How Much Wood Should I Use When Aging Spirits At Home?

A lot of people have been asking me how much wood to use and how long to use it for when ageing spirits at home.
So let's have a look at a quick, medium and long version.
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Using different types of wood:
• Can I Age With Differe...
Preparing & Toasting Wood:
• Preparing & Toasting O...
Tasting Different Woods:
• Assessing The Wood Exp...
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[@rixter6126]

Jesse, I have been toasting my oak, apple, and cherry wood for a couple of years now. When I am adding oak to my blend I use 1 gram of wood to 1 ounce of whiskey. I have found this to be my favorite. Also, I usually finish my blends at 55 to 57 percent ABV. Side note * Just a few days ago I was given a piece of Red Oak and a piece of Pin Oak, I will spit these down to the diameter of a pencil then toast them at 340 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours. Also I have put toasted oak and my favorite Merlo wine in a jar and let the wood absorb the wine then put this wood in one of my blends. Very tasty as well. I enjoy your videos, keep it up.

[@BigEdsGuns]

Interesting info on aging at different ABV's. I been aging for 6 years. Same process, no matter what the grain bill. I age in Quart jars (946 Mil). .75 x .75 x 5 inch long toasted (2 hours at 400 F) white oak, with a heavy char. Metric: 19mm x 19mm x 127mm toasted 2 hours at 204 C. Run the burning oak stave under water, then drop in jar to be aged. I have NEVER watered down ABV before ageing. Always put stave in at 65 to 80 ABV. Then wait until the stave sinks in the jar, then put PTFE disc on lid, seal up, and put in my garage. Garage has temp swings throughout the day and from season to season. In New England 70 to 90 F (21 to 32 C) summers and -15 to 35 F (-26 to 2 C) winters. Have never had a jar break from cold. Coldest night was -30 F (-34 C). I wait a year. Have several 2 year old jars and a couple 3 year old ones. Strain through coffee filter with stainless funnel, take gravity reading. Dilute with water down to 40 to 55 ABV and enjoy. Still no hangovers....

[@roycesjourney37]

Sounds amazing

[@MrDavesbox1]

BIg Ed, we are some Vets out of Texas, trying our hand at distilling, can you send me an E mail, wed like to ask you some advice. thanks!

[@340wbymag]

My limited experience is that high proof distillate will bring out more of the peppery, spicy flavors from the oak, where lower proof distillate will bring out more of the vanilla and sweet flavors.

[@bluestarindustrialarts7712]

Pretty much the same as what I do. I do however "force age" 2 qts because I get impatient. Now that I have a LT supply at various stages of aging, the need for forcing will be diminished. I oak at 62-65%

[@s1k2k3m4]

Very interesting. Even though the form of the wood can greatly vary as far as surface area exposure I weigh my pieces of wood in determining how much to add. My standard is to proof down the second distillate to 62 1/2% but now I’m going to experiment at other levels of ABV

[@wizgang0]

Something I did was to over-oak my spirit and then redistill it. After redistilling I got a lot of the flavor profiles I wanted right out of the still. Have started using this process with infusing flavors into my spirits through herbs and then taking them out by re-distilling them and getting a nicer, more complex base to work from.

[@StillIt]

Yeah nice mate. I did that with a few gins so far. I have never tried with wood.

[@340wbymag]

Never forget that all wood is not the same. One barrel (or bag of wood chips) may produce a dark, woody characteristics while another will produce lighter results with much different flavors. Sometimes the difference is huge. Also, time for aging may be quite different as well. Sample often!

[@Smradac]

Small barrell person here. And a newbie at it. I did manage to pull some corelations with what you said. This was the first year i attempted to make homemade "cognac". I double distilled some old wine - first destilate had significant sulphur flavor. Long story short, i put 55% of twice distilled product in a new 10 liter oak barrel. Nothing was done to the barrel (no charring or anything like that). I soaked the barrel for couple of hours in warm water before introducing the spirit to it. It held fine for about 4-6 week, then it started leaking at the wooden spigot. I drained the product into glass jugs. Initial taste was as you said, sweet and just a bit of hints of vanilla. I dilluted the spirit with distilled water to 43% ABV. By doing that it lost most of its flavour. I decided to fix the wooden spigot - TLDR i greased it heavily with raw beef tallow (talked to some local folks who still put their wine in wooden barrels) and it worked. So i decided to pour the spirit back in the barrel. Now i`m going to let it sit for a couple of months to see what happens flavor wise. If that doesn`t help, i have some "flavor concentrate" made of medium toasted oak chips and 70% of the same wine spirit. I`m going to blend them together if the flavor doesn`t improve sitting in the barrel. :) And as you said, this 70% "percent flavor concentrate" i made has a lot more of the spicy flavors.

[@somerandomguy32]

I think the quantity I have produced still hasnt outpaced my ability to not test it to see what it's becoming until there isnt enough to become...the rose liquor is the only one I can seem to keep for long .. but the wild Rose's take so long to gather to fill jars ..and I store them under the bed around the floor vent so anytime the heat comes on its get thermo cycling. And the darkness keeps the petals from breaking down in sunlight ... and I have on occasion found a jar that got pushed to the side and forgotten for a year which is always awesome.. keep up the good work

[@jamesclemons3815]

I’d love for you to do a video with the same spirit. Same wood. But different abv and see what the differences are

[@StillIt]

That sir is a top idea!

[@JWG2014]

I have been told that anything over 60% will bring out bitterness, but 55% is the target cask strength. I think it was Whiskey Tribe that did a video but it does make a difference. I would also be interested is seeing that too.

[@danielspeed4441]

I've had a crack at this test. 40/50/60% .

[@SyBernot]

On cask ABV what you say makes total sense. Sugar doesn't really dissolve in pure alcohol so the reason you get more sweeter flavors at lower ABV is because you have more water to dissolve those wood sugars into. On the upper end there are many compounds that don't readily dissolve in water so a higher ABV is going to pull more of those out into solution. You get a similar effect when making a red sauce, a shot or two of vodka will transform your sauce into a much more complex set of flavors even though the alcohol quickly cooks out of the sauce the work it does in unlocking flavors that are not soluble in water are very noticeable.

