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Oak Barrel Alternatives

edited July 2013 in General

Ok. it's about wine, but I find it an interesting study. Has somebody experience with that micro-oxygenation technique ?

Oak Barrels vs. Oak Chips: The Showdown

M.

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  • pumping air thru my vodka helps mellow it out really quick

    I use a simple pond pump and brass stone

  • edited August 2013

    Something interesting i found on my web journeys : AIR INFUSIONS: SMOKED RYE

  • That was a excellent read. An idea I'll have to try. thanks moscca

  • Bought from medium + oak from Nadalie, american and french and it it ie impressive how frenck oak is much more giving colour. You see it on the oak, the french is a little bit more reddish and that is passing to the liqour. The difference is impressive.

  • did a blind taste test on several wines we produce. identical except for the oak barrel. The American oak was the winner. That being said I believe there is more consistency with the French cooperages. If yu are looking for smooth oak integration in your wine, barrel fermentation or or oak chips in the ferm are the go. Might be worth a look to see if some of the oak comes through if you do a oak chip ferm on spirits.

    For whiskey/bourbon I think Cherry is the way to go. The whiskey/bourbon I like most was aged on cherry.

    Micro-Ox, ah yes... some of the biggest names in "cult-wine" industry use it. On the spirt side I'll have to check that out for mellowing. I wonder how it goes on Rum?

  • @nvnovrts said:

    For whiskey/bourbon I think Cherry is the way to go. The whiskey/bourbon I like most was aged on cherry.

    Do you mean Sherry or Cherry? I have never heard of Whiskey aged on cherry wood but rather aged in oak barrels that have previously been used to age Sherry wine.

  • Cherry,Spirits that I have tasted aged on cherry wood(thanks Mini) were awesome,very mild with a great backtaste to it,and very smooth!

    It is what you make it!

  • Cherry. as in Cherry trees. No joke, its really really good.

  • edited August 2013

    CHERRY AGEING HELP @ HD

    I have had cherry and like it very much. I hope posting a link to cherry is OK? Let me know if not.

  • edited August 2013

    @applepie said: I hope posting a link to cherry is OK? Let me know if not.

    There speaks nothing against posting links to other forums, if it provides valuable info. We are all open minded here (in contrast to those well known other forums where content is deleted at will all the time), though I like to "beautify" links by hiding plain URLs behind meaningful descriptions.

    Your Place to be >>> www.StillDragon.org <<< Home of the StillDragon® Community Forum

  • Maybe off subject a bit but where would i find some of these kinds of woods in an untreated state ready for aging I have tried french oak and found that you really dont need to use a hell of a lot to gather a lot of flavour to me to much french oak is no good but after a few uses it is a nice smooth taste

    i like the sound of cherry

  • @cooperville said: Maybe off subject a bit but where would i find some of these kinds of woods in an untreated state ready for aging I have tried french oak and found that you really dont need to use a hell of a lot to gather a lot of flavour to me to much french oak is no good but after a few uses it is a nice smooth taste

    i like the sound of cherry

    Also very interested in where I could find cherry wood

  • In case any Australians are looking for Oak and don't already know, i have Oak Dominoes listed on my site..

    http://www.stilldragon.com.au/oak-dominoes-1kg/

    http://www.stilldragon.com.au/oak-dominoes-5kg-bag/

    These are a great product i'm very proud to be able to use and supply and at $71.50 for a 5kg bag they work out cheaper than a bulk buy that was on another website not long ago.

    It's another of the products i keep as a service for distillers becuase we can't get it at a reasonable quality/price elsewhere rather than just an item for sale. This is why i started business in the first place.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • Any chance you're gonna start getting in a few different types of oak like the sherry or whatever it's called Punkin?

  • I don't think so mate, the supplier has French Oak, but after some side by side trials i don't think it's as good.

    If you want to try a few different things with the same oak it's good to use the sticks to soak a few different products first. You can soak them in sherry or port and then add 1 or two to your rum, or in apple cider or ginger beer. Lots of different things to try.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • @punkin said: I don't think so mate, the supplier has French Oak, but after some side by side trials i don't think it's as good.

    If you want to try a few different things with the same oak it's good to use the sticks to soak a few different products first. You can soak them in sherry or port and then add 1 or two to your rum, or in apple cider or ginger beer. Lots of different things to try.

    Punkin, in what way you don't like the french oak and for wath products ?

  • I've only tried it on ujsm mate and while it gave off a good oak flavour with some vannilains, there was none of the maple/honey sweetness that we have come to depend on in a bourbon.

    Made it very one dimensional. It may be better for a rum or brandy i guess where that particular flavour is not required up front.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • edited September 2013

    @punkin said: I've only tried it on ujsm mate and while it gave off a good oak flavour with some vannilains, there was none of the maple/honey sweetness that we have come to depend on in a bourbon.

    Made it very one dimensional. It may be better for a rum or brandy i guess where that particular flavour is not required up front.

    That's a good observation. Duly noted sir.

    StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America

  • Do you also find that french oak colours more than american ?

  • Yes, it colours quicker and more red.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • Common, punkin I am keen to try some French oak and you said that you would need more than just a few orders to get it going,

    How much weight do you have to sell to get you to a place where you would be happy to get it in for us? I think it is an option that people would be keen to try and could add something to the rums and whisky's that are now being made. :)

    Nick

  • I need to order some more American shortly, i'll get a couple of bags of French Oak then if you promise to answer all the emails from my site asking about the benefits of one over the other? :))

    I'll let you know when it's here, should be 4 or 5 weeks, just need to get this massive sea freight order sorted. ;;)

    I get a lot of requests for Hungarian Oak too believe it or not.

    NeverLetItBeSaidIWon'tServiceMyCustomersPunkin

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • @nick said: Common, punkin I am keen to try some French oak and you said that you would need more than just a few orders to get it going,

    How much weight do you have to sell to get you to a place where you would be happy to get it in for us? I think it is an option that people would be keen to try and could add something to the rums and whisky's that are now being made. :)

    Nick

    Don't blame punkin, lots of places to buy french oak !

  • From my experience I would be very careful with how much French oak you add to a batch I have used some staves from. A winery that had Shiraz in them they were dried and sold on eBay it's a very nice wood and you can smell the flavour profile it will bring to your liquor but it has a very distinct flavour I heavy med and light charred and toasted mine to see what was best I found that the deeper the char the more robust the flavour All I can say is use it sparingly perhaps others have had a different experience ?

  • I have used toasted american oak and I do not recommend it for bourbon or whiskey. After using one small domino size piece in a 1/2 pint of 120P bourbon it gave it a bad raw wood, toohtpick flavor. I since changed to charred oak and and it seems to flavor just right and no need to worry about overdoing it less you forget it in there for months :-)

  • I've tried toasted and charred and found the opposite of what you describe captain, it's toasted all the time for me.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • I have a 65LB bag of toasted american oak purchased from a wine supply company in California, USA, and you are more than welcome to it, less you pay frieght to get it to you...It would be a cheap ship for me to send to Smaug and maybe he can get it to you.. I just do not like what it does...I am a Bookers kind of guy and everyone has his own likings. For me, charred is the way:-)

  • I received as1/2" by 4" by 18" planks (approx.), then I cut to1/2" by 1" by 4": approx. dominoes and just 1/2 of one in a quart overdone it for me, so u can have them. Way I see it I sponged enough info from this forum I feel obligated to give some payback...or at least help in any way I can.

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    Toasted oak 002.JPG
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  • Sure would like to try some French oak..looking to add a more reddish colour to my final product

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