Did I over oak ??

[OMEGA]

I've had two once-used ( from woodinville whiskey) 8 gallon Black Swan barrels filled with bourbon since february last year, so i just tasted the whiskey and its rather oaky... really strong now it almost seems overoaked. Is that possible after 14 -16 months in a once used 8 gallon barrel??

Flavor has strong tannins, super bright wood, somewhat overpowering. It was great at 10 months. Now its just dissapointing.

Should i transfer into carboys with headspace on top and let it oxidize for a long time?

Or should i make some more white whiskey and dilute it with new make then put it in a carboy?

[pfshine]

It's usually said around here that a month per gallon is best, a tad longer for second use. So it seems to me that 10 months was your sweet spot. Let it sit in glass for awhile and see how it tastes. If it's still overpowered you can add some new white to it to dilute the oakey flavor and let it age for a bit to mingle and find its happy place.

[OMEGA]

Thanks. Yeah i wish i had known that. Some people told me to leave it in there for much longer but i wish i hadnt listened to them. I will pull it out and let it sit. If it doesnt get better in six months i will drop more new make and let it sit longer. Bummer i was hoping to have a bunch ready by now

[robpftas]

Thanks. Yeah i wish i had known that. Some people told me to leave it in there for much longer but i wish i hadnt listened to them. I will pull it out and let it sit. If it doesnt get better in six months i will drop more new make and let it sit longer. Bummer i was hoping to have a bunch ready by now

This happened to me very dark and over oaked. I ran half the barrel through a pot still much like a striping run to clean it up and added that white half back into the barrel. Left for a couple of months then removed. Then found a bit too much burn so heated to 50c and 30 minuets us air for a day and now good to go. If you make a mistake you can usually recover it.

[bitter]

Rather than running 1/2 what you have.. I'm with pfshine on this. Make some white... Take tighter cuts than normal and mix it with the oaked and then let it rest all together for 3-6 months of so in a carboy the right size.

The reason I say better cuts it will decrease the aging time you need to do on the full mix...... be more drinkable sooner.

B

[jedneck]

What ever you do I would keep a bottle as is to see what happen years down the road. I have yet to have anything I thought was over oaked.

[FreeMountainHermit]

My limited exp. with oaking tells me that the flavor profile goes through a series of stages.

Small batch that I'm currently sampling has gone from:

White

That's different

Hmmmm, maybe this wasn't a great idea

Kinda good !!!!!!!

Whoa !!!! Throw dat shit out !!!!

Tasty

Kinda yukky

DAMN GOOD !!!

All in a quart jar over a period of a few months using JD chips.

I've concluded that exp. is the best teacher.

[still_stirrin]

...I've concluded that exp. is the best teacher.

+1 FMH ... +1.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

What ever you do I would keep a bottle as is to see what happen years down the road. I have yet to have anything I thought was over oaked.

+1

Anything over oaked left long enough will just become brown sugar flavor. He's a smart man.

Hope you and yours are well today, Jed. Happy Father's day.

[OMEGA]

Alright thanks for the help guys. Im gonna put it in carboys and let it sit for a while, see how it ages and add tight cut hearts if necessary. I have lots of carboys to fill

[SilverBullet]

Why can the big guys age liquor in barrels for years at a time and it be ok? I'm bottle ageing with sticks now and getting kinda worried about having issues after reading this haha

[OMEGA]

Im sure itll be ok actually. Its not too vad just needs time. I missed ghe sweet spot this time but i will be ready next time.

After all the sampling, sharing plus angels dhare, i yielded over 5 gallons at 120 proof from the 8 gal barrel. Not bad.

It was barreled at 117. Color is nice. Smeols great. Almost like maple syrup at times

[pfshine]

Why can the big guys age liquor in barrels for years at a time and it be ok? I'm bottle ageing with sticks now and getting kinda worried about having issues after reading this haha

It's all about surface area to volume. A 55 gallon barrel has way less exposed oak per gallon than a 5 gallon barrel.

