profile info( once you wade through some of peoples bullshit about different Oaks).

I may have also found a supplier for a lot of these fruitwoods(as well as Avocado and Pistachio).

onemarleyfan wrote:I may have also found a supplier for a lot of these fruitwoods(as well as Avocado and Pistachio).

I wouldn't use avocardo - leaves and branches kill sheep so i wouldn't experiment on us

frozenthunderbolt wrote:

onemarleyfan wrote:I may have also found a supplier for a lot of these fruitwoods(as well as Avocado and Pistachio).

I wouldn't use avocardo - leaves and branches kill sheep so i wouldn't experiment on us

That is interesting I have found a number of food recipes that call for Avocado leaves. I'll have to look around a little more about that.

Toxicity to animals

Avocado leaves, bark, skin, or pit are documented to be harmful to animals; cats, dogs, cattle, goats, rabbits,[40] rats, birds, fish, and horses[22][41] can be severely harmed or even killed when they consume them. The avocado fruit is poisonous to some birds, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) lists it as toxic to many animals including cats, dogs, and horses.[42]

Avocado leaves contain a toxic fatty acid derivative, persin, which in sufficient quantity can cause colic in horses and, without veterinary treatment, death.[43] The symptoms include gastrointestinal irritation, vomiting, diarrhoea, respiratory distress, congestion, fluid accumulation around the tissues of the heart, and even death. Birds also seem to be particularly sensitive to this toxic compound. Feeding avocados or guacamole to an animal should be avoided completely.



That is in the Wikipedia entry.......interesting that it mentions lots of animals. Apparently the checmical Persin is present in the skin/leaves of the avocado. Not sure how that fares for the wood. I didn't have a whole of want to use it.....just a curiosity. I'm more interested in the fruitwood. Though I saw mention that mango wood may have issues as far as toxicity.

BoomTown wrote:I find this very interesting. So is the practice "always" to use toasted woods? Or can you use a kiln dried wood like oak, even when it's not been toasted?

inquiring mind wants to know...the smoke from 'toasting' the oak sticks keeps triggering my smoke protector...


Boom

Commercially kiln dried hardwoods are frequently sprayed with chemicals to help them dry in a controlled manner. I don't think you want anything to do with kiln dried wood for aging spirits.

cheers
stilly

I wanted to mention that nowhere did I find any toxicity to humans with the Avocado wood. Here in SoCal it is very common as firewood. I imagine that being in California that if it releases toxins that are especially poisonous to humans it would not be allowed to be sold as firewood.


If you are searching out Hardwoods I would simply ask the seller about how it was dried. When seeking out Hardwood most of the people who use/sell them are very in tune with how they are dried. You can find a lot of these hardwoods/fruitwoods in hobbyist settings(i.e. wood turning/carving). Also alot of the more interesting hardwoods you can find at a specialist wood store. The drying process is very key to how the final product is used. Simply ask them if they were air dried or if any chemicals were used as you are going to use them for something food/liquid related and you don't want any chemicals leeching out.

Stilly wrote:

BoomTown wrote:I find this very interesting. So is the practice "always" to use toasted woods? Or can you use a kiln dried wood like oak, even when it's not been toasted?

inquiring mind wants to know...the smoke from 'toasting' the oak sticks keeps triggering my smoke protector...


Boom

Commercially kiln dried hardwoods are frequently sprayed with chemicals to help them dry in a controlled manner. I don't think you want anything to do with kiln dried wood for aging spirits.

cheers
stilly

I couldn't find any corroboration of chemicals being used in kiln drying. There was mention of Acetic Acid being used, but that it was prohibitively expensive so it wasn't common. I have seen a lot of wood that was sealed( I assume to prevent moisture loss) with a product called AnchorSeal. I am not familiar with it but assume it isnt something you want in your whiskey.

so Ron, how did your aok compared to crapapple wood ageing turn out?

I see cherry listed but cannot find anything about anyone trying it. I have a ton of cherry, may just have to try it anyway

I am finding I prefer medium toast on the oaks......I found a guy to supply me with 7 different fruitwoods at a low cost. He is just waiting for his supply to come in. If it all works out I'll post the website(just want to get mine first).

Boom,

I found the oak to be very flavorful and smooth. The crabapple had more of an edge to it but also much more depth and character almost scothlike. Both were drinkable and response has been favorable; all of it having been drank. All told i'm pleased and have 3 more quarts flavoring. 1 oak, 1 applewwod and a mix. trying to keep my mitts of them for another 2 weeks; which will be 1 month. and then i'll give them a taste.

http://bourbonbuzz.com/2010/11/01/woodf ... d-bourbon/

Woodford Reserve Maple Finish, they crafted Maple barrels and apparently found that simply toasted and not charred had a much better result.

http://www.woodfordreserve.com/email/wr ... _full.html

The 3rd section down mentions using Ash and Hickory. It said Ash didn't have much effect on the whiskey and Hickory gave it a spicy note, like BBQ sauce. I have heard that before and it sounds very unappetizing to me.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 1&start=24

This thread goes hand in hand.