I've been reading this site for many years but finally decided to post as I'm in a pickle
I've always toasted/charred my American white oak bought from a local DIY shop and it has always been amazing with my UJSSM. However the other day I was helping a friend renovate an old Victorian house and managed to get hold of a HUGE slab of oak used as a main mantle piece above this grand fire place.
Anyway enough with the back story my question is could I use this oak for flavouring and ageing as it has been subjected to nearly 100 years of high temperature variance and charring. Anyone hazard a guess as to how this could affect the final product. The optimist in me is thinking this is going to be amazing but would love a more experienced opinion
My first thought is no frakin way. You don't know what has else has been done to that wood in the last 100 years. All kinds of chemicals could have been painted, pasted, rubbed off or rubbed into that wood. Hell, it may only have been termite treated a few times but you'd probably never know it. Now you are going to put that in a drink and swallow it after the alcohol has disolved whatever is in that wood?!?
I'd say stick to what you know is safe. Wood from a 100 year old house is like fermenting something you found in the trunk of a car in a junkyard. it might be safe but you can never really be sure. Also, I'm not so sure wood that is 100 years old is any better than 2 year old wood that was aired out specifically for aging alcohol. Just my thoughts, take it or leave it
That was always my worry, one side had faded paint on it but rest was clean. I've took the bowsaw to it, removed all areas I'm not happy with and just kept the middle. It smells great with vanilla coming through. It's pure heart wood too with extremely tight rings. I know I'm just trying to convince myself anyway ill probably sacrifice 2ltres off my next UJSSM to the experiment and tread with caution.
I'm going to take the contrary view here. I don't care what that slab of wood might have been subjected to, whatever it was would not have penetrated the surface very far. Folks rescue logs from the bottoms of rivers and lakes, logs that have been submerged for 100 years, and only 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the surface has been penetrated. I'm sure you've seen pictures of whiskey barrel staves that have been cut to show the whiskey penetration after 8-10 years and it is miniscule.
Run that plank through the planer, or resaw it to get rid of the surface 1/2 inch and I'd say it is good to go.
I've removed the top half inch from the entire plank and it does look very clean n smells great. It doesn't look like there's been any contamination from what i can tell...I'm gonna make a few sticks from the very centre today and try it on a couple litres
I am new to distilling, but have been working with wood, including VERY old wood for almost 45 years. I have recycled barn beams, and logs from old log houses, etc. I am in total agreement there will be no issue at all with wood from the inner part of the beam. I will be real interested in hearing the results.
Tim
"It was a woman who drove me to drink -- and, you know, I never even thanked her.”
W.C. Fields
Ill definately give it a go on the basis of these comments...I'll run a batch of my UJSSM over the weekend and age some with my usual oak and some with this old oak and post results
my question is could I use this oak for flavouring and ageing as it has been subjected to nearly 100 years of high temperature variance and charring. Anyone hazard a guess as to how this could affect the final product. The optimist in me is thinking this is going to be amazing but would love a more experienced opinion 
