Testing Different Oak Char & Toast With Nuclear Ageing

This week I decided to test 4 different American white oak toasts and chars by quickly "ageing" some UJSSM whiskey.
I wanted to be able to taste the differing flavours fast so I decided to use the nuclear ageing method.
NOTE:
- Yes, I used those "bad" lids. I know its a problem but I needed to use 4 "identical" vessels to keep variables down. I know its not on, but am willing to do it in a test scenario.
- I understand that some people think of this method as unsafe. I understand your concerns, but personally, think the risks can be minimised to an acceptable level.
- If you DO try this method MAKE SURE you are careful, take precautions and DO MORE RESEARCH!
- Yup this is not "really ageing". That's the topic for a whole other talk. That's not what this video is about. It's about being able to experience the different flavours that wood imparts quickly so I can use that knowledge now.
- Yes the wood will likely impart different flavours over a different time period.
Subscribe Here:
www.youtube.com...
Still Its Patreon Page:
/ stillit
Still It Merch
stillit.thread...
Sign Up To The Still It Mailing List Here:
stillitmaillist...

[@sagibalzak6432]

Tip: try this process in the trunk of your car. You get the big temperature swings, depending on time of year, you get vibration, liquid movement, and if you listen to music, you get the vibration from the speakers in the trunk. I've been able to turn 4 grain white whiskey (that smelled awful) into a drinkable, enjoyable whiskey, in three weeks in trunk, and was able to eliminate the harsh smell. I recommend it highly.

[@MrRasZee]

3 weeks of aging sounds nice

[@kristiank1276]

awesome idea! im doing that.

[@kaythowe5098]

The modern version of seagoing casks.

[@brandonn102]

Driving around with bootlegged liquor on the other hand comes with its own risks lol

[@Sean-Ax]

@@brandonn102 Well, it's historically accurate!

[@alianchild]

I age mine in a sous vied water bath. Slow heat prevents the glass from breaking , keeps it at a constant temp, then take it out and freeze for an hour , do it again . You can keep the lids on and not worry about accidents.

[@thirstbuster78]

I know this is old, but do you have a fav time and temp?

[@mikec.1981]

@@thirstbuster78 I wouldn't think it would be to high, to mimic what a whisky warehouse might experience. 90f max for a couple hours?

[@timfrye9147]

"The party happens at the end. When it first goes into your mouth, there's not much going on." I lmao 🤣

[@derekmickle7258]

I've mentioned this on another of these videos. Last time I distilled, I decided to toast wood at same time. Placing toasted still warm white oak and maple in 1 litre jars with fresh spirit 45-65% gave me rapidly colored and mature tasting corn whisky

[@joemorgan2253]

Hi Jesse, just adding a note here. I have used a batch of chipped American Oak to flavour my first litre of whiskey which turned out delish (to my untrained nose and pallet), but seemed to fall short on the second batch (using the same wood chips). SO I've come to the conclusion that the wood chips I used (about 100 grams per 1 litre of 80% spirit) was good for the first batch but ran out of goodness for the second litre. After a few iterations of heating and cooling on the second batch I couldn't shake a certain chemically smell. Once I used fresh wood chips it was gone immediately after the next heating cooling iteration. I came across great article that said the chips impart certain smokey caramelly\vanilllaish flavours in to the spirit while the charred charcoal chips present act as a filter and soak up undesirables. Thanks for your efforts. Im having so much fun!!

[@chucker1576]

Thanks for a very good video that so thoroughly acknowledges the differing approaches and applications to this very complex phase of craft distilling! I’ve personally come to the conclusion that jar aging can only mimic long term rest in a barrel. I’ve also reached the conclusion that over-oaking isn’t really an overarching concern. Why? Because with small sticks or chips the wood pretty quickly becomes saturated and won’t give up any more after a certain point. After this initial saturation point of a couple of months the flavors extracted from the wood will mellow on their own. Time is a key element that cannot be discounted. I’ve arrived at making the largest splits possible of about 3” in length and will fit thru a 38mm jug neck. I use enough to more or less float as a single layer in a gallon jug that is about 3/4 full of about 65%. These are toasted/roasted/charred over an open flame in a small covered pot with a perforated bottom. I keep shaking these to put out the flames until they get hot enough to want to burn. I then take off the cover and let them burn until it’s too much to handle and then quench in a bucket of water. Some of the sticks are deeply charred while others are toasted to varying degrees. Generally, about 15 of these go into each jug. After about a month the liquor will be quite smoky tasting and very woody. After a couple of months the sweetness comes to the fore. After sitting thru some colder weather it really settles in. It seems to be pretty well settled after about 6 months or so and I’ll usually start bottling some off but some have sat through the winter months. I usually clear out the last of these by about 9-10 months to free up jugs for the next season. Doing all of this in an unheated garage gives all of the temperature fluctuations I could want and I consider 6 months to be a minimum target but haven’t seen any problem with letting it sit longer. An awful lot of posters seem to panic when it gets dark brown and tastes strongly of wood after a few weeks but as I’ve said I figure that first couple of months to be a saturation point. It won’t do any more than simply mature after that. Time and patience. Just my 2 cents worth and what seems to work pretty well for me. Thanks again for your concise advice based upon your experience.