[@diver867diver9]

Last August I put three gallons of store bought legally distilled High rye new bourbon in a new American barrel. I let it go for 6 months with some infrequent testing. Something happened in that 5-6 months. It really seemed to onboard all of the notes I was after, caramel different types of vanillas, butterscotch, sweetness, I could not believe how good it was. I did have a problem with the barrel. I think it resulted from my soaking it in a tub completely submerged. When the outside dried out one of the staves cracked almost all the way through and was leaking bourbon. I caught it early and didn't lose much luckily. I melted beeswax over the area and it sealed it enough. I will only be filling the barrels from now on instead of submerging them. I think you will be amazed with your barrel project and the journey the spirit makes from new make to finished beautiful bourbon. Love the channel and glad you are doing it! PS. it went into the barrel at 114 proof.

[@arealcanadian419]

Have to agree oaking at a higher proof seems to add a stronger peppery flavour. You’ve mentioned in some videos about re-charring and re using some wood. Can you make a video on that? Seems to me that re-using and mixing wood that has aged different spirits could possibly produce some amazing flavours. Keep up the great work!

[@Unclesmokey314]

a friend of mine has a shit ton of white oak on his land.... we felled a few this yr. I kept a bit of the logs and heart wood for charring/aging. LOVE IT!!!

[@STAGSLAYERS]

I put jar in bottom of dishwasher and leave there for a few cycles with dishes to I like the taste works well

[@reganscott1225]

I'm just starting out with this and am glad I've found your channel. Cheers for sharing

[@StillIt]

Welcome to the channel then :) Feel free to drop questions if needed. If its on a relitivly new vid the other chasers will more than likely help you out. If its a older one I try to get to the comments.

[@340wbymag]

I can't begin to express my disappointment when my five-gallon whisky barrel leaked like a screen door. Nothing would stem the flow and the manufacturer wouldn't replace it. I was really unhappy, but your video showed me that all was still okay. I could not age my whisky inside the barrel, but I could age the whisky with pieces of the barrel inside the whisky. The barrel will provide enough charred oak to age lots and lots of whisky after all. You saved the day! Thank you for your post!

[@StillIt]

Oh man that has to hurt! I hope this works well for you. Its not going to be quite the same as a barrel but it will do :)

[@nicholasblake4995]

You have to soak a new barrel in water to expand the wood first. It should only take a day or two and it will seal.

[@340wbymag]

@@nicholasblake4995 I did that, just as instructed. I soaked it for more than a week and it leaked like a screen door from many places.

[@americanhottopics7373]

It’s amazing how fast the colors after introducing the wood.

[@iangraham6730]

I dropped a handful of Kentucky Bourbon oak chips into my second run of shine about 6 hours ago, its sitting at 70% alc, I couldn't help but take a quick taste test before bed because it was looking so tasty, and it didn't dissapoint! I can't wait for month 6 😁

[@iangraham6730]

I was also after drinking 6 pints of Coors light before that, so my taste buds were probably nackerd, I could have been getting a false positive 😆

[@chucker1576]

You have some really good, solid info that any budding distiller can benefit from. There comes a point, however, when everyone needs to figure out their own path and I think that’s even more true when it comes to aging. I have given up on reading aging recommendations/rules/guides/methods. All are enough to get anyone started and just about none are complete enough to adopt as-is. We’re all trying to do pretty much the same thing; duplicate what takes place in a barrel over a time span of a year or more but without the large volume, storage space, or timeframe. Just about anything that we try on a scaled down or accelerated basis will fall somewhat short, even if we are able to come up with something that we are ourselves pleased by and proud to share with our fellows. Your toast and char experiments and observations really kind of punctuate this and we can see how subjective the whole aging and seasoning process really is. You shied away from referring to the process as ‘saturation’ and yet when we’re dealing with cubes/sticks/chips in a jar that's really what it is. I think where many err here is in stopping too soon because they taste wood after a few weeks. This just isn’t a barrel where there will be a depth of liquid penetration that ebbs and flows into the non-uniformly toasted depth of a barrel stave. We’re going to get pretty much everything our little steve has to offer. Leaving it alone and allowing the spirit to breathe a little will allow the woodiness to dissipate and what was potently woody after couple of weeks will not be so after some months. So many forums caution about over-oaking because of this perception alone when we’d all be better served to put the “age” back into the aging process. I think we can be taught how to brew, taught how to distill, but mostly have learn for ourselves how to age and blend. Some tutelage can be a good foundation but after that is when the ‘art’ begins.

[@hobbydistiller]

Fantastic, thanks Jesse. I found the same issue with over-oaked flavour in my first jars, (4 cubes approx 2 x 2 x 2 cm each, in 1L), after 2 months, reduced it to 2 cubes and added new-make to bring up to 2L in each jar, after another few months added it all together with another 2L and split into 3 jars with 2 cubes. Diluting this down has reduced the oak flavours to an acceptable level, and has become the start of my solera system. Slowly building up to my target of 8 2L jars, which should give me a regular supply of aged whisky.

[@blindguy63]

Jesse, I saved the Jack Daniels Wood Smoking Chips that I used to age my first foray into homemade spirits; a Sweet Apple Pie Moonshine that I gave out as Christmas gifts. Although I didn’t distill any spirits, I used store bought grain alcohol and whipped cream flavored vodka. Point being; I saved these used wood chips, and used them again in my first ever home distilled bourbon. After aging for abouts 6 months; I removed the wood chips, then added one half a vanilla bean and some Maraschino Cherries. I only maserated this until I found a great taste. One can really do some cool aging/flavoring/mellowing with different wood chips! BTW: How much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could just chase the craft!

[@StillIt]

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could just chase the craft! bahahahahahah!~!! There really is so many options right!?

[@scthomas1982]

To bump an old post, I started this same experiment with a local Detroit 100 proof everclear (leaky still brand) and a handful of JD chips on Xmas Eve. I figure I'll forget about it until next year, filter it and hopefully enjoy!!!

