Ageing whiskey in a 3.5 l oak barrel

by **Robj** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 11:04 am

Hi all, I've got a 3.5l oak barrel, got some whiskey off an AG mash, ran a stripping run and then a spirit run, busy on deciding which cuts to take, gona fill me barrel with 65%ABV stuff, does anyone know how long this takes to age?? Am I right that you can leave it in a small barrel TOO long or shall I keep trying it and top it up with the spirit that I put in (I'll keep some in a bottle), be gratefull for any help, cheers

by **crow** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 2:53 pm

yes it can get very woody in a smaller barrel. Oaking is all about surface area v contact so the smaller the barrel the more contact the faster it oaks but also on the plus side it ages faster too. for sure use it and if you keep adding to it and bottling from it you will soon work out at what take off rate will produce the best flavor. Oak won't continue to flavor at the same rate for ever , it will diminish but it will last you a good long time like this :-B

by **Robj** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 5:04 pm

Cheers crow
Thought it was along them lines, sounds good to me, orders a 7l barrel do that should be here soon

by **Sam.** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 6:14 pm

Even with a 7L the ratio is still pretty high, I have decided for long term aging for my gear I will be using 25L minimum :handgestures-thumbupleft:

by **Brendan** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 10:21 pm

sam_and_liv wrote:Even with a 7L the ratio is still pretty high, I have decided for long term aging for my gear I will be using 25L minimum :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I've heard a few of the old timers say 20-25L was the minimum barrel size that you should age in.

But then again, some craft distilleries have won awards for small barrel aged whiskies.

Tuthilltown Spirits in New York are ageing some of their acclaimed Hudson Baby Bourbon in 3 & 5 gallon barrels (11.35L & 18.93L), and exploring accelerated ageing techniques (such as vibration and micro oxygenation)...anything is possible...

by **Sam.** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 10:27 pm

Brendan wrote:
sam_and_liv wrote:Even with a 7L the ratio is still pretty high, I have decided for long term aging for my gear I will be using 25L minimum :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I've heard a few of the old timers say 20-25L was the minimum barrel size that you should age in.

But then again, some craft distilleries have won awards for small barrel aged whiskies.

Tuthilltown Spirits in New York are ageing some of their acclaimed Hudson Baby Bourbon in 3 & 5 gallon barrels (11.35L & 18.93L), and exploring accelerated ageing techniques (such as vibration and micro oxygenation)...anything is possible...

Yep, call me a sceptic if you will but I don't believe anything will beat time on oak, your just cheating yourself to get your booze quicker ;-)

This is why the big boys still age in 300L+ barrels and leave it there for years (apart from the fact there cuts are shit :laughing-rolling: )

If there was a better/easier way to do it I am sure that big cahunas would be onto it like stink on shit ;-)

by **Robj** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 7:22 pm

I can get a 20l barrel easy enough or a 30l, wud prefer the 20 do you reakon this will be ok to leave it ageing for a few year or more?

by **OzKev** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 7:29 pm

Robj wrote:I can get a 20l barrel easy enough or a 30l, wud prefer the 20 do you reakon this will be ok to leave it ageing for a few year or more?

I've been reading up on it as I'm in the market for a barrel too. From my reading I'm thinking is a 50L is the min if you want a decent / top quality final product.
PS. Where can you get barrels from easy? Can you get more at a good rate?

by **Robj** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 4:38 am

http://bit.ly/1j1NOre
Try here Kev, it's on eBay from Poland I think, don't know where u r in the world, they've got all different sizes aswel, they reckon 20-25l is minimum to age for a while, not even gona think about 50l that's massive was panicking about 25, lol

by **Dingo Charlie** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 2:10 pm

Ozkev,
Good to see your in SE QLD, there is a cooperage at Clontarf....near redcliffe, make any barrel you want.... I get oak off cuts from him also $20 for a large box.

by **OzKev** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 6:15 pm

Dingo Charlie wrote:Ozkev,
Good to see your in SE QLD, there is a cooperage at Clontarf....near redcliffe, make any barrel you want.... I get oak off cuts from him also $20 for a large box.

Is that rolloutthebarrel? That's where I'm looking at getting one from.

by **MacStill** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 7:15 pm

OzKev wrote:
Dingo Charlie wrote:Ozkev,
Good to see your in SE QLD, there is a cooperage at Clontarf....near redcliffe, make any barrel you want.... I get oak off cuts from him also $20 for a large box.

Is that rolloutthebarrel? That's where I'm looking at getting one from.

They (ROTB) the best mob Kev, quality is up there but price reflects that...... :handgestures-thumbupleft:

by **Dingo Charlie** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 8:22 pm

That's him...Roll Out The Barrel.
:pray: One day, one of his barrels will be mine.