Home Distiller

Due to "circumstances", I've been on the sidelines for a while & probably not gonna be distilling for a while longer.
Doesn't mean I don't still have the itch, been scratching it by continuing to read here and, I admit, watching "that show".

That combination has led me to try an experiment, trying to bump up Fully Silenced's Nuclear Aging up a bit.

I bought a bottle of Cruzan Aged Rum for about $11.00.
I'm going to nuke it with Cherry Wood chips.
There's a ton of information but it's spread out among a bunch of thread.
So a lot of this "experiment" is just guessing. And it's the FIRST experiment, so if I screw up, it'll be a learning experience.

I'm aiming for a light-medium toast, no char.
The first thing I did was measure out 1/2 cup wood chips and put use my Air Fryer, 30 minutes @380 degrees.
While it was toasting, I was reading a suggestion from an Old Pro that chips will have more tannins than spears taken from the heart.
So he suggested boiling them for a few minutes to leach out some of the bitterness.

After the 30 minute toast, I put the chips in boiling water & left them for 5 minutes.
Then stuck them back in the airfryer for an additional 45 minutes.

When they were done, I put most of the bottle of rum (left a little out to compare) in a quart jar with the chips.

Another experimental part is that I wanted to bring the liquid up to 155 for a few minutes.
Reason being this stuff is so cheap I doubt they spend much time making cuts.
My thought was cooking it at 155 for a few minutes MIGHT burn off some of the heads.

2 minutes on high brought the temp up to 145.
Another 45 seconds quickly took it up to 165.
At that point, I capped it and shook it for a few seconds.
Then I put it back in the microwave planning on cooking it at 50% power.
The problem was that it QUICKLY took the temp up - after just 20 seconds it was at 170.
Even dropping it to 20% didn't help - it jumped up to 176.

So I capped it and put it outside - we're currently in spring with temps only fluctuating THIS WEEK 80 highs-60 lows.
I'll wait and nuke Session #2 tomorrow.

Here's how it looked just a couple of minutes after the nuke.

I second the bitterness.
Cherry can be very bitter so i would go easy.
It will leave you with a black currant-wine taste.
Thats all i can think of to describe it.
I like to smoke-bbq and cherry is not a wood i desire.
It almost seems perfumey
But inyour case i think it may turn out quite well.
Booze lends itself to those flavors

Continuing my SWAG - "sophisticated" wild ass guess- experiment.
Forgot to add that my micromave is 1200 W.
Yesterday the jar was at 72 degrees and I wondered if bringing it up to heat a bit slower would make a difference.
Set the timer at 10 minutes, 10% power. Checked temp and gave it a shake every 2 minutes.
At 10 minutes it was still around 150 so added 2 minutes.
That brought it up to 165.
Here's "Stage 2". Today I adjusted yesterday's procedure
Starting Temp: 75 degrees
20% - 10 minutes
at 8 minutes it was at 162.
Note I put a sheet of white paper behind it, so it looks lighter than yesterday.

I'm wondering about putting it in the freezer tonight.
But since this is chips instead of sticks, would it really make a difference in expansion/contraction?

Just an update on Day 14.
Days - outdoors - temps have been around the 70's
Nights in the freezer.
Today was the first time I opened the jar in a week. Stuck my finger in for a test.
That doesn't really tell anything but just that small taste seemed less harsh than the original.

Also, I was looking at The Humble Vanilla Bean
about how vanilla beans not only impart flavors but also takes the rough edges off.

First things first! I am definitely NOT arguing that a microwave & a vanilla bean can come close to a few years on oak.

But as a result of reading about 10 years worth of assorted opinions, I ordered a small bundle of B grade beans from Ebay, already split.

Should be here end of this week and I'll add 1 bean and see what happens.

Interested to see your thoughts. I did a similar experiment before i started distilling minus the micro with a couple different spirits and bumped the proof up to 120’ish. Forgot about a jar of corn liquor in the cabinet on chips for a year or so and wow. That’s when i started running the still.

Cheers!
-j

Just a bump.
I had a handful of frozen blueberries I wanted thaw for a desert last night.
Thought I'd add some of my rum.
First time I've opened it in almost a month.
Almost 3 months in, a little aroma from the vanilla bean, nothing I would identify as coming from the cherry wood.
I took a sip. Not terrible, but nothing I would ever repeat.

As mentioned elsewhere, at 100 days on cherry wood & vanilla, the experiment is complete.
And a "Conditional" Success.
I don't know what I expected from the cherry, but nothing that I would say, "Hey that tastes like cherries."
What did come through STRONG was the vanilla.
If someone wants Vanilla Rum, that's the ticket.
I recently bought a bottle of Bacoo Rum, aged in bourbon barrels 5 years.
Here's a visual comparison: Made a cocktail - Rum, Blackberry Lemonade, & Ginger Ale - with each one.
"My rum" was much much smoother than the 5 year old, but the vanilla came through strong.
Next time will be with oak chips & maybe the vanilla bean for no more than a week or so.

sub'd

I still use a bit of vanilla bean, but nowhere near as much as when I first used it.

Amount is more important than time. I leave all flavorings in the jar until I proof the last bottle.