[@wesfletch7826]

I have the same chips how many grams per quart jar of chips do you add and for about how long im new at this

[@travisbrink7322]

I know this is a year old, and you're way past it now, but for some reason I'm just seeing it. Anyway - I used smoking (BBQ) wood chips for a long time. Don't know if you can get them in NZ. Home improvement stores have bags of chipped up old JD barrels for BBQing. I'd use about 5 fists of JD chips and 1 fist of apple wood chips.in a 5gal glass carboy (water cooler jug). Give em a little fresh char with a plumbing torch, throw em in the jug, pour in about 3in right off the still (160 - 165 proof), enough to just cover the chips, cover with a towel and leave it for 4 or 5 days to let the wood soak up the high proof. Then fill with 100 - 105 proof, cap it and stash it for 4 - 6 months. I leave them outdoors and just try to keep track of the weather. I am in the same area as the Crowded Barrel (yes, I am a Bastard) and if it stays hot for too long, it's ruined - 20 - 25 days of near 100F degree weather, it's gotta come out. I recently started making my own "barrels" out of mesquite and pecan lumber. They don't have the barrel "belly" shape, but I torch one side of 2x6s, plane the edges so they'll fit together like an octagon tube, pot a groove top and bottom to pinch the caps in, cinch some ratchet straps round em and fill with water for a week to seal em. I have 3 resting in the woods now - 1 mesquite for 18 weeks, 1 pecan for 16 weeks and 1 mixed 50/50 for 11 weeks, and haven't found a leak yet. Haven't tried,or even opened one yet, ganna give the first one 24 weeks, then check it. Doesn't seem like much for maturing whiskey, but you know this Texas heat does odd things inside a barrel. They hold about 6.5 US Gal, are kept outdoors, ground level, moist environment by a creak and pond, under good shade trees. I realize that it's not "technically" whiskey - because it's not in oak - but I want a true Texas Taste. Texas makes whiskey different, it might as well BE different. To me, Texas is mesquite BBQ and smoked pecan. Can't wait to bust open that first one and see what it did! Oh, they are all 100% malted yellow corn mash, run in a modular hybrid still (somewhat like yours) in a semi-pot configuration, 2" copper with 1lb of borosilicate marbles, in a sight glass to a "worm" coil condenser on top of a 15.5gal keg. In around 14%, out around 70%. I proof down only with bottled spring water that retains the refreshing flavors of natural ground filtering, and after proofing to about 52%, let it settle in the glass carboy for minimum 24 hours to mingle and marry before the shock of the fresh char. Loved it when you sloooowly slid those bottles over to Rex, BTW Shine On, Everyone!

[@wansto]

Thank you for your explanation. A few weeks again, I done a whiskey with roast oak chips that is about 70%abv, I put a load in there...... I am now thinking to remove them now! I was planning to transfer the whiskey (once aged 6 moths) into a small barrel that was used for red wine, hoping that it would pull the fruits into the whiskey with the oak. After your video, I will remove the oak, get it to 60%abv and put it in the barrel. Let you know in a few years! 🙄😫

[@majidnahas6620]

sorry but what's the meaning of abv, and didn't you think that with roast oak chips 1 month is enough to take the taste? because the operation is faster

[@blackirish781]

ABV is alcohol by volume

[@lachlan1982]

Been a few years Keith - how is it?

[@wansto]

@@lachlan1982 hi, thanks for your msg. not to bad tbh! It was only last month I bottled it diluting to 44%. I left it a week after that to get it a good taste. It is OK, very oakey with a slight smokey taste, some very slight fruit tones after. I rather the spiced brandy I made from blackberries that I picked locally..... lol

[@lachlan1982]

@@wansto nice one - I'm experimenting with some new french white oak at the moment and also a stave off a huge oak barrel of what I assume was red wine, from my Chai (A French wine storeroom - pronounced "Shay", so not like the tea!). Doing 2 examples with differing Char levels on the stave to see what I get. Both toasted to 180c but using a lot less wood than my first with the new French oak which has gone dark quite quickly - I might transfer some of the newer oak into the oak stave experiments - all are sitting at 57%abv presently. Tasting as I go but it is a game of patience!

[@cafeinadigital9407]

Never thought spirit seasoning would be this exciting!!!

[@danroberts2055]

I know a lot of people force age differently and some the same but i find that taking a crockpot and filling with water and placing the jars in the water (closed) and heating over night works the best even over the microwave. Then placing in the freezer then back in the water bath (crockpot) over night for and back and forth for about 6 days. I read this someplace so it's not my own by any means but works great. I also add staves to oak barrels as well which seems to work faster as more area. Also I don't know if this matters much but when i used WILD yeast from my mountain vs bread yeast etc. there seems to be more flavor after oaking than from using the bread yeast. Not so much with white high ABV but with the lower wines it really seems to make a difference so if anyone is looking to capture their own local yeast to use i recommend it. Probably would be good using some new Zealand ocean air yeast to get some cool flavors too.

[@stevewinzar8173]

Thanks for this excellent description. I keep being told to steep my Bourbon-chipped clean spirit for only 3 weeks and have sought your opinion on that matter through this video. I get told that if I go longer I will have 'wooded Spirit" with a somewhat derisory feel. What you are saying is that it's OK for me to steep my spirit (@5 gms of wood per litre) for 12 months and just leave it alone if the flavour profile is appealing- yeh?. I have about 9 litres of spirit soaked for 12 months and bottled off the wood for aging. and the smoothing is evident and ongoing.

[@BarleyandHopsBrewing]

Jesse, Awesome content as usual.

[@StillIt]

George! Cheers mate :)

[@somerandomguy32]

George .. havent I spied smalls and awhile ago a half barrel in the background of your informational films ?...

[@johnfox2709]

I really like your zen approach coupled with the really useful notes; please keep up the good work!

[@shaknit]

Some Cognac makers will start out at 120 proof then every so often dilute it down int the barrel to get the full range of flavors,

[@StillIt]

Yeah, a few of the Austin distillers talked about that too. I do need to try this!

