Just wanted to ask if it was possible to reuse toasted oak sticks for aging whiskey and rum. I imagine the more you use them, the more of a diminished return you would get.
Picked up an old whiskey barrel from the hardware store. Broke it apart, sanded it down and cut it into small sticks 1x1x3. toasted the sticks in the oven 400 degrees for 2 hours.
Anyways I making a buccaneer Bob's rum and the recipe calls for aging it on Oak for only 3 to 5 days. My question is can I reuse the oak sticks on a future recipe?
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Re using oak sticks
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SaltyStaves
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Re: Re using oak sticks
3 to 5 days? 4 months would be a starting point for virgin oak. Used oak would require even longer. I have a rum that has been on oak for 6 months. I won't touch it for another 6.
Most rums are matured in ex bourbon barrels. Not virgin oak. So yes, you can reuse the oak and often its more appropriate than virgin oak, but it has to be viable in the first place.
If the supplier to the hardware store has been keeping the barrels out in the sun and the rain to make them look rustic, then there may be very little value in them for spirit enhancing. You may want to buy some oak chunks from your local home brew store and do a side by side comparison. This will be oak from a retired barrel that has been decommissioned and processed and packaged right away.
Most rums are matured in ex bourbon barrels. Not virgin oak. So yes, you can reuse the oak and often its more appropriate than virgin oak, but it has to be viable in the first place.
If the supplier to the hardware store has been keeping the barrels out in the sun and the rain to make them look rustic, then there may be very little value in them for spirit enhancing. You may want to buy some oak chunks from your local home brew store and do a side by side comparison. This will be oak from a retired barrel that has been decommissioned and processed and packaged right away.
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alohashine
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Re: Re using oak sticks
Saltystaves- thanks and I agree. I'm just going off the buccaneer bobs rum recipe I found on this site. I will probably keep my rum on oak for much longer than a few days.
I'll take your advice on the oak chunks from a home brew store and see how that goes.
My whiskey is all still on oak, so I was lookin for a product I could enjoy without waiting for a year.
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I'll take your advice on the oak chunks from a home brew store and see how that goes.
My whiskey is all still on oak, so I was lookin for a product I could enjoy without waiting for a year.
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StillLearning1
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Re: Re using oak sticks
Look into "nuke ageing" and JD chips....might also help you find a quick whiskey to enjoy.
But what the heck do I know.....I am still learning.
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NZChris
- Master of Distillation
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Re: Re using oak sticks
Make something that is nice as white dog, I like UJSSM for that.
Gin is great for instant gratification.
There have been topics on fast 'aging' posted. There is one here: http://w.homedistiller.org/forum/viewto ... 44&t=55301 I have a very respectable fast aged rum based on this one. The bulk of the rum is being aged on oak in glass as normal, but the sample that has been fast aged is very good, gives me a some idea of what to expect in a few years and tells me that my oak to rum ratio is good enough that I can leave the oak in for years without worrying about it.
Gin is great for instant gratification.
There have been topics on fast 'aging' posted. There is one here: http://w.homedistiller.org/forum/viewto ... 44&t=55301 I have a very respectable fast aged rum based on this one. The bulk of the rum is being aged on oak in glass as normal, but the sample that has been fast aged is very good, gives me a some idea of what to expect in a few years and tells me that my oak to rum ratio is good enough that I can leave the oak in for years without worrying about it.