[@barrytipton1179]

chucker have u tried electric heat gun

[@dennislnbrewing]

My favorite part about watching your videos is when you giggle. It's like HAHA that guy's having fun, doesn't take himself too seriously! Or he's had about 4-5 tasters before shooting the video.

[@karmajoyst]

What I have done successfully in the past (and present) when doing quick aging of spiced/herbal spirits such as Akvavit, Bäsk etc. to try out the spice blends proportions is to put it in bottle/jar in dishwasher and let it run a cycle or two.Same works well to get initial coloring from wood.

[@StillIt]

nice

[@umityavuz1830]

This is a really good idea when you put it on 70 degree celcius dishwasher but how can you control the expansivity ? The boiling heat of ethanol is 78 C and if it starts boil (forexample) it will blow up it's container. Even if you controll the heat and just hold on 70 degrees the expansition will start. Am I wrong please let me know

[@TheGhostQuarter]

I have a useful labeling tip. Use clear tape, write on the tape once its been stuck on the glass. Apply another piece of clear tape once the ink is no longer runny. makes a cheap label that wont rub off and when your done you can just remove the tape.

[@StillIt]

Dude that's a great idea!!

[@TheGhostQuarter]

going a step further you could also color co-ordinate it. Also i swear im not a pintrest mom. I resell magic the gathering cards on the side and wanted a cheap and effective way to label my boxes but still have them be useful after the box is no longer needed. @@StillIt

[@stanp6383]

Great video. I used the jack Daniels’s smoking chip sometimes and what I do is put it in a bucket out in the sun or put it on my radiator then wrap with a towel for a day all depends on the season. Then after a 8 hour sit put it in the freezer for 8 hours. Back and for for 4-5 days. Works really well. Don’t feel bad about Fahrenheit here in the states we suck at Celsius. Lol

[@StillIt]

Nice man. On the radiator? Haha awesome!

[@andrews6828]

I really appreciate your in-depth and knowledgeable videos. They’re hard to find and I’m glad to have come across your channel. As a noob, it gives me lots of insight and direction. Thanks, cheers!

[@sylvianederlander2317]

Thanks Jesse! If I were to to try this I’d use my sous vide setup. I could keep the water bath at exactly whatever temp I chose for as long as I wanted.

[@StillIt]

That would do it very nicely

[@barrytipton1179]

Lids on or offf

[@smartypants5036]

Hi Jessie if you read this it has been suggested in the comments using a vacuum chamber as done with resin to make wood stable. NO RISK OF FIRE a lot safer at least and cheap to do.

[@blindsquirrel1151]

Fantastic experiment. Oddly enough this past weekend I was doing some taste tests with friends in a nuke aging experiment. I did 4 cycles + 1 week and compared it to 1 month, 2 month and 3 month regular aging. All using medium toasted oak. Everyone preferred the nuke aging flavors. I did do my cycling a bit different than you but more experimentation is def in order with the results I got

[@StillIt]

Tru that? Interesting man! Yeah I must say I waas blown away at the flavour I got out of this. Definitly keen to play with it some more!

[@carloayars2175]

Few months of aging won't do much for the profile in normal environments as you don't have the temp range change of winter/summer/winter/summer/repeat does when you age for years. You need the full cycle. I know a couple of guys who vary the cycles. Some cycles are "warm" and some "cold" and some "hot" and some "freezing". You can use anything from heat lamps to radiators to microwave to stove top in water to putting outside in the sun. For the other cycle you can use the refrigerator, the freezer to outside in the winter. Vary the cycles like in nature. Try many cycles to see if a "10 or 15 year" cycles is better than a "3 or 4 year" cycle. Try with less wood over more cycles as well. Try with used wood after first batch. If you loose the "complexity" of the un-aged shine, feel free to blend un-aged product back in to the final mixed product. You might find you like some wood at 5 cycles, other wood at 10 cycles. It doesn't all have to be aged the same amount of cycles. Keep good logs and adequate samples as you go for reference. Experiment!