[@markellis7961]

@@StillIt I tried that with a watermelon brandy, I had it on french oak at 60%, it got a bit too peppery, so I dropped it down to 54%, but then the pepper completely disappeared, and all I got was the vanillas. it would have been good to have a note of pepper, but it just completely disappeared within a very short time (a few days). so now I'm aging a rum split into 2L batches with different ABV, then try blending. It was weird it's like it just put those flavours back into the wood :-( still a nice drop though :-)

[@jasongannon7676]

Try cutting the wood cross grain in thin sheets the liquid travels through the wood. I have had better results than cutting with the grain. It would be nice to see some one else to try this and see if your results are positive to .

[@StillIt]

Yeah I find that interesting too. Have heard a lot of talk about exposing end grains and tannin/bitterness etc. Something I need to try for sure.

[@paulclifford5712]

I used to work at a winery in Kingston (Kingston Estate wines in South Australia) and they would throw large hessian bags with oak shavings into the stainless tanks to increase the oak flavour prior to barrel aging, and that was definitely cut across the grain!

[@Sibula]

@@StillIt Maybe you could do that in lower ABV to compensate?

[@paulhoffman4712]

G'day Jesse new to the game but the best so far was a rum between 70% & 80% abv. 2 cm square piece of medium char American Oak in each 500 ml bottle for about 2 months, left in the garage over summer wow I am really impressed and it now sits in a crystal glass decanter!!!! A peach brandy at about 40% toasted cherry, about 4cm by 1 cm by 1 cm, and not at all impressed after 3 months looks like Pee and about to be added to another run to get it as neutral as possible. As soon as it warms up a bit I will do a cornflakes whiskey and drink that as a white dog to keep me going, I am also going to try the new Still Spirits Yeast system on this one for the batch afterwards. When Summer hits in full the goal is a single malt, with 2 litres of hearts headed for a 2 liter American oak barrel bought from Barry's barrels, currently (5 months so far) filled with some sherry, and kept for as long as possible (probably keep 500mls for top ups on tastings). From what you have just said, the single malt will be aged at 55% , with some at 60% with red wine french oak staves in, and probably do the window to freezer cycle to see what happens.

[@blindguy63]

Another great vid Jesse. I’ve got a question about wood aging; I’m in the process of distilling what will amount to 3 gallons of what I’m calling my Christmas Rum. It’ll be Christmas Gifts when ready. So once I get my 3 gallons of raw rum blended and proofed down to 115; I want to put the spirit in my 3 gallon glass jar, with stainless steel spigot, then I’ll use my stainless steel hops spider and fill it with charred French white oak chips, medium toasted Cherry wood chips and medium toasted Yellow Birch wood chips; and set it in the 3 gallons of rum. I want to age it like this for about 6 months. Then I want to remove the spider filled with those wood chips, and use that 3 gallons of rum to fill up my 2.64 gallon medium toasted American white oak barrel. I want to finish aging in this barrel for about 1 year. My question is; how do you think this aging set up will do; is this a good process? The whole thinking up of new things to try out and putting them into action; in order to make a better spirit at home; is what I love about chasing this craft! Once you understand all of the different processes needed to make a fine spirit at home; the sky’s the limit and you’ve unleashed your beast!

[@dolphincliffs8864]

We are using young green wood,small diameter. Dried well and toasted on a rotating pizza cooker.

[@coopw101]

Have you tried to put one of those jars in a vacuum pot . for example under vac for a half hour then no vac for a half hour do that till the cows come home if ya like. AWESOME VIDS.

[@StillIt]

Its part of what happens with the temp cycling. Heat jar, open lid, seal jar, pop in freezer, open jar, seal jar, heat etc. But nope, not with a something external :)

[@nathanrigby3418]

Coop W, interested in your vacuum idea? Would postive pressure not be better to force an increase in rate of chemical reaction?

[@jessbarclay472]

I experiment with "concentrates" of various woods. Starting with the higher abv, in a jar. Filled to the top with whatever wood I've chosen. Topped up with high abv. Left on the shelf. Taste tested, regularly. I've played with the forced hot & cold cycles. Works well. I dilute the end product to 40%. Very tasty. I've used raw woods & lightly toasted woods. Nothing charred as yet. The woods I've sourced are American & French oak, apple, cherry, maple, hickory & mesquite. Blending these "concentrates" with say cherry wood with cherry brandy, apple wood with apple moonshine, etc, gives a depth of flavour that's is DIVINE!!! Also, the "concentrates" change flavours as they get diluted, I've found. PLUS the woods can be REUSED, giving an ever changing flavour profile, depending on if they are shavings to chips, to chunks or dominos. I LOVE the experimentation!!!! So much to discover!!! Thanks SO much for the introduction to this craft, Jesse. It's given me an ENDLESS source of curiosity & joy.

[@wally10ize]

I had a delivery of oak logs. I took one and planed it down until I had a handful of shavings and put them in a half litre of distilled spirit. After a year it was quite reasonable.

[@WildernessMedic]

Interesting. I left UJSM on 10x that amount of wood for 3 years and it’s amazing. It’s no darker than the young ones but noticeable different each year.

[@haydenholmberg6327]

My Meadandy started off in the jar in January at 62.5% with alot of oak and then each month I have removed some Oak and dropped the ABV 1%. It is starting to get there and have the complexity you speak of Jesse.

[@mytech6779]

Surface area, take the inside surface area of a barrel and volume that it holds. Apply the same ratio to sticks of wood. (Yes the ratio varies with size of the cask, but most producers do consider this when selecting their cask size and contact time.)

[@jnc007]

I've no idea if anyone is still following this thread but I have a question(s) and an observation. Wood staves, I've been instructed to use them but that's only 50%. I was also told to use wood chips. Toasted and untoasted. For color....? Should I still be using them? and For how long? Also I find it hilarious, being from the states that his/your ruler only has one form of measurement. No freedom units. Ours has both and the metric very rarely gets utilized.

[@seymourpro6097]

Always beware of colour changes! What looks good in a gallon jar usually doesn't look good in the glass.

[@blindguy63]

Hey guys let me know what you think of this scenario: say you actually know someone who is a cooper/barrel maker. And he makes you a custom small barrel with a different type of wood in each wood stave. That might work out pretty wild. Jessie, have you ever heard of anything like that?

