Glass Aging

[bil]

I have read several posts and topics with differing opinions. I would just like the consensus from people who have succeeded or failed. I have about 10 qt. mason jars full of whiskey on toasted oak, and some with cinnamon sticks. I want to know if the jars need to be sealed (vacuum, of course I am keeping a lid on them) first of all, if so, should I just use a traditional water bath canning method? If not, how long can I age without a vacuum seal? I cannot imagine I should be worried about foreign materials entering the liquid, but will I guess I should be worried about evaporation?

Any help would be great. Thanks.

[ga flatwoods]

Easier to seal than typical canning is removal of lid, microwave until warm, reset lid snug but not tight and let it seal itself. Also is one of three applications for nuke aging if you go that route.
Ga Flatwoods

[MoonWhisky]

If yours going to age in glass then you need to open the lid about once a week for about 5 minutes to let it breathe (this is called the angels share). Wooden barrels allow the whisky to breathe which allows more flavors in the whisky and removing the nasties. I little bit a activated carbon would help to.

[bil]

Thanks!

[skow69]

Careful with the activated carbon. It doesn't know good flavors from bad, just sucks out everything. And I don't see any reason to vacuum seal spirits for storage. They won't evaporate out of a jar or bottle with the lid on. All the bottles in the liquor store are full.

[MoonWhisky]

Yeah with the activated carbon I only used what the charred wood gives off. After two weeks I pull the wood out

[skow69]

I think we might be confusing activated carbon with charcoal here. Toasted or charred oak is soaked in spirits to impart flavors as a substitute for aging in charred oak barrels.

oaking by toast temp

Activated carbon is made from coal or coconut shells and used in a process called "polishing" which attempts to extract everything from the spirit except the ethanol.
Hope that helps.
skow

[rtalbigr]

I've aged a LOT of whiskey in mason jars. I've never vacuum sealed the lids. I never open them up to breath. I always get great whiskey.

Don't fill the jar full but leave some head space, that will give plenty of O2. It doesn't take much oak. For a quart jar I use one stick 3/8x3/8x4 inches, toasted and charred.

Time is the most important factor. All my whiskey ages for a minimum of 18 months.

Big R

[MoonWhisky]

I use 3/8x3/8 strips too I roast them at 425 degrees for 4 hours in foil then take them out torch them till there black then quench then in water to allow the wood to get 1000's of micro cracks in the wood to allow the spirit to draw the sugars out

[thatguy1313]

I've had good success with Jack Daniels smoking chips. Fill the jar halfway with chips and fill er up with whiskey. Oak for two weeks then pull the wood out and age for at least 3 months. I fold up a paper towel and use the rim of the mason jar to hold it in place while its aging. Lets it breathe a little but not too much.

[heartcut]

Probably as many ways to age in jars as members. Bet most of them taste good.
For the JD chips, I char them, put 10 to 20 grams in each quart of 120 proof, tighten the lids and don't remove them till it's ready to dilute and bottle. Works for regular and nuke aging.

[S-Cackalacky]

Well, this is more of an experiment than any kind of recommendation. I'm in the process of nuke aging (treating) 8 quart jars of SF. Each jar has about a half cup of JD chips (untreated) and filled about 2/3 full with white SF spirits. I will do 3 cycles in the microwave. Each nuke cycle takes 2 days - nuke, seal, leave under vacuum for 1 day, air with a coffee filter on top for 1 day, and begin the process again. After the 3 nuke cycles, I plan to strain the 8 jars of spirits into 2 one gallon wide-mouth jugs and seal with cork stoppers. The jugs should have about 1/3 to 1/2 empty head space. I plan to give them a good shake and allow them to air for an hour every week or so. This is all a combination of things I've read here on the forums and my own anal-retentive way of doing things.

[bil]

Thanks guys!

