Dgriffin Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 I started ageing some EWB (I wanted to use something that I always have around for SBS tastings) in a mini barrel around September 28th. The plan was to try a sample on Halloween and then again on Thanksgiving, to see how it was progressing. The barrel holds 1 liter, so that's how much I put into it. I was going to keep ageing it for the Christmas/ New years holidays. I only got about 9 or 10 shots out of the entire thing before it was empty. That seems like a lot of evaporation for that amount of time. I put a white paper towel under the barrel so that I would know if it was leaking, but it had not. Has anyone else had a similar experience with the mini barrels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limegoldconvertible68 Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Evaporation accounts for some of it but don't forget the "devils cut". With a 1 liter size barrel the amount of liquid that gets absorbed by the work will account for a big percentage of your lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dgriffin Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 2 minutes ago, Limegoldconvertible68 said: Evaporation accounts for some of it but don't forget the "devils cut". With a 1 liter size barrel the amount of liquid that gets absorbed by the work will account for a big percentage of your lose. I did forget about the "devils cut". I am still just very surprised at how much was gone in such a short time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limegoldconvertible68 Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 With a smaller barrel much more of the liquid comes in contact with the wood. When you get down to the 1 liter size the percentage of wood surface area to liquid has increased astronomically compared to a normal size bourbon barrel. Thus you lose a tremendous amount more percentage wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dgriffin Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 10 minutes ago, Limegoldconvertible68 said: With a smaller barrel much more of the liquid comes in contact with the wood. When you get down to the 1 liter size the percentage of wood surface area to liquid has increased astronomically compared to a normal size bourbon barrel. Thus you lose a tremendous amount more percentage wise. Very interesting. Ya' learn something new every day lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miller542 Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Try it again with the same barrel and I bet it won't absorb nearly as much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyfish Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 And put it in your garage so the changes in temperature push the bourbon in and out of the wood. You didn't say if the barrel was charred. Was it sold specifically for aging bourbon or is it just a small uncharred oak barrel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey Dick Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 I started one in February with a new gifted 2L barrel. put a 60/40 mix of HH6BIB and OGD114 in it. At first, I filled it with water to see if it would leak, and it leaked like crazy. So, I filled and submerged it in water for a week to get the barrel to swell enough to stop leaking. Once it stopped leaking, I filled it with the bourbon. Every now and then, I'd see a moist spot on the barrel head rim, but that stopped pretty quickly. Now, it's december, and the damn thing is about empty, and I've not had a sip out of it. It is kept in my study though, which is climate controlled. I knew that may speed evaporation, but I figured it also may make my study smell like a rickhouse, which I thought would be awesome (it didn't). Unsure if the 'devils cut' you guys mentioned means that if I refill it now, the evaporation the second time around will be significantly less or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 ^^^^It should be pretty well saturated at this point. The dry wood acts just as a dry sponge would, and it can only absorb so much. I also agree that the barrel should be exposed to weather changes. Just this past two days, we've been anywhere between 72 and 22F! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BourbonDrinkingSailor Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Some of the websites for these small barrels warn of extreme evaporation and mention only using them for a few weeks at most to "finish" a whiskey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre2885 Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 yeah as mentioned give it another go, the devils cut won't be nearly as bad and most likely accounted for way more loss in your initial run than the angels share did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dgriffin Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 Thanks for the info everyone. I will try it again and move it to my garage. I do not think the barrel was charred though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 On 12/28/2016 at 7:20 PM, Whiskey Dick said: I started one in February with a new gifted 2L barrel. put a 60/40 mix of HH6BIB and OGD114 in it. At first, I filled it with water to see if it would leak, and it leaked like crazy. So, I filled and submerged it in water for a week to get the barrel to swell enough to stop leaking. Once it stopped leaking, I filled it with the bourbon. Every now and then, I'd see a moist spot on the barrel head rim, but that stopped pretty quickly. Now, it's december, and the damn thing is about empty, and I've not had a sip out of it. It is kept in my study though, which is climate controlled. I knew that may speed evaporation, but I figured it also may make my study smell like a rickhouse, which I thought would be awesome (it didn't). Unsure if the 'devils cut' you guys mentioned means that if I refill it now, the evaporation the second time around will be significantly less or not. A barrel that size, even if preused and kept in a temperature controlled space probably only needs to age weeks, maybe a couple of months, before it makes a real impact on what ever is being aged. Taste it early and often. That way if it runs dry you know who to blame at least partly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyfish Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 On 12/29/2016 at 11:48 AM, Dgriffin said: Thanks for the info everyone. I will try it again and move it to my garage. I do not think the barrel was charred though. If the barrel is not charred, there may be a very decided oak note imparted to the bourbon. It is not being "charcoal filtered" as it passes through the char layer as it expands and contracts