[@carloayars2175]

Also keep in mind you can add complexity by using the wood to "age" sherry, brandy, wines and other alcohols first before using them for you whiskey.

[@nothingtoseehere5760]

Surface area is probably more important than volume, so use the same number of same sized pieces instead of same weight... but also what a wonderful little experiment. Thanks!

[@simonwhite8474]

Interesting background on your bubbles from the wood......In the early days of the railways here in the UK they needed to maximize the lifespan of the timber sleepers; prevent rot etc. They didn't have the tailor made timber preservatives of today but they did have creosote. They needed to ensure the creosote penetrated as deeply as possible into the sleepers so they heated the sleepers in a water bath for a time to drive any air from the timber before quickly removing it from the water and submerging in cold creosote. As the timber cooled the creosote was drawn back into the low pressure voids within the sleeper to ensure the deepest penetration possible. We still use a similar idea today except with vacuum vessels.That's the cause of the bubbles - if you leave the jars to cool then ethanol will be drawn deep into your oak. Firelighters? :)Yeah I know it's nerdy but I'm a sawmiller.

[@maximolotov]

One round is enough with just microwaving and no need to store for 2 days, providing you put more oak. Also no need to refrigerate. I mean avoiding as much activity does deliver you wicked thing any way , aspecially if you are making it all from scratch . Without this video I would not work it out at all , so massive thing to Mr Beard

[@trevorfichtner3539]

Awsome video! Gave me quite a few ideas and questions! What would u think about pressure cooking them in jars? How much of this has more to do with nuclear radiation as it may be from just heat and/or pressure? .... here's an idea, what about putting the wood in your mash and distilling it that way? Breaks down the wood while its evaporating, KINDA like a gin basket, but in the hottest area. Maybe give it a shot! What do u think?

[@carlbowman3366]

Great video and it opened my eyes to the different possabilities. I've been adding one charred and one medium toasted stick. It's a good combination for me. BUT... It makes a pretty big difference at different alcohol levels as well.

[@rickwoud4319]

Whats your impression, whats the best ABV to age spirits?

[@STILLinCANADA]

Sure wish I lived closer to compare notes to my tests, I find such a heavy wood flavour that I am considering scrapping the whole mess and starting over. I will give this method a try, but I still want to try ultrasonics and pressure infused. As always I rush to every one of your postings and I'm never disappointed!

[@StillIt]

Yeah, that would be cool to be able to compare! I have seen a few people say that they will leave a woody/tanic mess alone for 6months and it turns out great. . . . . . could try that rather than loose it?

[@Justicescales123]

Heat expanded the wood releasing the oil and gas. (Bubbles) And allows for absorption of the alcohol. I heat my jars in a pot then let cool down, then put in freezer over night. Then repeat till I get the flavor I want. The heat expands the wood, and the cold shrinks the wood forcing the alcohol back out of the wood and the goodness with it.

[@StillIt]

Awesome. I need to try the pot way some time as well.

[@Justicescales123]

Still It so many possibilities, that's what's great about the"chase the craft"

[@TheMrpiggyboy]

Just thinking. Putting the jars in a double boiler until temperature. I am going to give the oaking a try

[@bigjplay]

Now mix all four together!!!!!

[@StillIt]

I wondered the same thing Sman. I was told that the microwave did a better job than just heat. But I can varify that through personal trial. The other idea that was thrown around was heating from the inside etc.

[@JeremyMacGregor]

Good idea. I'm thinking a water recirculator / sous vide stick would work well too

[@barrytipton1179]

Jeremy MacGregor I’m going do same say every 24 hours ish to save lekky do some cooking too have you tried leaving lids on I’m going to use whiskey bottles or kilner jars

[@ericschwab409]

If you had a gazillion bucks, you could do a large number of accelerated solvent extractions (ASE) using a Thremo ASE unit. These instruments use a sealed stainless steel “bomb” capsule filled with your material of choice and a high pressure and temperature injection system to extract various organic compounds from that material. We use them at the laboratory where I work to extract organic contaminants like flame retardants and lipophilic chemicals from fish tissue, soil, sewage sludge, etc. You can use any number of different solvents including ethanol to extract your compounds of choose. You can also set the extraction temperature and even set up a ramping routine with different temperatures. The ASE would work fantastic for your experimenting, perhaps too well though as its a very aggressive extraction. You can set it up to operate automatically and walk away. Come back later and you have a set of 12 different extractions. Here is a link to a YoiuTube video about two different older models of ASE. The video predates the acquisition of Dionex by Thermo Scientific so bear in mind it is very dated, but the principles of operation are the same. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnWzfXaMqtqasLs

[@StillIt]

That's awesome man. Have seen other home distillers replicating this, but didn't know the origin.