One more quick question. I am using an all grain recipie with 80% corn 20% malted barely/rye. And using the gumballhead recipie on alternating weeks. If I have never tasted un aged whiskey, how do I know what it should taste like? The taste is close, but it kind of tastes sweet I have aged some of it and taste tested, but I think I'm not quite there. I don't always do a spirit run because I usually get quite a bit of volume with my pot still and thumper over 60%. I am thinking maybe I need to re run it? Also I don't always let the liquid settle and clear before I run it because I don't want to waste the alcohol, I have read you are supposed to, but never an explaination why. Let me know what you think.

[heartcut]

White whiskey tastes like aged whiskey with less good flavor and more harsh flavors, corn's gonna be sweet in either case. The wood adds it's own group of flavors and mellows some of the harsh/off ones over time. One run whiskey is fine if you like the taste, some members swear by a single, slow potstill run. If you keep records of what and how you ran and what you thought about the taste during and after aging, you'll know how to make spirits for you. I usually let washes clear before running, but haven't had any disasters when I didn't. Good luck.

[S-Cackalacky]

If you're doing a single run with a thumper, you're doing the equivalent of 2 runs. Like Heartcut was saying, it's a matter of personal preference. And, the way you run may vary depending on what you're making. For instance, for a sugar wash, I do both strips and spirit runs with the thumper attached and for SF washes, I strip without the thumper and do the spirit run with the thumper attached. Someone else might do a single run with the thumper attached while someone else might do a slow single run with only the boiler (no thumper). The choices have a lot to do with how much of the original wash flavor you want to retain in the final product - more runs less flavor, less runs more flavor.

[bil]

Anyone tried these dowels?
Kreg P-OAK Oak Plugs for Pockets, 50-Pack by Kreg http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00002240O/ref ... Rtb03NPEZR" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[sltm1]

S-Cackalacky, I've often heard it said (on this site) that using a thumper is equal to 1.5 runs and now you say two. Personally, I use a thumper with each run, like the product and don't much care what it equals, but, could you explain why there would be a difference of opinion. I see it as 2 complete runs because you're creating vapor twice.

[rad14701]

Anyone tried these dowels?
Kreg P-OAK Oak Plugs for Pockets, 50-Pack by Kreg http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00002240O/ref ... Rtb03NPEZR" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Sounds more than a bit pricy for oak, especially if it still needs to be charred...

[bil]

Anyone tried these dowels?
Kreg P-OAK Oak Plugs for Pockets, 50-Pack by Kreg http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00002240O/ref ... Rtb03NPEZR" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Sounds more than a bit pricy for oak, especially if it still needs to be charred...

any better leads for charred oak? I find it hard to char the oak chips i get from my brew store, they are really thin and pretty much burn through when they are charred with a torch.

[Prairiepiss]

Thanks guys!

One more quick question. I am using an all grain recipie with 80% corn 20% malted barely/rye. And using the gumballhead recipie on alternating weeks. If I have never tasted un aged whiskey, how do I know what it should taste like? The taste is close, but it kind of tastes sweet I have aged some of it and taste tested, but I think I'm not quite there. I don't always do a spirit run because I usually get quite a bit of volume with my pot still and thumper over 60%. I am thinking maybe I need to re run it? Also I don't always let the liquid settle and clear before I run it because I don't want to waste the alcohol, I have read you are supposed to, but never an explaination why. Let me know what you think.

Don't want to waist the alcohol? How are you going to waste alcohol? By letting it clear?

First step in making a great spirit. Get past the greed.

Second step use a good recipes.

Third step. Let it clear good.

The floaties that make it unclear. Will give you off flavors.

[rad14701]

Anyone tried these dowels?
Kreg P-OAK Oak Plugs for Pockets, 50-Pack by Kreg http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00002240O/ref ... Rtb03NPEZR" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Sounds more than a bit pricy for oak, especially if it still needs to be charred...

any better leads for charred oak? I find it hard to char the oak chips i get from my brew store, they are really thin and pretty much burn through when they are charred with a torch.