[NZChris]

Why can the big guys age liquor in barrels for years at a time and it be ok? I'm bottle ageing with sticks now and getting kinda worried about having issues after reading this haha

If you get the ratio right, you should be able to leave the wood in indefinitely. My early attempts had to have the wood removed, but I'm getting to know my wood better now and can cellar the jars knowing that not finding them for a few years won't be a problem.

[Johnnywhiskey]

My limited exp. with oaking tells me that the flavor profile goes through a series of stages.

Small batch that I'm currently sampling has gone from:

White

That's different

Hmmmm, maybe this wasn't a great idea

Kinda good !!!!!!!

Whoa !!!! Throw dat shit out !!!!

Tasty

Kinda yukky

DAMN GOOD !!!

All in a quart jar over a period of a few months using JD chips.

I've concluded that exp. is the best teacher.

+2 FMH

This is exactly what Hubert Germain-Robin said in his book on aging spirits. Granted he was focused on brandy, but he talks about how the barreled spirits go through stages before they are mature--one stage being over oaked. He also talked about how some tannins from the oak precipitate over time, like they do in wine. In my experience my aged spirits also mellow a bit after they are proofed. Not only are you diluting the barrel strength, but I think the addition of water causes a mellowing in flavor over the next few weeks.

Of course if you still are not happy with the flavor blending with other aged or unaged spirits is always an option.

I'm a little surprised that 14-16 months in a used 8-gallon would be over-oaked. Was it one of the honeycombed Black Swan barrels?

Stay Thirsty, JW

[GrassHopper]

I gotta jump in here. I put my hearts (UJSSM) 120 proof into a 5 gallon barrel for just over a year. It was a nice whiskey color but does not taste that great. Smelled really good, but just not there. I know I over oaked (too long) according to the square inch theory.....but I was waiting for a nice color. Heck, my twice distilled strips tastes great white.

Have any of you just left it in the barrel for a few years; and how was it?
I tasted some green oak once and it is bitter. Like acorns. Maybe those tannins take longer to convert to the good stuff than we are allowing? Or does it just get worse? Just speculating.

[bitter]

Tannin's definitely decrease over time in wine. So I would expect the same for Whiskey.

Have you tried taking an oz of your ujssm and mixed it with say .5-.75 iz if vodka? Taste it and see how things go. I find it opens up a lot of the flavors in my ujssm that was on oak for 10 months with 6 sticks the T-Pee way per gallon. This will help you see if it the intensity of the oak or just the taste overall. I like my UJSSM cut more than I do full strength.. More like a canadian whiskey. Was cut with Yak's wheat vodka and it help maintain the moth feel nice and not dimish anything...

B

[GrassHopper]

Tannin's definitely decrease over time in wine. So I would expect the same for Whiskey.

Have you tried taking an oz of your ujssm and mixed it with say .5-.75 iz if vodka? Taste it and see how things go. I find it opens up a lot of the flavors in my ujssm that was on oak for 10 months with 6 sticks the T-Pee way per gallon. This will help you see if it the intensity of the oak or just the taste overall. I like my UJSSM cut more than I do full strength.. More like a canadian whiskey. Was cut with Yak's wheat vodka and it help maintain the moth feel nice and not dimish anything...

B

No, haven't tried that bitter. Will do some experimenting soon though. Right now it's all bottled and just sitting. I was just hoping it would continue to age in the bottle and get better.
I have another 5 gal barrel at about 2 months now. Tastes great right now, but it did when it went in. Only slight color though. Was just wondering about leaving in barrel for years?

[bitter]

I would say give it a go.. but taste monthly... if starts going down hill it might still come around but might be time to pull it off oak and bulk age in glass. Take notes as you go also.

The larger the barrel the more time it will take. The smaller the barrel the shorter I would leave it.

B