[@whiteheat922]

I don't know the origin of this process. There is a known distiller Brian Davis who has a process similar (if not the same, I am sure he holds the process a bit of a secret) to this. It seems he has refined it on a whole level in of itself. @@StillIt

[@dancampbell9005]

what ill do is put the container with the lid on in 160°f water till the container is hot to the touch let it slowly cool down then stick it in the freezer so there is no alcohol loss and it drives the alcohol into the wood deeper (edit) letting the pressure raise in the container not only add the age affect but also fusle oils and other nasty tasteing compounds that are usually in a spirit ment for ageing get trapped in the wood and charing this is why most whiskey barrels are charred. the alcohol molecules are rather tiny and move between wood cells with ease but the nasty compounds are usually larger and get trapped, this is usually why someone goes for a older whiskey. a simple explanation is when the spirit is heated it gets driven into the wood deeper and when its cooled and the pressure drops the alcohol is pulled out leaving behind the nasty compounds.. in no way do i advocate pressuriseing jars in the microwave if the vapor pressure builds to high mixed with the heat it will explode

[@barrytipton1179]

Dan Campbell please use centigrade as well as f save us checking lol

[@barrytipton1179]

Try a sous vide bath ALDI Uk £50 and can cook the cheep joints for a week or do at 50c or higher

[@notahotshot]

@@barrytipton1179, I agree they should do the work of converting so you don't have to. 😒

[@craigengle8440]

Cool keep em coming Jessie your videos are easy to follow as a novice distiller . From blenhiem

[@StillIt]

Ayyyeeee another Kiwi! Glad you like em mate :)

[@williamelliott]

Try putting in a pressure tank. Bring up pressure to 100 psi for a week in a warm area and then put in cool area for a week with no pressure and repeat three or for times. I think you will enjoy the results.

[@StillIt]

Yeah I need to try this for sure. I was thinking about using my corny kegs. But I guess I dont really want carbonated whisky haha. Will need to find straight air to hook up.

[@jeffsmith6267]

@@StillIt how about using oxygen?

[@kdk82007]

I AM having a kick ass day ! You helped make it. Thanks !

[@StillIt]

Cheers mate 🥃

[@tb-sk1yc]

The first half of the video is great can't wait to watch the rest after work.

[@StillIt]

Yeah . . .she was a long one! haha

[@jamesthomas8481]

Tip! Use a small piece of clear tape and place it over your markings on your jars. This will save your notes even if ya try washing it. Just peel the tape to remove like normal. Also Medical tape (or clothe tape) is useful incase your marker just won't stick enough to get a clear reading. Cheers!

[@CELTICSAVAGE32]

You rock, brother.. I love your videos. I love the way you work to not only produce a great product but learn exactly what it is that produces that product. You're an artisan and a gentleman. Hahaha I'm new to the craft and love that I can learn from a guy like you. Cheers!

[@Rafaelgarbulho]

did a liter using chips of American white oak (27g for a liter of alcohol 60%), toasted in 220c for 2:30 - used a single cycle of nuclear - result is REALLY good! (used cane alchool though). added 2 tea spoons of honey to help on getting rid of the bad volatiles. I will test with corn alcohol soon. I am very happy with the first results.

[@Rafaelgarbulho]

BTW color went similar to your 2nd jar left-right (my chips are more of flakes instead)

[@williamhoover5459]

If you are trying to get a consistent temperature for the quick aging, could you use a sous vide for this instead of microwaving it?

[@StillIt]

Definitely. I have just been doing it in the sink with the hot tap lately.

[@Aceino]

I was just about to ask the same!

[@jasontoth5268]

Obviously more to do with microwaves than heat

[@Rafaelgarbulho]

@@StillIt have a video on this water / freezing technique?

[@DarkManzPK]

@@StillIt I know i'm comming in late! You could just simply use a cooler. Keeps the temperature in for a long time! Right temp or 2 degrees higher to compensate for time. I cook stakes like that... cheap...

