How to Age Whisky at Home Using a Mini Cask

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Go to thld.co/shakerandspoon_firstphil_0922 and use code firstphil to get $20 off your first box! Thanks to Shaker & Spoon for sponsoring today's video.

[@PetraKann]

MY understanding is that the ideal cask strength concentration is 63% when ageing in an oak barrel.

[@tinkeringclaws5559]

if you have land with a pond or small lake you can leave the cask on a small dingy anchored in the middle of the pond or lake for as long as you want. the constant rocking will help age it faster

[@TimHoekstra]

Glad you philled us in on the progress! Interesting results!

[@fatcat1236]

I would scrap the already finished whiskey and instead replace it with white dog ( whisky without barrel aging, some stores have it). After I would let it sit for maybe 3-6 months at most because the size. Also if you put it on something that shakes the barrel like a rocking chair will help it age faster at least I would think that would work but who knows.

[@MrChristopherMolloy]

Fun video and a nice choice of whisky to finish. I've been following a similar experiment over at Ralfy's, and your approach is much more practical, affordable & user-friendly. Finding affordable cask strength malt is the tricky part, at least in the USA; so for those in the USA, finishing a super-affordable, high-proof bourbon like $30 Old Grand Dad 114 might be preferable to experimenting on something like Tomatin Cask Strength, which is probably the least expensive cask strength malt (if you can find it), at about $60+ ✌️

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Great point. Thanks Chris!

[@richardkilley6838]

This sounds like a good winter project for me. I live on the Isle of Man so we've got a lot of cold and damp weather heading our way!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

I had a lot of fun with it! Just make sure you season the cask for as long as possible

[@RebMordechaiReviews]

Excellent guide. I have thought about making my own Kosher Sherry or Port matured whisky but its just so expensive here in Israel (at least twice what it would cost you), and with all the risks, I was reluctant to invest so much money into a project which could end up being a disaster. Your video has shown that with patience and thought, it can be done well. Well done! You have really inspired me to try this.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks Reb. Yeah then important part is too keep checking in it and season it for as long as possible.

[@nohandle257]

Fun video. Enjoyed it a lot. Did want to mention offhand ... there are these simple devices called funnels. Very handy.

[@musicmakesmefeelgood-b4e]

Nice additional information for me to digest as I go through this new process.

[@doctorg2571]

Hi Phil, Great tips on selecting which whiskies are suitable for ageing in the barrel. I think you experienced such strong sweetness and raison flavours compared with the original because you left the cask wet with sherry and left some sherry in it. I am guessing this masked some of the malted barley flavours and interferred with the whisky ageing. Next time you might want to empty all the sherry then leave the cask with the bung out for a day. You will probably a hieve a better balance. Also, I notice your cask is from Barry’s Barrels. To reduce the risk of over-oaking and to achieve a better balance between wood ageing and genuine ageing, you may like to upgrade your cask to Barry’s 5L cask with clear ends. Doing so will drop your spirit/wood ratio to about a third, thereby vastly lengthening the safe ageing period. We use such a barrel for our infinity barrel. We distil our own malt whisky then, after 12 months aging in glass with oak staves, we add to our infinity barrel batches that we think will blend well with what is already in there. Good luck and thanks for the video.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Great tips! I hope others read this too.

[@jareddspence]

I did similar. 2L barrel. Seasoned with port for about 2 months. Filled with Kirkland 12 year whiskey as it's cheap, pretty decent and plentiful. Took .75 L out after about 3 months. It changed dramatically and for the better. Lost about .5L in evap. Kept .75L in barrel to keep aging and added more Kirkland 12. Goal is to keep pulling a full bottle every now and then but keep a base of very old whiskey in the barrel.

[@TheFlyingBulldog86]

Hi bud, quick question, with this technique the tannin levels should increase dramatically in the whiskey inside by adding all the time some more. How's the taste? Have you considered emptying and filling it again?

[@jareddspence]

@@TheFlyingBulldog86 the port seasoning (instead of water) process was hopeful to create a buffer as more port would enter and expand the barrel so that when emptied and whisky introduced the whisky would get more port influence than barrel or at least not as heavy so that it could be aged longer. But I'm only about 5 months into the process, 1 month seasoning, one bottle pulled out and only about 1 month into the "new batch" which is .75l remaining and the rest new. I'm trying to not drink the batches or at least not a lot, so that I can compare. So far the first batch was almost no bite and all sweet smooth Scotch.

