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Hi to all reading, I am quite new to this experience grasping things very quickly. I hope the following will fire you up.
I have read many fine articles on the subject of polishing and flavouring spirit with oak etc, most have a similar method. However none seem to finish the plot. My aim here is to put a couple of thing forward and ask all you nice people to pull it apart, and add TECHINICAL data as well as your own suggestions. My first subject is Carbon, manufacturers want you to buy activated carbon, cut your spirit add then cover the mouth of your jar with cloth so as not to lose too much alcohol. Would it be a better practice to make you own charcoal not activated, which can be used at a much higher ABV? And it could be left longer in you jar to improve the spirit? Question: How would you calculate the amount of homemade charcoal per Litre? (A small aquarium pump with a water lock could be a good way to vac your jar)
My second subject .There are many fine examples on how to toast and charcoal oak, as well as set up a jar to flavour etc. If your jar is sealed, it is unable to breathe! Question, do you shake your jar now and again to mix it? Question: If the Oak Barrel principal is being used should your jar be vented as well? I suggest using a small Aquarium pump and water lock to vac out the jar of spirits and mix it. If an appropriate tube with air going to the bottom of the jar was used, this would both mix the spirit and vent the jar with minimal loss of alcohol, it would only need to be turned on for seconds. Question: will ordinary air oxidise or damage the spirit? Please add anything that you think would be a better way to approach this. With your help I will be able to formulate the Best Practice.
Regards. Bazza

Hey there Bazza. Lots of good questions...and I'm no expert..but I'll try and fill in things as I understand them.

There's a difference between "activated" charcoal vs "charcoal" ie., from burning wood. Activated charcoal is actually activated (or active) "carbon" that is derived from processed charcoal. Here's the wiki description of it (I dont think I could do any better).

... is a form of carbon processed to have small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions.[1] Activated is sometimes substituted with active. Due to its high degree of microporosity, just one gram of activated carbon has a surface area in excess of 500 m2, as determined by gas adsorption.

Filtering through active carbon is a "mechanical" process...whereby the tiny, microscopic crevices in the surface area...actually bind/bond with certain chemical chains and hold them (ie., such as certain impurities associated with tails) that will clean up your spirit. You can re-heat/treat your active carbon to burn off all those impurities and use it again....although I'm not exactly sure just how hot you have to get it.

Filtering through charcoal (ie., burned wood) is simply pouring the spirit through a bed of burnt wood coals...which is also called the "Lincoln County Process" (Jack Daniels, George Dickle, etc). It's an entirely different process that does not have the same level of impurity removing capaibilty that "carbon" process has.

So, although they are often used interchangeably.....activated carbon, charcoal filtering...they are actually 2 differnt levels of processing your distillate. The carbon will remove some of the flavors associated with tails side. This will make your vodka, or other spirits taste "cleaner". The charcol is a simple mellowing effect that doesn't really remove much...more like polishes the edges a bit. That's my understanding of it.

Aging..is a different process. I would not leave your container "open" as it will oxidize and evaporate your alc over time. You need "some" air...but not a lot. There have been people talk about oxidizing through air pumps..etc...I personally do not do that, (other than prior to fermentation). So, I don't know anything about it.

The more char on your wood, the darker your spirit will generally be. You get enough air exhcange by simply opening it once in a while and checking on it. Some say shaking it a time or two helps things a long too. But, I would not just leave it open to the air .....you woudln't have much alc left after a while.