What abv to store spirits at

[Shaun]

Just a quick question, i store my finished product in demijons, just wonder at what abv i can store at?

Right now i have my neutral at 65% untill i decide what to do with it.

[Sam.]

If its in glass and sealed you can store it as high as you want, obviously any storage needs to have the safety thought about i.e. make sure little hands can't get to it, have it labelled appropriately and make sure it isn't going to cause a fire risk.

Also depends what you are going to do with it, if you wanted to macerate some fruit etc you would want it up around the 95%.

[Shaun]

If its in glass and sealed you can store it as high as you want, obviously any storage needs to have the safety thought about i.e. make sure little hands can't get to it, have it labelled appropriately and make sure it isn't going to cause a fire risk.

Also depends what you are going to do with it, if you wanted to macerate some fruit etc you would want it up around the 95%.

Cheers, yes is in glass, in the shed so no little kids around and has a lebel of what it is and the abv, mostly so i don,t forget.

I would like to try oak and maybe some fruit, also looking for a recipe for american honey.

[Prime]

Along a similar line ... My first wash is almost ready to be distilled and bottled.
It looks like it doesn't matter what abv but I am wondering about adding flavours ...
Do I need to flavour it and let it age for a while, or does it not matter?
Ie. Can I keep it all neutral and nix up just before we drink it?
Thoughts?

[bluc]

Something else to think about is a worse case fire situation. A demijohn will break pretty quick but a corney keg will build pressure potentiall bomb make sure you have a relief valve :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[RC Al]

Bottle ageing (storage at drinking proof) is very important after any change, flavouring or water. The contents need time to combine and marry, some chemical combinations can only happen at different abv's. The few essence bottles ive done certinally are better for sitting for a while and theres is a definite difference in the little i havent consumed of my flavoured wash efforts.

I have mainly noticed when I have recived bottles from others that i know or suspect were freshly proofed down , they were much different (generally better) sampled again weeks later, I generally notice less with my own usual drinks as I drink them more regularly, where as my gifted bottles are treasures to compare my own stuff with later.

Welcome to the next battle - storage vs adequately aged drinking stock

All that said im off to add some water to more stuff right now :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[southern45]

Do I need to flavour it and let it age for a while, or does it not matter?
Ie. Can I keep it all neutral and nix up just before we drink it?
Thoughts?

Even with essences, I've found that a week to "settle" and properly disperse the flavours seems to make a difference, compared to just mixing it with a neutral and drinking straight away. Maybe it's all in my head though.

[Tesla101]

Agree with the other comments. Particularly with gin, I've found that after diluting to drinking strength it takes at least 3 weeks for the flavours to combine and marry together, preferably 5 weeks if it's a 3-dimensional gin.

I'm still developing gin recipes so I usually only make 4-5L batches, but I store it at drinking strength in a demijohn for at least 5 weeks instead of bottling at drinking strength straight away. I feel it allows all of the flavours to marry together better than if it was ageing in 8-10 500mL bottles.

[FilthyPhil]

Hi, I have almost 10 litres of CFW at 78% ABV. I've already had it ageing for 2 weeks on some French Oak dominoes.
I was reading something on Facebook which said that that ABV was too high for ageing & should be diluted to about 60-65% ABV.
Is this correct & if so, is it too late for my CFW?

[FilthyPhil]

And if I do need to dilute it do I just use bottled spring water from the supermarket?
Also what's the easiest way to pour liquids out of a corny keg?

[The Stig]

I put a tap in the bottom