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I have a question about Oaked whiskey.
I have three 1/2 gallons of rads all bran sitting on charred oak at 110 proof and 120 proof for about three months.

I'm not a whiskey person but do enjoy some tullamore dew every now and then, maybe a nip of Knob Creek as well.

I am having an event next Friday and wanted to have some whiskey on hand. I tried it and it's a bit on the rough side.

I wanted to cut it to 80 proof and try it but was afraid if I did this and it wasn't any good, I couldn't put back on the oak.
I plan on using some whiskey to cook a Pit Beef for some French Dippers on my pit also. I usually use Jack Daniels for my pit beef.

My only recourse at this point is to do a 5th and hope for the best.

Any Suggestions?

When I sample I just take a half ounce and water it down and see what I think, no need to water down a while lot. I've also aged at 80Pr with no problems, people say it takes a little longer but I don't really care how long it takes.

I am guessing it has to do with the cuts you have made. Aging on charred oak will do more coloring than smoothing but there are things that might save it a bit at this point. Adding a vanilla bean or glycerine will act as a smoothing agent. If you had time I would suggest redistilling but if you only have a few weeks then the above will cover up some mistakes.
Old posts but on the parent site is a few ideas that might help:
http://homedistiller.org/aging/aging/smooth" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Bushman wrote:I am guessing it has to do with the cuts you have made. Aging on charred oak will do more coloring than smoothing but there are things that might save it a bit at this point. Adding a vanilla bean or glycerine will act as a smoothing agent. If you had time I would suggest redistilling but if you only have a few weeks then the above will cover up some mistakes.
Old posts but on the parent site is a few ideas that might help:
http://homedistiller.org/aging/aging/smooth" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

All the glycerin I see is from vegetable, does it matter?

I don't believe it's bad cuts but could be wrong and it smells awesome then after a nip you get an aftertaste of wood when exhaling, kinda hard to explain.

Maybe I expect too much from what I distilled.

C2H5O5 wrote:Maybe I expect too much from what I distilled.

Well you didn't make whiskey, you made oaked sugar shine.
Nothing wrong with that, but it's not gonna be Knob Creek.

Have you tried any proofed down? That should definitely make it more palatable.
As suggested, try a small portion to see if you like it. Sounds like maybe it's been on oak long enough anyway.

Or, a cocktail. I made some UJ that I was never happy with but when I mixed it up with a little vermouth and a dash of bitters it was delicious.

MichiganCornhusker wrote:

C2H5O5 wrote:Maybe I expect too much from what I distilled.

Well you didn't make whiskey, you made oaked sugar shine.

totally agree.

MichiganCornhusker wrote:Nothing wrong with that, but it's not gonna be Knob Creek.

Or tullamore dew

MichiganCornhusker wrote:Have you tried any proofed down? That should definitely make it more palatable.
As suggested, try a small portion to see if you like it. Sounds like maybe it's been on oak long enough anyway.

I'm gonna try a small batch this weekend at about 85

MichiganCornhusker wrote: Or, a cocktail. I made some UJ that I was never happy with but when I mixed it up with a little vermouth and a dash of bitters it was delicious.

Bitters, thats interesting, got some Angostura Bitters, maybe make some "Old Fashioned"

I would suggest you go to the miDiluting Calculator on the parent page and try different bottle proof that suits you. IMHO, 80 proof is too low; 86ish is usually where I end up. If you can't find your sweet spot, it could simply need more time.
Good luck.

BG