[@StillIt]

Nope I have not! Wait . . . .you KNOW A GUY!?! I have heard of other types of wood inside as well.

[@andrewg6477]

I was thinking the same thing but in a mini oak barrel

[@wiseguysoutdoors2954]

That may get confusing, but maybe 3 different types of wood. White oak, apple and cherry come to mind as a combo that might really be interesting

[@1FrenchConnection1]

The blind pig! Dude check this bad ass barrels that may interest you. www.squarrelbarrels.com

[@BillMcGirr]

1FrenchConnection1 Good stuff. They won’t list pricing... so I imagine that they are pricey. But very cool nonetheless.👍🥃

[@joederue9900]

So mini barrels, my experience is that for the initial fills one should use a higher proof spirit that really only needs to rest in there. I'd do this with something like buccaneer bobs, as per the recipie it doesn't get oaked if I remember correctly, but it does get rested and then blended with an extract. so why not take a cue from commercial rum and use the oak to rest it. sorry got sidetracked there but after the initial few rounds of short fills there will be a point where I feel the barrels influence isn't so dramatic and I then use the barrel to age, well "age" more traditionally. I also have one kicking around that I use as an infinity/solera barrel. It gets half dumped and refilled with the same spirit thats half, or as close as I have the age of the last time it was filled. Sooo much wind sorry guys

[@joederue9900]

Edit, so bb's rum does have an oaking step. Soon yeah I just translated that to use a mini barrel.

[@colinrout4139]

Hi, thankyou for your videos, I have just finished my first mash and I have binged your videos for days!

[@benjamindurr692]

Just bottled a 50% ABV Sotol 5x charcoal filtered & set down 12y ago in a French Oak cognac barrel. Very pronounced vanilla finish. A very stunning product.

[@paulrobben7625]

Perhaps this has been said? Everyone in Southeast Asia refers to proof as degrees! Some of the lower end spirits are actually called “40 degrees” , and so forth, depending on the abv. So, you’re not wrong, just rocking a South East Asian vibe!

[@SirGolfalot-]

Like how you explained your "forced aging" techniques, and the resulted flavor profiles imparted on the spirits by the process I was wondering how much wood to use, from the video, not very much. Also, the information towards the end (percent of alcohol in the spirit vs the extraction of wood flavors) in the video is enlightening. Yeah, I would have put the entire oak tree, leaves in all in the spirit. lol Thanks for the video

[@thebeardedgrower4625]

Awesome video Jessie. I hope you start to age in barrels so you can let us know if there's a difference. I want to start aging in small barrels and I was looking on Amazon last night but they all have a finish/varnish on the outside.

[@StillIt]

Hmmm yeah thats no good! I think I am going to try and get some second hand barrels from craft distilleries. Thats my plan at the moment :)

[@blindguy63]

The Bearded Grower try Barrels On Line. They have several different options.

[@ratpackcolorado]

Ok so that works. But try this. Your little jar is fill from keg soak 1. Use the same wood for soak 2. Then soak 3 same wood. Large amount. Whisky to soak 3 after use for other spirits . Just like kegs that you know keep the wood to use again.

[@StillIt]

Sorry mate, I dont follow

[@ratpackcolorado]

Oh no.

[@ratpackcolorado]

reuse the wood. good . try it. two times bourbon then reuse it for brandy. try it

[@festerallday]

Makers Mark will barrel age at high ABV for years. Then, dilute to 47 ABV, transfer to tanks with a specific blend (#46) of staves consisting of different types and char. After another, shorter, period it's bottles as Makers 46.

[@natanluiza2936]

I wonder about aging it with wood for the first bit, then actually removing the wood and then light-aging it for longer. I really wonder about how, the compounds in the spirit left over from the wood breaking down, actually taste. I wonder how heat flux in the "afterwood" will taste as well. 😃 I will never lose my love for single malt scotch. Having said that, I wonder how it would add body to a spirit if a man adds a tiny bit of agar to it. "Raw" single malts or blends should never be devalued. But for a budget, we ought to know how to make an experience/flavor at a much lower cost l, provided it is labeled as a cheat of some kind.

[@biglebowski8108]

Great videos . Do you soak oak in cold/hot water before adding to spirit ? 1st to get so close to original process as possible . 2 to wash off unwanted overpowering flavours of wood

[@StillIt]

Yeah I tend to give give a rinse in water after toasting. Honestly, mostly to cool it down fast lol.

[@s1k2k3m4]

thank you so much jesse. i've been making rums for a couple years now, using about 11 different woods for aging, even made a pineapple rum, your banana brandy (unaged was not notable but part i reserved to age (in applewood)) was, as you say, kick ass. now i'm experimenting with different yeast strains and my next larger project will be aging at a range of entry ABV's, though using just toasted white oak. i started using 2 oz, 59gr of wood per liter but at 62.5% that was not to my liking so i've dropped that down to about 60% of that. i'd like to know in this video, the weight of the woods involved. i know the surface area is as much or more of an influence than weight but still......

[@markwebster8176]

One small detail. Your spirit is????? Pot still,reflux,plain sugar wash,grain,UJSSM???? It would be handy to know a starting spirit.

[@StillIt]

Wait...what? Haha do you mean what is my fav spirit?

[@markwebster8176]

@@StillIt nope.I am a refluxer only,so neutral spirits only. In your movies it would be good to know what type of spirit you're using when explaining flavourings. Pot still spirit is way different to neutral reflux spirit as far as starting taste goes.

[@StillIt]

Sorry mate now I'm even more confused than before. I don't know what you are trying to say or ask sorry.

[@markwebster8176]

@@StillIt in this video where did the spirit come from? pot still, or reflux still?

[@Rafaelgarbulho]

Buddy, here is the thing, In a single week I found you on those vLands watched some of your vids, bought oak chips and got my 1st batch of a forced aging in "Nuclear" method. with a promising smell. got few questions now: - Prepared with 60% alchohol diluted from a 70% one (very easy to find those days) - how long should I age opening every day - should I dilute even more before bottling?

