Aging whiskey at home

[Bourbon Boiler]

I know we've had several mentions of aging at home in a few threads, but I couldn't find anything active where people were regularly posting projects and results. A few threads where there was some discussion are here

http://straightbourbon.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=12790

and here

http://straightbourbon.com/forums/sh...ighlight=aging


I thought I'd make a thread where everyone could post their aging experiments, be they bourbon, other whiskey, rum, wine, beer, or anything else.

[Bourbon Boiler]

OK, now that the storm warnings are gone I'll start.

I put a 51/49 Corn/Wheat in a medium char 1L barrel 24 days ago. I cut it from its distilled proof of 120 to 113.1 to make sure I filled the barrel. I retained a sample of the white dog cut to the same proof. The white dog tasted like I remember unaged corn whiskey tasting, although maybe not as "sharp".

It has been aging in my kitchen, where there has been little temperature or humidity change. (My wife likes the smell, so it gets to stay in the kitchen for now.) I drained a few ounces today for sampling, and retained a few small bottles for the sake of doing a vertical tasting later.

The sample today was very dark, as dark as just about any bourbon I've ever seen. I have no way to measure the proof, but I doubt it has changed much since barreling. It was very drinkable, as it was sweet and smooth. However, there was little complexity to it and it seemed to have a very thin mouthfeel. It tasted like an excellent mixer, but not something I'd really enjoy having a few glasses of.

I would estimate that there are about 600-650 mL remaining, which are still in the barrel. I plan on sampling again in 2 weeks, and bottling when either the taste is something I don't want to change, or when there are about 375 mL left in the barrel. I will retain samples with each tasting.

[Parkersback]

Do you have air conditioning?

[Bourbon Boiler]

^ Yes, on most of the last three weeks. I'd be surprised if the temperature of the room was ever outside the 65-80 range.

[ethangsmith]

I just bought 3 750ML bottles of the Trybox "rye" and I am planning to put it into a 2L barrel this fall and put it in my detached garage. The garage has no heat nor air conditioning and the temperature varies pretty widely in it. I expect to come up with some tasty rye within a few weeks of starting the project. Once it begins, I will begin posting results on here or on my blog.

[Bourbon Boiler]

What is the proof of your rye? I'm putting some 95/5 rye/corn into oak in the next week, and I'm leaning toward keeping it in a climate controlled environment to limit evaporation.

[ethangsmith]

120 proof. I've heard when the proof is too low it won't age right.

[sailor22]

120 proof. I've heard when the proof is too low it won't age right.

Where did you hear that? What proof is too low?

I suspect that proof will have an effect on how it ages with lower proof pulling different flavors out of the wood (water v alcohol working on the wood) than higher proof. Not sure how that squares with right or wrong.
That assumption is based on some comments made by Jim Rutledge at 4R and by the differences between dusties and current juice.
Didn't the juice in the dusties go into the barrel at lower proof and come out tasting good for the most part.
Rutledge said that the accountants wanted them to use higher barrel entry proof so they could maximize profit on dumping. Turned out that higher proof barrels required between two and three extra years to mature, which more than negated any profit upside. He wouldn't be drawn out on questions about quality.

Wouldn't ambient temperature and humidity have a greater effect on home aged barrels that entry proof?

At any rate, that would be a good experiment - put the same juice into identical barrels at different proofs and see how different the end result was. How fast or slowly the changed. If you wanted to carry it a step further put the same juice in two more barrels and try one in hotter, wetter location and one in cool and dry and see how they differ.

[ethangsmith]

I think it was on bourbondork, but I can't remember. For some reason I've always thought that lower proof whiskey doesn't work well in the small barrels.

[Bourbon Boiler]

At any rate, that would be a good experiment - put the same juice into identical barrels at different proofs and see how different the end result was. How fast or slowly the changed.

Was barreling proof a variable in the Single Oak project?