This is great advice. Haven't found a spirit that was unredeemable (been at it 10 years professionally) by some sort of blending. Even something like astringency can change. I had a couple barrels of 16 year old bourbon that were really astringent when I got them, but a couple of years later when they were 18 some of that dropped off and they were great for blending into some 12 and 14 year bourbon. I was working with some American single malt that I put into 70 year old sherry casks and after a few months were talking on some great character from the barrels. A couple months later, the profile changed and the whiskey was bitter and astringent. A few months later, a deep, rich chocolate flavor came through, the mouthfeel was creamy and that spirit ended up winning double gold at San Francisco Spirits Comp. Often times, the right thing to do is wait a little longer. What really changed blending for me was taking ADI's blending and maturation course hosted by Nancy Farley in Texas. Learning from a pro like her changed my blending skills and knowledge for the better.
When i was 18 someone gave me one of those over sized johnny walker bottles I wasn't a fan but i had an empty port barrel i emptied the bottle into the barrel stuck it on a shelf and forgot about it for 15 years or so it was really nice. nobody believed me that it was originally johnny walker red
Great video! I've been setting up a solera rum and getting nervous I could over age, or just lose the quantity. Now you've given me a goods heads up on what I'm looking for. Thanks man
Like Jim McEvan used to say........... " a Barrel works like an Lung!". When it's getting warmer The wood of the staves expands and the filling penetrates into the wood. When it gets colder, the staves contract and press the filling and absorbed aromas back into the barrel. That Process takes it's time! That's why i'm not friend of fast aging!😎
Jesse, very important video. Thanks for putting that together. I would like to add some thoughts. I have been doing the "craft" for 16 years and have found that three components combine to make the whiskey. 1) The grain bill, which, for me, dictates the aging process. Corn is far different than barley or wheat or rye, etc.. My aging process begins with that grain bill/recipe. 2) Still type. Pot versus reflux vs plated. I prefer pot. But each type affects the spirit in the aging, in my opinion. And 3) The wood. NEVER USE FINISHED OAK!!!! Always use good American White Oak that has been "aged" for years. I get my oak from a mill that has lots of scrap. I prefer the outer wood rather than the inner prime furniture grade. And, NEVER USE RAW, UNCHARRED OR UNROASTED OAK. Raw oak leaves a flavor that can never age out. I always char or roast/char. This is just my opinion, but I make pretty dang good whiskey.
The trick is to only fill second or 3rd or re fill casks and there is no such thing as it aging too long in that case , it ready either when you like it or when the strenth is dropping / the losses are too high. I was processing 40yo whisky at work on Thursday and it wasnt over oaked. The trap people fall into is filling Virgin oak casks. I have spirit that i use to de virgin cask and take that harsh flavour out.
Great idea, except for spirits like bourbon which are required to go into virgin oak. But you can also transfer from virgin barrels into other barrels after aging a few years.
@@BeerMeetsWorldyes , maybe only full size casks work for bourbon in that the wood to spirit ratio allows for proper time in the cask. Time in the cask matters the most because otherwise you just end up with woody new make.
Thanks Jessie Clear as mud now😜 This is one thing I really struggle with. I have a Banana Rum that's been on oak in glass for 18 moths now and I thought it was going good but now I have weird aromas and flavours showing up. I almost redistilled it a couple of times and have thought about removing and replacing the oak with fresh stuff but after watching this video I think I may have to give it some more time.
Tricky - I currently have a load of oak chips from wine kits that a use for Rum - I get my result in 10-14 days Still not got around to trying by Bad Motivator barrel as I'm ok with what I have just now
Hi jesse love your work. been watching your videos for a month now since i dived in the Gin world. i was curious as if you can make a video about compound gin and maybe a recipe and some gidelines since here in italy is illegal to distill. i've experimented a bit but i would like to hear about it from the expert.
Hey Jesse longtime fan and owner of an airstill pro. I have a video suggestion regarding that piece of equipment: testing different packing material and compare the quality/proof of the resulting product versus the original packing provided with the unit. Thanks for your great content.
Love Child Barrell fix?!?! It seems you may have Dimethyl Trisulfide, causing the cooked cabbage flavor. This usually is from not enough copper contact before it passes reflux or thumper and goes to condensor. You could try a test with a sample with copper added to it. It should covert the Dimethyl Trisulfide to a salt that will settle in the bottom of the jar. If this works, I can provide more ideas on how to fix barrell.
I think it's worth touching onbthe oxidation effects of aging. Especially in glass jars with oak in them. Some people will say when you open a bottle, it goes bad in a few months due to the oxidation. If you open jars to test, are you over oxidizing if you go months or years after?
