I was working on a keezer collar earlier today. The wood I used was some I reclaimed from a barn on my families land in Moab. For anyone who isn't familiar with the location it's a high altitude desert (≈4000 ft). Temps in the summer exceed 110° regularly, winter temps are cold, its very dry. Occasional rain and snow.
The species is southern yellow pine. It has been out in the elements for around 70 years. I didn't expect much aroma when I started to process it, maybe faint pine. That isn't all I found; sure it had a little pine aroma, but it had many of the same aroma's I associate with very old whiskey, some of the earthy, musky, subdued tones, the very rounded slight vanilla, they are a bit hard to describe but I think if you are familiar with old whiskey/y you will know what I am talking about. I find it present in Auchentoshan 12, Highland park 12, Glenlivet 14 (cognac cask finish) and to a lesser extent in Laphroaig select (could be because its 4 whiskys and only one is older than 10 years). The specific smells are completely absent in George Dickel sour mash, Michters rye, Teeling small batch and Old Forester blue label.
The wood in question:
I can't say any of this for sure. I am an experienced sawyer/woodworker however and I tell you wood can change pretty dramatically. When cutting elm it smells horrible, but give it a year to season off, or some time in a kiln and it becomes almost totally neutral, many woods are like this. Most of what I work is kiln dried and stable, this is the first time I have cut very old, very outdoor lumber. So what if the tastes we associate with very old whiskey are really the taste of the oak finally starting to degrade, maybe the lignin, or the very fiber?
What say you hive mind? This would explain part of why rapid aging doesn't taste like extended aging. It would explain why there are such differences in small barrel vs large cask aging over long periods. The effect of oxidization and impartment of wood flavor may be similar but there is "something" missing.
And of course, could we simulate it? As and example: Red oak is quite similar to white but weathers and rots quite quickly in comparison to white.