with temperature changes. I am glad there are people like you who are willing to sacrifice bourbon that started out pretty good on the theory they might make it even better. As a cheap old geezer, I am personally quite willing to drink HH6 and OGD 114 just the way they come out of the bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottledInBond Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 I have one of these barrels as well, not sure which size. It was gifted to me and it looks pretty cool, as it has my last named burned into it. Custom and looks good in my living room. Now that said, I personally will never try to "age" a whiskey in it. I have tried to many "craft" products aged in small barrels that all basically suck to expect anything good out of aging whiskey in a small barrel myself. Plus all the issue with efficiency/loss already noted. That at doesn't mean that I don't think they have any good use. If you like cocktails, and especially if you like to entertain, I personally think the best use of these things is to make a barrel aged cocktail a week or two before you host a party of some sort. I don't think you will "age" the juice in that period, but you will let it mingle, and it's a cool novelty to pour cocktails directly from the barrel at the party. Just my $0.02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GizmoStudent Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I received a 1-liter #2 charred barrel for my birthday back in September and I am in the process of aging my 4th batch of bourbon. Below are thoughts and reviews: 1. The barrel must be pre-filled with water so that the dried wood can swell and seal the seams. a). This took 3 days of refilling before my barrel was fully sealed. b). Use filtered bottle water. Tap water is fluorinated and has high mineral contents (sulfur) that will seep into the barrel wood and contaminate the taste of whatever you put into the barrel. c). I used bottled Kentucky spring water. Evian bottled water is a close second to Kentucky water. 2. Most bottles of Bourbon are 750ml. The barrel is 1-liter so you will need to add another 250ml of bourbon to fill the barrel. A big DUH on my part when I thought that most of my bourbon had evaporated when I dumped my first batch. 3. I used W. L. Weller 107 Antique Bourbon for batches 1,2 & 3. All “aged” for 1 month which in theory: 1-week = 3 to 4 years 4. 1st batch, was smoother and not as hot of an alcohol bite as normal 107 but very smokey in taste probably because the barrel was not full (see Note-2). Lost maybe 4-5 oz / 120- 150ml to evaporation. 5. 2nd batch, best Bourbon I have ever had the pleasure to taste. Incredible nose, great taste with a long smooth finish. Lost about 2 oz / 60ml to evaporation. 6. 3rd batch, again Incredible nose but lost some of the oaky sweetness in the taste and finish was not as smooth or long. Lost again 2 oz / 60ml to evaporation. 7. 4th Batch has Larceny bourbon in the barrel and it’s cooking. Gizmostudent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limegoldconvertible68 Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I find this an interesting subject. At the moment I have a decent bunker and can still find good bottles at prices I am content to pay. However, in the future if price and selection get prohibitive I can see where buying bottom shelf and aging it myself may be the best option. For me it will all depend on just how crazy the boom gets. Until then I am enjoying this thread and the info in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 39 minutes ago, Limegoldconvertible68 said: I find this an interesting subject. At the moment I have a decent bunker and can still find good bottles at prices I am content to pay. However, in the future if price and selection get prohibitive I can see where buying bottom shelf and aging it myself may be the best option. For me it will all depend on just how crazy the boom gets. Until then I am enjoying this thread and the info in it. Aging it yourself in mini barrels will never be the best option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 19 minutes ago, flahute said: Aging it yourself in mini barrels will never be the best option. Make that never EVER... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GizmoStudent Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 No need to get serious Boy’s. Let’s not forget it’s all about a person’s individual taste with regards to bourbon and in the case of the little barrels - If they also like to play around with stuff. But, I must say that I was surprised at the positive results of what the little barrel did to the taste and character of a NA, 107 proof, wheated bourbon in the span of 30 days. (Again in theory: 12+ years) So, 1. Will I try another little barrel? Probably. 2. Will my results be repeatable? Probably not. 3. Am I going to put Elmer T Lee in the barrel? No, ETL was my gateway bourbon and changes yearly anyway. 4. Will the little barrel remove the slight nail polish/acetone smell and taste from EC18? Hmmm, that would be fun to find out and I have 2 bottles left. 5. Will I put Oola Discourse “C” bourbon in the little barrel? No, why mess with IMHO a truly great bourbon. Gizmostudent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) 12 hours ago, GizmoStudent said: ...bourbon in the span of 30 days. (Again in theory: 12+ years) Gizmostudent Sorry, thats not a theory. That's a delusion... Edited January 9, 2017 by smokinjoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dusty Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 8 minutes ago, smokinjoe said: Sorry, thats not a theory. That's a dilusion... Did you mean dilution? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosugoji64 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 1 minute ago, Old Dusty said: Did you mean dilution? Think he meant delusion but either way, small barrels are a big waste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry in WashDC Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 17 minutes ago, mosugoji64 said: Think he meant delusion but either way, small barrels are a big waste. Big waste? Oh, I don't know about that. They make good pots for shrubby types of plants. We put an aralia in one once, . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richnimrod Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 And, you could make two pretty serviceable helmets for the zombie apocalypse by cutting one in half and adding the appropriate amount of padding for fit and comfort. Just sayin... Don't chuck that baby out just yet. Give some thought to the possibilities. HA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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