Question about barrel aging

[Texas Jim]

My buddy and I are going to get a used barrel to age some corn whiskey in - 15 or 25 gallons. At that size, and being used, we should be able to get some real aging done. I’m hoping for at least a couple years. A lot of whisky, I know, but I’m thinking of it as a legacy.

My question is - given what we plan to do, can my cuts go deeper into the heads or tails? Will the barrel aging clean it up if I do go further?

[metalsmith]

My Mother always said if you would not drink the wine, don’t cook with it. Why screw up a potentially great whiskey with too much heads/ tails?

[frunobulax]

I filled a few 15 gallon barrels and still made very strict cuts. It'll be drinkable much sooner and way better.
It's probably going to be a big time investment, so why chance it?

[Texas Jim]

Thanks all. I'll stick with good cuts then.

[jonnys_spirit]

Cut it wider age it longer = more complexity. I’ e got some different stuff aging now that i have experimented with significantly wider cuts and the middle middle hearts of hearts while still flavorful is best white IMO. Oak tea overpowers the subtle complexities. Experiment with adding just a little wider cut and see how much you can het away with after a couple years in a barrel.

I’m still learning and experimenting but do jave some experiments with this and am doing more.

Cheers!
-jonny