[@BeardedBored]

Love this stuff! Great vid:-)

[@StillIt]

Cheers mate :)

[@Jawst]

Should you let the alcohol breathe? In barrels they lose alcohol so shouldn't we be trying to replicate that also.. perhaps with a wooden cork?

[@davefellhoelter1343]

I gotta make more! faster! No way can I age 5 months! My 1st try with zero home work was a bulls eye bourbon, no way am I not tasting this sipping shine. Aiming for the perfect rye. Thanks AGAIN! Learning every time! Chasing too.

[@TrollHiddenCave]

You really need to start using the sun tea method if you're going to wait that long you might as well aged the stuff and barrels the whole point is to do it quick

[@kevinbaxter2578]

Hey Jess, Finally getting to this one. Awesome stuff my man. You asked about small barrels. I converted from gallon glass to 5ltr and 10ltr oak barrels not too long ago. Being in San Antonio the heat is our God and Enemy at times. I have found that a lighter char say a #2-3 seems to work best for the 10ltr when doing 12 most or more. Found that #3 or a little bit heavier tends to work real well at 6mos for the 5ltr. If that makes since. Like you the 50-55% pulls the pepper and dark tannin flavors quickly. I usually do the Ryes in the 5ltr with a small stave of toasted Mesquite and Bourbon or Whiskey at 48-50% in the 10ltr and leave it longer. Man the vanilla and caramel comes out nice right about the 10mo time frame to me. Anyway, cheers and keep up the awesome vids. God bless.

[@travisbrink7322]

Hey, Kevin - Just noticed that you're fightin Texas too. I was gifted what turned out to be an amazing treat, thought I'd share. I've been distilling for around 20years, but only experimenting with putting the whiskey in the barrel (in stead of the other way round) for a year or so. I have a friend who thought he was going to make his own cabinets out of some apple wood that his wife thought was "real pretty". After figuring out that he's not a carpenter - and that apple wood isn't the best for building, he handed all his mistakes to me. After sorting out splits, curves and anything else unusable, I ended up with a pile of bits 16" - 18" long, bout 1" thick, ranging from 1" - 3.5"wide. I laid em out, torched the shit outta one side, ripped the long corners off the burned side and puzzle fit em around a scrap piece of 8 or 9" pipe I found, till the mitered sides more or less fit together. Laid em flat again to run grooves for the head and foot and just clamped em round again with giant hose clamps (HVAC flex duct clamps), drilled a small bung, which I plug with a wine cork, filled with water till the wood swelled around the clamps, then filled with my corn whiskey. Of coarse, this "barrel" wouldn't hold anything for years - but for months, it's perfect. 8 to 9 months, left outside in the elements, south of Austin, and this is honestly the best "whiskey" I've ever made. I know, "technically" it's not whiskey without the oak, but in Texas, small barrels of apple wood makes an unbelievable spirit, in under a year. Shine On, Kevin!

[@kevinbaxter2578]

@@travisbrink7322 you know I've tried Apple and it is absolutely awesome. I mentioned to Bearded and Bored a while back about trying to build a square barrel with fitted corners and tongue and groove planks. Never did get to try it out. I just might have to give a go with some apple or maple. Your idea make a bunch of sense. I mean I know we can buy cheap oak barrels but hey, hand made is half the fun with this hobby.

[@TrollHiddenCave]

It's really crazy how much it changes the flavor I did this using the sun tea method and it went from sour mash corn whiskey to like I don't know four-year-old barrel-aged

[@jasongrezek3944]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge Jesse. Great, information!

[@boarder6246]

I’d try to fast age with wood chips to increase surface ratio. Then you could hone in on a quick and tasty whiskey!

[@lawrencestanley8989]

Have you tried putting wood in your clear glass jars, and then setting them out in the sun to age? Kindof like making sun tea, but using the sun's rays to break down the wood in the jar and accelerate the aging process.

[@StillIt]

Not specifically, it does seem like something that I should test though.

[@reinkutsar441]

It is like on German Hazelnut Liquer recepie, where the told to cut raw green not ripe hazelnut into half and put in a vodka with caramel and vanilla. And out in the sun room temp. Sun toatlly baked and cooked the hazelnut over one month!!

[@spikelove9533]

Have you ever tried small wood chips? I put like a 1/8 of a cup in a quart jar for 3 hours and it turns out very nicely they are like 1/16 of an inch thick and like a quarter to half in long and about a quarter in wide I use a light toasted oak I go by the more surface area contacting the whisky school of thought it can go from good to over oaked very quickly this way though so I taste it like every 15 min

[@mike5147]

Could you put the oak in beer to age, then distill it? or vise versa?

[@wiseguysoutdoors2954]

I'm finding it varies so much. My bastard scotch was two handfuls of bourbon barrel chips and a small handful of medium toasted oak chips in a half gallon of 80proof/40% ABV. took 3 months. I took it 3 days in the refrigerator, 3 days in a shady part of the house, 3 days in the sunny place in the house, trying to mimic barrel warehouse conditions in miniature. Bourbon, at 100 proof/50% ABV, was a handful of medium toasted oak chips in a quart, for two months. Also, proof/ABV difference draws different properties out of the wood. Higher proof/ABV brings out the darker notes, coffee, chocolate, bitters, that seems to happen at 120 proof/60% ABV up to 140 proof /70 ABV. The caramel, vanilla, butterscotch type notes, I find 80 proof /40% ABV up to 100 proof/50% ABV. Gold tequila was just two weeks with the medium toasted oak chips in a quart of 75 proof/35% ABV. Hope this helps.

[@timothypitts5795]

Awesome videos, thanks for all the info on flavoring with wood. Can you tell me is there a....shall we say "shelf life" on the wood chips after they have been done in the oven? The reason I ask is I would rather do more at one time than just enough so I will have a stocked supply for future use.

[@PetraKann]

The aging process/rate decreases as the barrel size increases. (ie the Volume to surface area ratio deceases) If you want to scale up the aging process from the small jar (500 mL) to the later jar (2L) you can do so by keeping the Volume to surface area ratio the same.