[@BobbyJ_19x]

Hi Phil, greetings from ChiTown! It was great to see you in the Live Stream Scotch4Dummies chat last night/your afternoon!! New subscriber to your channel and Daaaang Son, it’s awesome! Well done and looking forward to catching up on all your videos! Cheers!🥃🥃

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks Bobby! Appreciate having you here!

[@simonc4764]

You can get barrels that are lined inside to drastically reduce aging or tanning which might be more suitable for mini barrels.

[@FrootNinja]

what I would also like to see is other whiskey over time you've made from this cask and why you chose the pairings of the sherry with that whiskey. (e.g. an amontillado with something from a young Mizunara cask to enhance the brightness and sweet flavor, idk, drink for thoughts I suppose.)

[@PetersPorsches]

It would be a really cool experiment with something like a white owl clear whiskey. See if you could actually make it good for anything but whiskey sours.

[@jstie90]

Hi Phil, great informative video! Would love to know what happened to the sherry that was used to season the barrels. Did u drink the sherry or used it for other things like cooking?

[@vktay3198]

Any reply on what happens to the sherry?

[@gareth630]

Nice one Phil I enjoyed that and in all fairness would have tried it say five years ago. I just amuse myself with my infinity bottle. where I use Glen Moray select as my base whisky, then the dregs of any bottle coming to an end, beats the hell out of SpringBank ;-) and I don't get ripped off on the price. 🙂 Looking forward to you're next post.

[@jonscr6499]

I always dreamed about doing that. You are the man! Thanks for uploading.

[@justinhall2117]

Now im curious of aging crown royal with a sherry cask. Only whiskey i ever thought was smooth and tasty. Then age it for when my kids turn 21

[@BanjoSick]

Want to buy some new make destillate from St.Kilian here in Germany and age it like you did.Very cool video, thanks!

[@garrymcgaw4745]

Note to self, 'Buy Phil a funnel for Xmas'. 😉.

[@sunriseboy4837]

👍

[@KrenarKabashi]

Hi Phil, is there any video coming about new whisky aging?

[@jackthelad6900]

I am thinking about mixing clynelish 14, Cardu and Laphroaig 10. Also what if i leave them for about 5 years is is going to get smoother or the oak is going to make it more spicy?

[@vladrosu8291]

What’s the subreddit you were talking about?

[@younge1666]

should you not use a siphon when filling and bottling to prevent oxidation

[@jessemorgan8702]

Any chance of an update on the experiment? How has the Archie Rose turned out?

[@FrootNinja]

I love this video. I have a barrel myself now and I'm wondering what types of sherry pairs well. Like would you do a moscatel with a young whiskey like something from Colorado? And does that same whiskey go well with a Cabernet or Merlot or Pinot noir cask barrel?

[@BentRims]

What happens if you age a whiskey until nearly finished, and then transfer to a fresh barrel for additional aging? Would it be beneficial, or ruin it? I hav not found any information on this.

[@DrunkDelilahBrewery]

The whisky is already barrel aged right? How long would you age a New Make for then?

[@domen321]

Nice video, I have wanted to try this for so long...

[@mattbullen7522]

Wow! what a cool idea!

[@soumynonareverse7807]

Could you do a good cheap whiskey video? I know you already made one. The reason I ask is you mentioned the Ileach 58% whisky. I've got the same one but with 40% making this one a lot cheaper almost by half where I live.

[@matthewblacker2263]

Do u recon u can age a whiskey in the cask for more than a year

[@theolang3566]

In real Scotch Whisky, there is 0.0 cherry in the cask left. the casks are taken apart in France and transported to Schotland in packets of barrel bits, and then assembled (and sometimes re-roasted) by the distillery.

[@jkturtle6384]

Hi Phil. What do you do with the cherry you used to season the cask besides re-using it to season the barrel again?

[@davidowen2834]

Hi Phil, interesting video, enjoyed watching it. Now probably the next whiskies (if not peaty)you put in are going to take on those smoky and peaty notes ? Slàinte Phil.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Yeah I’d be interested to see if they do.

[@misantrope]

I´d like to phil a barrel like that with Glenfarclas 105 and leave it for years. Would that be possible? Are there any more steps in the process to make that work, since you feel you might have went a week to long with this one?

