Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Another newbie question :?

Are the oak chips for the use in wood smokers the same as used to flavour spirits?

Thanks

Only if they'we oak, I'd say no I very much doubt it

The only ones that might be the same are the Jack Daniels chips the sell at bunnings and BBQshops...even then I would read the bag cause they could just be other wood soaked in whiskey. Majority of wood smoking chips would be hickory, mesquite, and apple wood. Tastes divine on your roast....won't poison you in your likkeer but probably not taste very nice at all.

mmmmm was looking at the JD chips :think: they claim to be fron JD barrels :?

Thanks ;-)

NT CICHLIDS wrote:mmmmm was looking at the JD chips :think: they claim to be fron JD barrels :?

They probably are.

I'm a newbie like you mate, probably even more newbie-ish so don't know a hell of a lot yet but the whole oaking and aging thing interests me.

Done a fair bit of reading on it yet still put nothing to practice.

The one little thing that bothers me about using chips from ex-JD barrels etc is that 'they' don't.

They use new oak, char it, and age it. Then they take their whiskey and flick the barrels. To me, it seems if they're not using their old barrels again and again, why would we?
Let's say we wanted to make an exact clone of JD, if we used their old barrel chips, we'd never be able to make it because they don't make it with old whiskey barrel chips.

Best bet "could" be to source some oak and char, re-char or toast it? there's a few sound suggestions on the subject on this forum (from members who've put in the yards) I'm itching to give a crack mate, have a read, worth it. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

NT CICHLIDS wrote:mmmmm was looking at the JD chips :think: they claim to be fron JD barrels :?

Thanks ;-)

i used them once they work fine but wash them first, as they are dusty from the char. IMHO There are other better sources of oak than smoking chips.

kiwikeg wrote:

NT CICHLIDS wrote:mmmmm was looking at the JD chips :think: they claim to be fron JD barrels :?

Thanks ;-)

i used them once they work fine but wash them first, as they are dusty from the char. IMHO There are other better sources of oak than smoking chips.

Kiwi, you used them once, if you don't mind me asking, what's your process now mate? any tips?

@ TLC you are sort of right and sort of not . you see when ya chip the barrel you expose fresh timber (kinda like refurbishing a keg) . The old timber has all the goodies near the surface leached out so the oak is expended as far as aging goes unless it gets refurbished, most bourbon distilleries wouldn't do this because its not quite as good and the flavours that would impart from the timber is identical to what would be in the barrel so nothing really gained. your chips however will impart this same flavour and you are getting some fresh oak flavour too. sound to good to be true hey, it is :roll:
Here's why all the big names won't use chips : Chips have a lot of end grain and this felicitates a an excellerated aging process, dandy except it will pull tannins out faster than many other compounds so some caution is needed when using chips too much tannin is not nice kinda bitter dry mouth feel (imagine ultra strong tea or eating a raw green quince) :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Well aint got no still yet but ordered me some JD Chips, never said I had any smarts 8-}

Curious abouthe charred sticks I've read about in a few posts, are these purchased or DIY?

I think most blokes just get the sticks and toast or char to suit what ever they are looking for :handgestures-thumbupleft:

tasteslikechicken wrote:

kiwikeg wrote:

NT CICHLIDS wrote:mmmmm was looking at the JD chips :think: they claim to be fron JD barrels :?

Thanks ;-)

i used them once they work fine but wash them first, as they are dusty from the char. IMHO There are other better sources of oak than smoking chips.

Kiwi, you used them once, if you don't mind me asking, what's your process now mate? any tips?

general plan is in this thread viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1267
but not gonna use the vanilla or sherry now
current bottle i am drinking is a sample of a 20l test batch of ujsm/bourbonknockoff hearts with hbs bourbon chunks, wine barrel chips for a week and SpiritsUnlimited premium bourbon essence at 1/4 recommended dosage. its going to be blended with the later ujsm runs before it all goes in the keg to wait a while
then i am thinking am gonna buy and fill a used red wine barrel with ujsm/bourbonknockoff , :oops:

tips???
look around for old fruit trees like plum.peach,apple and european oak, totara or maple.
have a try with some of those- i did a good rum with plum wood :happy-partydance:
I use hbs bourbonoak chunks ATM mainly coz i got a good deal on some (free)

tasteslikechicken wrote:

NT CICHLIDS wrote:mmmmm was looking at the JD chips :think: they claim to be fron JD barrels :?

They probably are.

I'm a newbie like you mate, probably even more newbie-ish so don't know a hell of a lot yet but the whole oaking and aging thing interests me.

Done a fair bit of reading on it yet still put nothing to practice.

The one little thing that bothers me about using chips from ex-JD barrels etc is that 'they' don't.

They use new oak, char it, and age it. Then they take their whiskey and flick the barrels. To me, it seems if they're not using their old barrels again and again, why would we?
Let's say we wanted to make an exact clone of JD, if we used their old barrel chips, we'd never be able to make it because they don't make it with old whiskey barrel chips.

Best bet "could" be to source some oak and char, re-char or toast it? there's a few sound suggestions on the subject on this forum (from members who've put in the yards) I'm itching to give a crack mate, have a read, worth it. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

You'll never make an exact clone, but you can get real close. Even if you followed their exact recipie and used one of their barrels, your ingedients and the still will be different, so you'll get different tastes. It won't be bad, just not exact.

I've had good luck with sticks, toasted and charred. New american oak for bourbon, then save these sticks for rum. I don't wash them, as that starts to take away from the stick, I dust them off and filter the finnished product if it needs it, it often dosnt. I've never tried smoking them, anyway, I give up smoking.