[@StillIt]

I think you may have missed the point a little. You are correct about the wood extraction rate. Although I think there is a argument to be made for volume not surface area in this situation. Ageing is a totally different thing. You can pump the spirit full of wood and get flavour out of that, but it is not the same flavour you will get if you use wood over time. The point in using smaller amounts of wood is to allow it to extract over a longer time period.

[@PetraKann]

@@StillIt Yes, but I was referring to scaling up step from low volume to high volume. I am not suggesting using "volume" rather than surface area but rather keeping the Volume to Surface Area ratio constant as you scale up to larger volumes. The Process is driven by the surface area available for contact with the liquid in the container. This is why I gave the example of faster ageing in smaller barrels compared to lager barrels. I can see what what you're trying to do with reducing the amount of surface area of wood in the larger jar. In practice however, you age the same alcohol product in two barrels made of identical wood (even from the same tree) - one barrel is 25L and the other is 250L in volume. The end result will be completely different due to the rate of ageing. Some things just take time at the surface of the barrel as well withing liquid. Accelerating that process in the smaller barrel will not replicate what is happening in the larger barrel which is ageing over a longer time. Otherwise Whiskey manufacturers would be selling their 6 month aged whiskey as being identical in quality as their 12 year or 18 year old stuff. (in the two barrel example I gave above, increasing the Volume by a factor of 10 will only increase the surface area by a factor of about 5)

[@paulschwartz2464]

I'm new to rapid aging. I bought toasted oak chips. Did some research and found 1/4 cup of chips to 1 qt was the desired ratio for 4 months. I would also agitate the vessels on a daily/weekly basis. At 4 months it tasted just fine and I was quite proad of myself. 1 year and 6 months AFTER aging for 4 months I cracked open a bottle and DANG. Tasted like a nasty piece of wood. What happened? It just sat in the bottle. I even filtered the whiskey through a coffee filter to get all the particulates out. Any tips are appreciated as I have 3 gallons rapid aging in the same way right now and want to fix it if I can. Summary: sugar shine (15 pounds cracked corn/30 pounds sugar. Cut to 80 proof/40% ABV. Aged in mason jars (1/2 gallon usually) with a ratio of 1/4 cup heavy toast, white oak chips per quart or 1/2 cup per 1/2 gallon jar for 4 months with agitation. Just flipping the jars over really. All done in my basement at roughly 68 degrees F.).

[@strutt01]

It's winter time there eh? I like winter better than summer. It's so much easier to do things outside.

[@1FrenchConnection1]

😂 you got me with the RYE! I’m still catching up on videos. Getting ready for Christmas as usually.

[@roelofprinsloo3952]

Super helpfull thanx ,have you ever tried mulberry wood, apricot wood or grapevine

[@bladecjizal]

So Jesse after all of these years, can we get an update if anything is changed as far as what you use at what toasting level and how long appreciate the feedback have a good day brother

[@iandonchi1034]

I have some French oak, ex huge 100 year old wine barrels that stood vertically , they are dismantled, dried, machined and used for furniture , wine has penetrated up to 20 mms of 120 × 45 mm size ( machined ), cut a slither off to highlite aromatic smell , I also have Huron pine , well seasoned , aprox 75 years ,it has a unique smell and has natural oils also , the other unique wood types if have is seasoned Lebanese pine, gives off the most pleasant aroma when cut or placed against a household heater, I also have a small amount of English beech, ex sailing ship timber reused in a early st Kilda cottage, it is the hardest ,most dence wood I have ever cut and has a unique perfumed smell , wood has been my lifetime hobby so I'm keen to experiment with a small stil , any comments or thoughts please

[@the_whiskeyshaman]

Ok so I use the small barrels and staves. And I would say first run. Barrel 6 months max. Second run 1 year. But staves. Depends upon flavor impact. I tend to use used oak so that I can age it longer.

[@StillIt]

Cool mate

[@wldtrky38]

In 1 of the books that George (from Barley and Hops) recommends, the author claims 124 proof is THE IDEAL ABV to have your spirit at to use with oak. Chips, staves or barrel. He gives scientific reasons, lol, but I just believe him and temper to that before oaking. Thanks for all the great info 👍👍 EDIT: George says 2 oz per gallon for chips in whiskey/corn likker. I used too mych my 1st try, the result was a HEAVY oak flavor that was over powering to me. Go slow and taste as you go. Please know, I am not trying to be a know it all, I'm a beginner, just sharing my own experiences and what I've heard/read along the journey. CHEERS ALL !!

[@StillIt]

Awesome thanks mate. I'm a little cautious of any knowledge that says "do it exactly this way, it's the best". Best for what? If there was one formula that was the "best" every one would do it and everything would taste the same. Nuance and personal taste are huge in my opinion. Distilling is one of those things PACKED with nuance. Every little choice adds up to give us the huge array of spirits (commercial and home made). So play with the choices and see what works for you IMO 😊

[@wldtrky38]

@@StillIt I hear you there and agree 100%. Lots of ways to get to the same end result of a good drink 😉 I toasted a bunch of chips tonight, trying to find that vanilla flavor for some Peach Brandy. My wife says we got there, lol. I used the chart and the temp you mentioned. I want to find some bigger chunks, shouldn't be too hard since white oak grows all over here in Central Missouri. I just have to find some that isn't still green, lol. Thanks again for all the great info you have put here. Much appreciated !!

[@s1k2k3m4]

I had a similar journey and now I’m down to using about half that amount in proportion

[@sveneinhenkel5611]

What about wood shavings? It've more surface to it

[@glennlopez6772]

Nice videos! No need for the barrel. How is smoked liquor made, if you could comment, as some country liquors are smoked.

[@1014p]

Ok i know its your channel suddenly the Norlan Whisky Glass ad keeps playing. Get a darn sponsorship and ill get one. You might as well get credit for driving the ad to me. Only ill use it for my mead hobby maybe someday business.

[@trevorlavergne1423]

Jesse, another great video. I will be experimenting with apple wood as I have several apple trees that need trimming every year. Have you tried any apple wood , and if so, how was the final taste profile? Keep on chasing the craft !!