If it's new make, just redistill it. But yes, I've had great results putting mediocre whiskey into used wine and beer barrels. Port casks are my favorite. Have to be careful though, because garbage in usually equals garbage out.
Got a weird question about aging: Does it have to be oak? Is aging on other type of wood viable, and if so what have you tried? would you be open to trying other types of wood (cherry, apple, or some other fruit for a more brandy-type distillation, as an example)
I have found that whether it's making beer, wine, or distilling woods fairy mysteries, it all requires the mystical insights of Ole Merlin... And as far as my mystical insights, my wife has more need for barrels surrounding her cooking vinagers from failed wines... Our peony flowers have become addicted to spoiled beers... And we have an abundance of high alcohol hand cleaner for the next false flag world plague... It is, what it is...
Jessie, you got me thinking about something...barrel ageing proofing water...imagine, you collect Sweetwater every time, when you have enough to fill a barrel transfer it and let it sit year or two. Will you be intetested in making this experiment? Cheers.
I know that Oak is what is traditionally used for whiskey, have you used any other types for aging? I have seen some videos using used barrels but havent seen anything using other types of wood.
Here's an unrelated question, but I hoped to see if I can get an answer. I need some HIGH proof alcohol for a project and am going to re-distill some store bought vodka. I have a water distiller that I use for small jobs and can usually get 90 percent out of it, on the high side. I am putting in (3) 750ml bottles of 40 percent, so 2250ml. How much do you think I would get at 90, about a liter, which is what I kind of calculated out? Should I throw a fourth bottle in to be sure? I need to be as high as possible (at least 90) and need at least a liter.
This is where I'm stuck as well. I'd say my spirit is still a little sharp however I'm unsure if the oak staves will do anything about it with time unlike a barrel.
Hey , Great topic Jesse 👍 I have a Malt, Corn and Honey "whisky" in an 8 liter second use barrel, going on 15 months. Damn its hard to decide when to bottle it. Its good now ,,,,,, but will it get even more mellow and sweet oaked in 6 months ???? Cheers everybody 🍻🍹🍸
I was at Wyoming Whiskey and they also said they only bottle in the warmer months. They said the whiskey goes to sleep in the cold and they catch it as it wakes back up.
I’d assume wood chips in a jar have a whole different thing going on because there’s no air transfer like a wood barrel or half wood vessel! The spirit gets pulled in and out of a barrel making all kind of shit happen over time
For anyone confused about what astringent is.. Get a pecan in the shell. Open it and take out the flat woody part in between the nutmeat halves. Pop it in your mouth and chew. Congratulations! You now know exactly what astringent/tannic is! 😁
I have a question that doesn’t necessarily have to do with the video but is related to the topic of aging. So where I’m from we’ll distill a high percentage spirit akin to moonshine and then bottle it up with fruit to infuse it. I was wondering if after you strain the fruit out could you then age the liquor in a barrel? Has anyone tried it? Does infused alcohol not age well?
I start bottling when I actually have made enough that I have some to drink on while some is aging. Most of the time I can't seem to age past a week or 3 as thirsty as I get...😁
I was thinking about doing something similar to when you distilled the rice have you ever tried putting it in Oak? And would it just be a way still a good product?
when the alcohol content drops and the taste becomes so astringent, has anyone tried adding high proof neutral spirit to potentially resolve the issue?
So just a quick story on the topic. I made a batch of what you may call whiskey or sugar hootch haha anyways the grain i used was a grower ration for pigs since i had lots for my pigs and white sugar. The fermentation went great and distillation also went well. It was very strong on the alcohol side but tasted frigging awful but also got ya drunk, after having drank a few litres of this stuff that we ended up calling hog wild haha i found out that the protein source in the pig feed was dried and pelletized fish........ ya i know gnarly. Anyways that explains at least part of the cra,y taste but a buddy still has a jar of it with a peice of charred oak in the jar and its about 8 yrlears old now and it is absolutely jet fuel , completely undrinkable its so fucking strong it just burns the hell out of your stomach. Haha anyway thats the story of my hogwild moonshine
Completely unrelated, after distilling there is alcohol left in the wash, is this drinkable? Is there anything else that can be done with it or should it just be thrown away? P s living in uk so the air still is all I have to work with
Meme Spirits Idea: Rutabaga Moonshine. I just came across an idea from a gaming youtiber I watch (Pravus) who had mentioned in a rrcent video about "Rutabaga Moonshine" and thoight it must taste terrible. I wonder if in your meme spirits series you could TRY that... and ser if you can make it tadte NOT terrible, lol.
Watching as I do a stripping run on an all-grain 5-grain whiskey. Cheers! Also Jesse, you should do a collaboration with Robyn from This Blog's Neat. Her channel is small but she's the real deal (PhD, home distiller, all-around cool person).
