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Whats the longest you have left your spirit on oak

I know oaking your spirits is a personal taste and I am not asking how long to oak or how much oak to use just curious about. What the longest you have left your spirits on oak is all.

Mine is 9 months for my ujssm which had 52 sq inches of hungarian oak in a gallon jug which was 2 sticks 6 in long by 1 inch sq that was med toast and med charred at 55% abv reduced to 50%abv after oak removed.Had good oak fla vor at begining but as time goes by the oak is disappearing and a strong vannila flavoring coming thru

As you note, the oakiness will disappear and be replaced by other flavors. For this reason you should only need to oak most spirits until they are a light brown, yellow or caramel, then just take the oak out and leave it for a long time. It'll continue to "age" anyway.

I understand it still changes but that was`nt the question i was asking i am wondering whats the longest members have left thejr spirit on oak and how it turned out is all

I left some sweet feed in the jar for a year on jd chips. Turned out mighty fine. I usually go six months with most of my other.
GA Flatwoods

So far Ive only made it 6 months. I hope to get more stock this year to go longer. Wouldn't mind putting something up for my 5 year old son, then crack it on his 21st B Day.

10 months on NCHooch's partial mash bourbon. After cutting it down from 120 to 100, I feel that it could've/should've gone another 2-6 months. It's delicious though. Used 3 oak sticks that were 1/2x3/4x5 inches in a half gallon jug.

I was hoping for more response from more experienced disstillers in hopes of this being a informative thread for newbies.
I see so many posts about how much oak? How long do I leave it? And the response is usually its a personal preference. I understand that oaking is a art in it self and there is no exact way of doing it and that it isnt as simple as 1 and 1 equals 2 but if members give examples of there experience with their oaking it would give someone new a reference or starting point based on others experience and if enough post I feel it could be very informative I could be wrong thanks to those who have responded

USMC Cntry Boy wrote:I was hoping for more response from more experienced disstillers in hopes of this being a informative thread for newbies.

I think TP's post has evolved into that: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =4&t=50348
Beyond the times and techniques presented in that thread, I think it really does come down to personal experimentation.
So many variables because of individual perception. When I started, I really liked the oak experience, but now I'm pulling back on the amount I put in for aging.

From my experience, and this is strictly Newb to Newb, I will say this: If you are just starting out and want to get oaked whiskey asap, put 2 sticks, 3/4" x 3/4" x 5" in a quart of shine. You will get color and oak character asap, but it will not be "aged". Be careful or you will get oak tea. When it gets where you want, take the oak out. I have not experimented with the nuking.

Put 1 of those sticks in a quart for 3-6 months, and you will get a very oaky experience with more subtle flavors coming into the mix, but still very strong oak color and flavor. Keep tasting and pull the oak out when it gets to where you want.

I am now putting in one 3/4" x 3/4" x 3" stick / quart, and I intend to just leave it in there forever. I also expect it to take longer, 6 months, to add lots of character to the spirit.

I toast all sticks at 380 degrees, then char all sides with a torch. And in all cases, it is important to allow air into the process, opening jars to air from time to time. I try to do it once a week. It's a good opportunity to have a little sip and check on the process.

Edit: This is based on AG spirits. I have noticed sugarheads seem to take on the oak much faster and more intensely. I don't have enough experience with sugar recipes to comment on oak aging with them.

I agree with MIcorn, the amount of oak use and the time it's left on oak is it's own set of variables and you will get a different taste every time you take a sample.

Now you can read till your eyes fall out but there are some processes that no one seems to know why aged booze is better. With that said nothing can speed of the process of what happens to the product over time. Since we can impart our flavors to the alcohol fast due to the fact we can have more oak to a certain volume. Which can be a double edged sword because you can over oak it. But that's why tasting it is some important. Once you hit your flavor that you like pull the oak then let the hooch sit! Make sure if pop the cap or whatever often to let oxygen to it. The oxidation seems to be what helps a product smooth out.

Just my two cents, I could be wrong. I haven't done a lot of aging but what I have done is read more about the subject from master distillers to the backyard hobbiest and that was my overall take on it.

I love the aging process for the simple fact is that you may never be able to replicate something again. You may end up with some real garbage or you may hit the jackpot.

2 years and counting. I tasted it yesterday and I think I'll be transferring it into bottles this week.

The longest on wood would be oak wood. And that's about 75 days. Oak is a dense wood and doesn't wick as quick as other woods I use to age & flavor.

I use pecan, cherry, and apple woods too (I've also tried peach wood and have a line on some pear wood as well); all fruit and nut woods and they don't have as tight of grain as the oak. They impart color and flavor much quicker so often I only age them 30-45 days. Of course, they're all toasted before going into the mason jar for aging. By accelerating the thermal aging processes (hot environment to cold - furnace/water heater room to refridgerator and cycle) I get more color and more flavor in a shorter duration.

But still, oak is the slowest. And when the wood has imparted the color and flavor (to my desired threshhold), I'll blend the whiskeys together and then add a charred oak stave for another 3 weeks to a month to polish the product. It makes for some nice & neat sipping.

It's the way I do it. I'm sure each has their own processes too.
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Over 4 years and counting.
Samples still taste great.
Using 1.75 bottles for the long term stuff and my sticks are used barrel staves cut down to fit in the bottles and recharred. 2 per bottle. light char. Found out that you can over charr the sticks and that doesn't taste good.
Everything 3 and younger is in different sized containers.

Ok I took Mr P advice lowered abv to 8% on my ujssm and it took a couple more stripping runs to get enough for spirit run and what can I say Mr P was right but you guys already knew that huh
Its been on oak for 4 months now with my norm 52sq inches in a gallon and its very drinkable now but I know if I keep my fingers out of it for another 5 to 8 months it will get even better wow I love this hobby.......remember quality over quanity

Check out Tater's Kahlua thread. That guy has got unnatural will power.