[@StillIt]

You know what, actually I have not. But I DO have some apple wood to test! I need to get onto that :)

[@s1k2k3m4]

I have used Apple Wood in some aging. I don’t know if various varieties of Apple will make a difference and I don’t know the variety of apple wood that I used. Compared to almond, apple is rather non-distinctive, almond is not too strong either but cherry is much more notable, with a slight peppery taste

[@bradosborne5044]

Great topic! I was thinking of getting a small barrel, age some sherry in it, then age spirit. Now I'm thinking of aging pcs of wood in the sherry. Do I char/toast before or after the sherry? Pieces of each charred and uncharred? Oh the options, I need a drink! Cheers!

[@StillIt]

HAHAHA right?!?! SO MANY VARIABLES!

[@wiseguysoutdoors2954]

That would make a nice bastard speyside scotch for sure! I used bourbon barrel chips and a bit of medium toasted oak chips for a more Islay style bastard scotch. My mash bill was 60% peated malted barley 7pounds/ 5 gal mash and 40% pale ale malted barley 5 pounds/5 gal.mash and 10 pounds of raw sugar to a 5 gallon mash. I used spring water and 48 hr turbo yeast. I splarged the cracked grains in 4 gallons of 160°F water in a nylon mesh bag for 90 minutes, rinsed the grain with another gallon of heated spring water and tossed the grain and added the raw sugar and stirred well with a sanitized paddle and, when the temperature was 90°F, I pitched the yeast and it was a real success!

[@sonfilmy]

Hey buddy Thanks for demo. I tried aging with bettle nut which is very common in my area and got marvelous colours and flavours. Let me know your views.

[@ErikAdalbertvanNagel]

How do you filter sawdust(without ruining anything)? I washed my wood but still become a bit sawdusty my brandy at the end.

[@Zumaray]

I’ve infused Vodka and I strain it through coffee filters. I suppose you can do the same thing with whiskey??

[@adiefender]

5L Barrel in at 60% and let it ride for 4 month with a bourbon base. Pulled from barrel and let rest for 1 month.

[@oldschoolprepper2273]

I have come to the same conclusion I force a lot of oak at the beginning and then put a small piece in for long-term aging

[@stevep2430]

I have always used 5 grams oak per Lt. of uncut spirit for a minimum 3 months.

[@shanonallen5395]

What size wood? Light, medium, heavy charr?

[@im.medic9116]

What about putting wood in the smoker before use

[@adddad9779]

I'm not sure if you have tried this or not, but I want to try forced aging followed up with UV light to speed up the esertification process. Haven't tried yet so I dont know if it will work.

[@StillIt]

Check out what Lost Spirits are doing. . . . .

[@nathanrigby3418]

Funny you corrected yourself on saying "degrees" when talking abv%, technically degree means "the amount, level, or extent to which something happens or is present." The Italian Master Distillers I have talked with refer to alcohol percent as degrees, so no correction necessary. No conversion factor, that is, 1 degree = 1 abv%.

[@reinkutsar441]

Really good stuff!!!

[@jamesskown1557]

Love the man-straw!

[@grahamgreenwood4234]

Hi dude from the uk. (Obs not all of us :-) found you via whisky tribe a couple of months ago and I’ve been “playing” ever since. Understanding you probably very busy, but would like your thoughts ....if I soaked a piece of English oak in port “nuked it” 60 degrees three or four times, and all that , then dumped it into a bottle of Jim beam for 12 months. I’m trying to short cut getting a taste of bourbon, finished in port barrels ? Ps you are an artist dude, if fact “an alchemist “ love your attention to detail. (This is not an easy hobbie)

[@warrenclark6936]

Have you tried Australian Bundaberg rum. I'm a rum person myself. Just wondering if you can use wood to age a sugar wash rum and if so what wood and how much for how long would you age for? 2.0 - 2.5 L containers. Would love your thoughts. BTW, absolutely love your vids.

[@stillworksandbrewing]

great video Jesse interesting as always

[@StillIt]

Cheers mate

[@danielgodfrey4415]

Has anyone done a coconut aged moonshine? You buy a whole coconut and pour the shine in that. Then plug it up.

[@BigBoyDIY]

im stumped. like the way its normally made is in barrels.. and over time the devil gets his cut i guess you say it meaning less and less whiskey in the barrel. meaning more of the wood with less of the whiskey. would that itself make the bourbon more flavoursome? if so.. would it be better to just use more wood since in a jar the whiskey doesnt become the devils cut

[@StillIt]

Im not sure if the act of actually loosing anything is a huge advantage. But the slow contact with oxygen is definitely beneficial

[@chevysmith273]

Any thoughts on using whiskey soaked barrel chips? Maybe toast first as they’re soaked in whiskey or just age with them as is? Thanks love the channel

[@dan8402]

While I would never say Father Time isn’t the perfect maker of aged spirits, check out Cleveland Whiskey company. There are a few others as well looking into legitimate speed aging techniques to make great tasting spirits in weeks not years. Given that time to market on new spirits is critical, this can provide them a leg up on the competition. Some of us may also not want to wait years to consume our spirits. Having options to play with opens a whole new area of chasing the craft. As if we didn’t have enough to deal with already! 😁

[@StillIt]

Yeah I 100% agree that in theory there is no magic to time. That any chemical reaction should have some form of catalyst or variable that would speed it up. I have yet to taste any of these products, so far anything I have tried/tasted has not replaced the use of time. But obviously this does not mean that they are valid. I am all for it if it works, as long as the marketing is transparent I think its a good thing for the industry.

[@StillIt]

And definitely for the craft!

[@dan8402]

I would check them out they are doing some neat stuff! clevelandwhiskey.com I haven’t tasted them either so couldn’t provide an opinion on the finished products.

[@Geopolitic157]

Hi Jesse, this video is a few years old now, so it may not have your attention any more, but in case you do monitor, ...My question is on size of wood..... If you used smaller oak chips, in particular whiskey barrel chips, do you have any input on the pros and cons of that.... I am just getting into aging. Appreciate you "Chasing the craft".

[@fluges1983]

What would happen if you distilled a a spirit that has been aged with wood. To get out unwanted flavours to start again. Would it work ?

[@terryrobinson1416]

When are you gonna do barrel batches and store them in oak wine barrels???