Infused staves

[MooseMan]

Just remembered while doing a run, that I wanted to share something with the forum.

I really like the flavour that a tiny amount of reduced red wine adds to a rum, (Not to mention the colour) and in my last but one batch I boiled a couple of staves in some wine until it was syrupy, then toasted them before adding to one of the Demi's.

Last time I got some already toasted, dry oak and left it to stew in wine hot on top of the still, and it really added that faint but rich dark fruit edge and nose to the rum quickly.

As I'm running again today I'm doing another bowl full of ex bourbon sticks, re toasted and stewing nicely in a hedgerow red that is slowly reducing to a thicker syrup with the heat.

A couple of these will go in one third of the finished rum once I've done cuts tomorrow.

This is the colour the reduced wine added to the last batch.

[Swedish Pride]

Nice one moose, never thought of that.
I've heard of sherry added to whiskey to replicate sherry cask finish but never infusing staves

[MooseMan]

Nice one moose, never thought of that.
I've heard of sherry added to whiskey to replicate sherry cask finish but never infusing staves

Thanks SP.

Most of the ideas that come into my head are the result of being a tight bastard, let's be honest!

[bilgriss]

I've had good luck with this technique finishing an all malt whiskey as well.

[MooseMan]

I've had good luck with this technique finishing an all malt whiskey as well.

How did you go about it bilgriss?

[Deplorable]

Ive got a few pieces of French oak that I infused in a Barbera port. Ive used them in the past to give a port "cask finish" to a couple of my different whiskies, and plan to try it with some of my rum as well. A little goes a long way quickly.

[bilgriss]

Mooseman, I used some second use oak which I had previously used on a corn based whiskey for aging, which I then let sit in some oxidized Merlot for the time it took to ferment and still the malt whiskey. I did not take the extra step of cooking anything related, as my thinking is it would more closely replicate a wine cask if it were allowed to interact with the wine and breathe. Removed, dried, and added to the malt aging stock after cuts. The end result had a hint of red, but also subtle wine notes that were pleasant.

[Dancing4dan]

I haven’t done this for a while but after seeing this thread I may start again. Infusing the oak worked very well for me and produced results I have not been able to get otherwise. Barrels are getting prohibitively expensive and their ability to contribute to flavour decreases over time and number of uses.

At the time I used spirals but would try other forms of oak now. Ie staves.

Probably need to try this in combination with barrel aging to get the results I’m looking for.

viewtopic.php?p=7730915#p7730915

[MooseMan]

Mooseman, I used some second use oak which I had previously used on a corn based whiskey for aging, which I then let sit in some oxidized Merlot for the time it took to ferment and still the malt whiskey. I did not take the extra step of cooking anything related, as my thinking is it would more closely replicate a wine cask if it were allowed to interact with the wine and breathe. Removed, dried, and added to the malt aging stock after cuts. The end result had a hint of red, but also subtle wine notes that were pleasant.

Thanks for outlining the process you used, that's good to know.
I've not done it with a whiskey so I'll do that next!

[MooseMan]

I haven’t done this for a while but after seeing this thread I may start again. Infusing the oak worked very well for me and produced results I have not been able to get otherwise. Barrels are getting prohibitively expensive and their ability to contribute to flavour decreases over time and number of uses.

At the time I used spirals but would try other forms of oak now. Ie staves.

Probably need to try this in combination with barrel aging to get the results I’m looking for.

viewtopic.php?p=7730915#p7730915

Glad I could stir it back up for you Dan.
Reading the response from bilgriss I'll be trying this with a gallon of my upcoming mixed grain whiskey once it's run.