Bought a 2 liter charred barrel. Bought some Wild Turkey 101 and will age it for at least 3 months in the barrel.

This is a thing people do? Ok.

Not only will they re age it in their own private barrels, some also infuse it for other flavors

I age it in glass for about 5 seconds.

Any longer and the atmosphere is getting high on my nickel...

I give up. What movie?

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Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
I give up. What movie?

An area for discussing common interests--Film, literature, music and hobbies.

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Originally posted by sigmonkey:
I age it in glass for about 5 seconds.

Any longer and the atmosphere is getting high on my nickel...

No, you simply have happy angels in your house.

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Originally posted by BRL:
some also infuse it for other flavors

Of course, at that point it is no longer bourbon.

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Originally posted by tk13:

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Originally posted by BRL:
some also infuse it for other flavors

Of course, at that point it is no longer bourbon.

I'm just trying to smooth out a young bourbon. If this makes any difference, this could be fun.

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Originally posted by ulsterman:
I'm just trying to smooth out a young bourbon. If this makes any difference, this could be fun.

The reaging isn't necessarily a bad thing and won't change the definition. In fact, I believe that is what Maker's Mark does with their Maker's 46. They reage with additional staves in the barrels.

The addition of additional flavors (infusing), though, means by definition it is no longer bourbon.

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Originally posted by tk13:

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:
I'm just trying to smooth out a young bourbon. If this makes any difference, this could be fun.

The reaging isn't necessarily a bad thing and won't change the definition. In fact, I believe that is what Maker's Mark does with their Maker's 46. They reage with additional staves in the barrels.

The addition of additional flavors (infusing), though, means by definition it is no longer bourbon.

Basically Makers drains a barrel, adds French Oak staves and puts the bourbon back into the original barrels. They let it sit for 9 weeks and Makers 46 comes out.

Don't know if you've done this before or not so I urge caution and vigilance. You'e going to lose a decent amount to the angels over three months and what's left is going to take on a whole lot of barrel character which may or may not suit your taste. You'll likely end up with a harsher overly oaked mess. I'd taste weekly and weigh the barrel too. The tiny barrels are much better tools for finishing a decent whiskey with port or sherry or barrel aging a cocktail. They rarely, as in almost never, make whatever went into them better on its own. It's a fun experiment but you're probably going to get an undrinkable mess that tastes like you're making out with an oak tree.

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Originally posted by berto:
Don't know if you've done this before or not so I urge caution and vigilance. You'e going to lose a decent amount to the angels over three months and what's left is going to take on a whole lot of barrel character which may or may not suit your taste. You'll likely end up with a harsher overly oaked mess. I'd taste weekly and weigh the barrel too. The tiny barrels are much better tools for finishing a decent whiskey with port or sherry or barrel aging a cocktail. They rarely, as in almost never, make whatever went into them better on its own. It's a fun experiment but you're probably going to get an undrinkable mess that tastes like you're making out with an oak tree.

We're only talking about $40 in bourbon. I'm going to roll the barrel once a month and move it to the barn to get some heat and go from there. If it tastes like crap, I'll give it to friends.

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Originally posted by ulsterman:


We're only talking about $40 in bourbon. I'm going to roll the barrel once a month and move it to the barn to get some heat and go from there. If it tastes like crap, I'll give it to friends.

How much volume is $40? I paid $49 for a 750 ml bottle in Louisville, KY that I filled myself. Did I get ripped off???

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Originally posted by sigmonkey:
I age it in glass for about 5 seconds.

Any longer and the atmosphere is getting high on my nickel...

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:

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Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
I give up. What movie?

An area for discussing common interests--Film, literature, music and hobbies.

I guess sarcasm isn't included.

I thought ageing was something that took years, not weeks.

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Originally posted by berto:
an undrinkable mess that tastes like you're making out with an oak tree.

Heyyy that sounds like my first taste of whisky ever.

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Originally posted by jhe888:
I thought ageing was something that took years, not weeks.

It generally does, but the thought is higher surface contact with the wood accelerates the process. It's a common method for accelerating aging among the craft bourbon makers looking to generate cash flow quicker than 6-15 years. Problem is surface contact is not all it takes. It also requires heat/cold cycling to drive the white dog between the staves where the wood was carmelized during the charring process, then suck it back.

I have a small barrel and filled it with Ancient Ancient Age on Jan 1 this year in an attempt to do the same thing the OP is. I then "aged" it for 4 months. I did this over the winter, and unfortunately didn't have the ability to provide big hot cold temperature swings. Is it different than when it started? Yes. Is it better? Probably yes. Some of the harsher aspects of a cheap bourbon have been mellowed, but there is a wet woody quality that is a little odd. I do not think it's much more complex than it was.

Perhaps it could have stayed in there a bit longer, but my fear was passing a point of no return where it became worse than where It started. I plan to try again, using the summer heat to my advantage, and I think a higher ABV, maybe something overer 50%, might be worth trying well.

These little barrels are mighty expensive. Mine was a gift from my FIL and was about $125. My general thought for the price of the barrel and the cheap bourbon to go inside, I could have bought a fair amount of really nice bourbon.

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Originally posted by jhe888:
I thought ageing was something that took years, not weeks.

As jigray3 said, not only does surface area play a big role but the temp. differential pulling the whiskey into and out of the barrel. Craft makers in Oregon are aging as little as 6 months, 2-3 years is long for them. The temp. swings in their warehouses are a lot different than a cellar in Scotland!

I'd like to get a barrel to age select home brews in, haven't pulled the trigger mostly due to cost and I don't know where I'd put it. I guess it could look "decorative" so it doesn't need to be hidden away somewhere.