One oak board from a hardware store or lumberyard will yield a lifetime supply of oak... Or at least enough to keep you going for a lot longer than a bag of 50 dowels... Or scout around for a junk piece of oak furniture... Maybe an old sofa alongside the road... While it may look beat to hell it could very well have a treasure trove of unfinished oak for a frame...

[bil]

Don't want to waist the alcohol? How are you going to waste alcohol? By letting it clear?

First step in making a great spirit. Get past the greed.

Second step use a good recipes.

Third step. Let it clear good.

The floaties that make it unclear. Will give you off flavors.[/quote]
I have only fermented on the grain and it never really clears save for the top couple inches of my 24 gallon fermentor. so i suppose i need to transfer the liquid to another fermentor, and let it settle there. does all the cloudiness settle into a sediment or will it still be a layer of liquid?

[S-Cackalacky]

S-Cackalacky, I've often heard it said (on this site) that using a thumper is equal to 1.5 runs and now you say two. Personally, I use a thumper with each run, like the product and don't much care what it equals, but, could you explain why there would be a difference of opinion. I see it as 2 complete runs because you're creating vapor twice.

I guess I haven't read that about it being 1.5 runs. I've read that 1.5 runs is when you put your low wines from a strip run into the next wash charge and run it as a spirit run. My logical assumption was that a thumper basically gives you a separate distillation, therefore two runs. I guess maybe if you charged your thumper with a big charge of wash, then you might logically assume it to be 1.5 runs - don't know.

[heartcut]

The average rectification of a thumper is the equivalent of 1.7538 runs, according to Ellen Degeneris.
Sorry, couldn't help it.

[rpt124]

Question,

Will it be a problem if I want to blend 3 different runs with about 2 weeks apart for each run? So for example I have a some sitting in glass Jars from 4 weeks ago then 2 weeks ago then Ill have this weekends. Can I then take all of those in one proofing barrel and blend them together, or do I have to do that with only what I ran the first time? Again its the same recipe each time as well?

I just font want to ruin it if I take it all and blend it together and then have to drop the proof again with water.

[Brendan]

Yeah that won't be a problem rpt124.

Why did you think you'd have to re-proof it? I assume they're all at the same proof anyway...

I've quite often blended runs from a few weeks apart, but they were being aged for over 6 months, so the few weeks don't make much of a difference.

[rpt124]

Brenda - Thansk for the info.

yea I don't know why I was thinking I would have to.

Ok perfect Thanks for the info.

[135587]

So. ..the forum got spread out a bit from the "aging in glass" topic.
My question: if I age in mason jars, how much oak and for how long?
I understand the angles need some. I would too, if I was in that business.

[still_stirrin]

So. ..the forum got spread out a bit from the "aging in glass" topic.
My question: if I age in mason jars, how much oak and for how long? <— long enough but not too long! I’ve had bourbon aging in mason jars on wood for dozens of months (24 or more). Ironically, it just keeps getting better...until it’s gone!

I understand the angles (“angels”?) need some. I would too, if I was in that business. <— What I’ve found is that is is NOT the angels who consume from the mason jar, but me! I tend to “dip into it” from time to time to sample the maturity as time passes, and as a result, the level slowly falls.

[vernue]

So. ..the forum got spread out a bit from the "aging in glass" topic.
My question: if I age in mason jars, how much oak and for how long? <— long enough but not too long! I’ve had bourbon aging in mason jars on wood for dozens of months (24 or more). Ironically, it just keeps getting better...until it’s gone!

I understand the angles (“angels”?) need some. I would too, if I was in that business. <— What I’ve found is that is is NOT the angels who consume from the mason jar, but me! I tend to “dip into it” from time to time to sample the maturity as time passes, and as a result, the level slowly falls.

So the rule of thumb is: if there's any still in the bottle, it still has a ways to go. When you get it exactly where you want it, there's none left.