[@wealthfinder192]

What would be your recommendation to age the wood for Bourbon? I bought a 5-liter barrel off of ebay and it said charred but it is lined. About as useful as a plastic bottle for aging. Do you brew and distill your own as well or have I found this one because I am barrelling my spirits now?

[@fredrikhauki2769]

Hey Phil. Nice project. Where did you purchace the barrel. I have been interested in trying it for my self fore a while. Do you know/recomend a web/shop in Europe?

[@Adrian-jg2qu]

Have you done other experiments?

[@JeffWhisky]

Great video Phil, your new branding would look great on your personal blend there ;) Could of really done with watching this video couple of years ago when I done similar with a 1 litre cask. Mine survived about 8 refills including, white dog, port, cheap blended whisky, rum, 12yo single malt, sherry then a random blend. By the end the barrel was so spent it is now my bottle stand for my videos 😂Cheers!

[@dumpeeplarfunny]

Doesn't wine spoil when opened? How can you be sure it's safe to leave wine in a barrel? I haven't found ANY information on putting bottled wine in a barrel.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Sherry (fortified) wine has a higher proof so doesn’t spoil as quickly, also Olorosso is already oxidised in the barrel. So doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue. I’m not sure how normal wine would go though, but people do do it. I would want to make sure it was nice and air tight though

[@johnnyd343]

hows the Sherry you aged in there?

[@MrBobbygoofy]

Thanks mate 👍

[@Harrell423]

Would it ruin the whiskey if you left it in for a couple years?

[@realpeteroscoe]

Loved this

[@Bharur]

great effort love from India.

[@dksculpture]

Very interesting. So many factors! Is there any charring inside the barrel?

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks David. Yep, it has medium char

[@nitramgnal]

Really interesting. Thanks.

[@joeynickles7962]

Has anybody on here done anything like this with good, expensive juice to see what would happen? I’m curious if you take already excellent whiskey to another level.

[@RiskyVentureMinerals]

This idea really makes me wonder if the proper 12 could be fixed, run it through a charcoal filter to remove some of the ethanol flavor of it and then let some additional flavors develop, fixing its godawefulness….

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Yeah I have a few bottles on my shelf I don’t like. Worth the risk I think

[@RiskyVentureMinerals]

@@FirstPhilWhisky it’s not good… has lots of room to improve and you don’t lose much of it doesn’t turn out.

[@dumpeeplarfunny]

That's the Lincoln County Process. That's why Jack Daniels is the way it is, and why Kentucky bourbon is always better than Tennessee "bourbon".

[@stayupjs]

Just dont buy it its loaded with fake shit

[@kaloyanski]

Great video!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks mate!

[@whiskycentral]

Very cool Phil!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks!

[@jaymcbakerk]

These little barrels bleed spirit like crazy. Mine dropped 50% in less than a year

[@martinweyden40]

Great video

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks!

[@Koby616]

Cool expirement

[@blacksilva7432]

INFINITY BARELL ! BEST IDEA !

[@giancarlopiscopo345]

Has you desktop a picture of the Dolomites in Italy??? Great Video as usual!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Sure is! I loved visiting there

[@maritimeus]

Phil introducing himself to a new girl - points to her belly: "I'm Phil and let's fill this up!" 😂

[@alessandrovigano8149]

Interesting and insightful, but you didn't tell us what the Sherry tasted like after 6 months in there!!!!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks! Oh yeah I actually shot a bit of me tasting the sherry, but it was making the video too long. I really liked the taste of the sherry, it made it really drinkable and added a lot of vanilla notes, which is uncommon in sherry as they don’t like too much wood influence, but I did.

[@SuicidalLemonade]

hope this was a fulphilling experience for you.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

😂

[@waxtapecdeater]

I age old fashion in them puppies for about 1 to 3 months.

[@tysoncable]

All that time and opportunities to plan, dude, buy a funnel!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

😅 yeah my bad. Couldn’t find it on the day 😬

[@604jroe]

@@FirstPhilWhisky Ha ha! Which day? I think there were at least 3 days in this video when your viewers were wishing for a funnel to be involved! Really loving the channel! (new subscriber)

[@DrinkyNinja5533]

Wonder how it will be if you keep it strictly as a single malt? Mixing 2 different bottle becomes the blended territory one shall not pursue 😂

[@tonys2683]

The only problem is those tiny barrels are insanely expensive to buy, cheaper to just buy some wood chips and a glass jar