Aging on Mead Oak

[oddian]

Hi Everyone,

I'm making mixed berry mead at the moment, nearly done, just a couple of weeks more aging on some oak staves and it'll be ready for consumption. I've had a sneaky taste, I can't wait it's super delicious.

The main reason I made it was because I wanted to use the oak staves after it was done to finish aging a mildly smokey whiskey. Currently the whiskey is sitting on ex burbon but I feel like it needs some more depth so while I waited for it to be ready I brewed some mead.

Anyone done this before and have some experience to impart on me?

Thanks
Oddian

[oddian]

Guess this isn't somethign that others have done.

I'm going to give it a shot anyway and I'll just use this thread to update on the outcome. My initial batch is only 6 months aged, not as long as I'd like but I don't want to test somethign like this on a batch that's 2-3 or more years aged until I know it doesn't just make it taste like rotten fruit.

[RuddyCrazy]

G'Day Oddian :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Seems I missed this thread mate :scared-eek: now when your saying mead was it just the mead put on oak ????

Over the years I've done quite a few fruits etc and just strip the wash then do a spirit run in my pot still if I have enough or my glass still .

EC1118 will ferment just about any type of fruit, now with my 1kg Honey trial I just used Lowans Baking Yeast and after fermentation stripped it in my 5 litre pot still and did the spirit run in my glass still.

Cheers Bryan

[oddian]

I'm making mead, aging it on oak to mellow it out (really needs it when it is made from cherries! but not from passionfruit!) and then once I'm done I take the nice dark red oak and put my smokey (25% peated) whiskey on it to finish it.

I tried it, it's 100% better than the same whiskey on just regular oak. I found my whiskey was good but lacking depth. Only finished it for a month or so but it really changed the flavour adding a sweet undertone that did wonders for the smokey influence of the peated grains. I plan on putting one of these down for a little longer next time and finishing for 6 months before pulling it out.

I also used EC1118 for my mead, it does an excellent job.

[RuddyCrazy]

G'Day Oddion :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Mate I went a complete different track when I do fruit now when you said mead I thought Honey as that what mead is :scared-eek: It is the first time I've heard of other fruit wash's being called mead too.

I just ferment the fruit using EC1118 and usually go a sugar back so I get more low wines for the spirit run :handgestures-thumbupleft: Then after cuts the spirit is watered down to 65% and put on French Oak and forgotten about for a few months to a year or so depending on the volume.

Now as your just adding the mead to the whisky try making up a 40% wash using your whisky and the fruit wash let it macerate for a week or two then run it through a pot still. I'm sure once you go this way there will be no turning back :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers Bryan

[oddian]

G'Day Oddion :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Mate I went a complete different track when I do fruit now when you said mead I thought Honey as that what mead is :scared-eek: It is the first time I've heard of other fruit wash's being called mead too.

I just ferment the fruit using EC1118 and usually go a sugar back so I get more low wines for the spirit run :handgestures-thumbupleft: Then after cuts the spirit is watered down to 65% and put on French Oak and forgotten about for a few months to a year or so depending on the volume.

Now as your just adding the mead to the whisky try making up a 40% wash using your whisky and the fruit wash let it macerate for a week or two then run it through a pot still. I'm sure once you go this way there will be no turning back :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers Bryan

Oh yeah it's not mead without Honey. 9kg of Honey in a 25L wash, 6kg of cherries give it flavour along with the honey. I also add blueberries or blackberries depending on the flavour I'm after. Comes out at about 15-16%. I'm only adding the oak to the whiskey for aging though but the idea of adding the mead directly to the whiskey is a fun idea, I might try and small air still run of that with my next batch!