[@johnnybigpotato2404]

...yeah bro. diggin' back into your old stuff. Love it! I hope you go pro someday! (like, make money) Don't forget your roots. ;)

[@trevormangus7832]

Wonder how putting the jars into a ultrasonic cleaner and letting the ultrasonic waves do the infusion would be

[@pieterdewit5379]

Hi I used a water bath concept to bring it up to temp gently, keeping the lid on to apply gentle pressure and then take the lod off so that it can create a vacuum when I put the lid back on and cooling it.

[@fireandforge]

Just a note. The same process is used for sealing wood except you heat the wood in a microwave on it's own and then place in room temp resin or oil. This pulls the resin/oil into the wood. I am sure you could do the same with this aging process. Safer than heating the alcohol. Heat the wood and place in jar and seal. Repeat process until satisfied.

[@donnyhayes7527]

Nice video jess and the oak flaver is more pronounced if you heat then freeze then heat it allows the wood to exspand and contract to pull the whole flavor out of the wood

[@jamesthomas8481]

As for those bubbles... it's due to the heat in your wood vaporizing any residual moisture and the vapor rising causing a moment of exchange where the alcohol therein enters in place of the vapors in your wood. That alcohol can't wait to move in.

[@BeardedBored]

Very cool video dude. I've read about this but haven't tried it yet. Had no idea you could get so much flavor. Awesome stuff!

[@StillIt]

Yeah it was interesting. Still think going the long road is probably better. But gave me idea of the flavours oak can impart.

[@austinklinefelter8297]

I wonder if you could get the same effect if you took a food saver machine with the jar attachment and vacuum all the air out of the jars

[@ericoosterhof]

Nice topic again. Interesting method. The help of the microwave and the freezer. Saves a couple of years of our life so we could produce more alcohol.

[@StillIt]

Yeah I'm sure time would give a better result but it was good for this purpose :)

[@spence5103]

Thanks Jesse, this beats the hell out of Still Spirits bourbon chips. Tried them and after 8 days got a nasty fine layer of crap at the bottom of my jar. Tried putting it through coffee filters but it was still there and then tried a small amount of carbon filtering, which worked, but lost approx. half a litre out of a 5 litre batch. Lesson learnt!!!

[@shaknit]

If you want to speed up the process after you put the charred oak into it then put it in the freezer for 24hrs then on a candle warmer for 24hrs then repeat the process several times or until you get the flavor you want.

[@billwessels207]

You have an incredibly difficult job. Sipping whiskey all day. Enjoyed the video and your descriptives.

[@firescale8912]

Laughs like Yoda, drinks like Solo.👊

[@BeerByTheNumbers]

Nuclear Aging? Better get my lead vest. Cheers!

[@StillIt]

Haha! yeah

[@bobtheelectrician6692]

Safer to use canning boiler and immerse jars into hot water. That's the way preserve jars are meant to be used.

[@francoisrobillard3164]

Why not putting the jars in hot water ? Its slower but safer. An other solution would be to use a seal vacuum for jars.

[@DavidJones-we2ex]

Beautiful video, Thanks.

[@mastermattk]

I usually blend flavors I like then let it sit for at least 2 days before finalizing my results. I make at least 2 blends and let them sit. Nice vids.

[@StillIt]

Cheers for the tips! I need some more practice with gin!

[@benstacy6226]

Great vid, very informative.

[@StillIt]

THanks :)

[@shaknit]

Generally toasted is used for wine and different levels of char is used for spirits. Light char to dark char will go from the more vanilla to carmal to the more smokey and burnt taste

[@rodneybarstow9303]

More power to you brother thank you for your streams, makes me want to try distilling my own spirits and cider, lots of apples in my area

[@robinkennaird9694]

so..here's a question. Do you loose any alcohol by heating in the microwave to accelerate aging? I'm assuming not because the heat doesn't go above 60 degrees C. I'm just starting with home distillation and I make my own charred oak chips ( because I have access to loads of Oak offcuts for free)...I'm using an Air Still as a beginner, and double distilling taking cuts on the second distillation as per your videos ( which are great). Is there any advantage using a copper parrot on the second distillation to help with purification?

[@wellybobs4403]

Swallows the last drop. "Yeah, thatsh lovely schtuff"

[@ktbaduk]

This is probably stupid for suggesting this but maybe try getting your hands on a sous vide machine they basically bring a pot of water up to temperature and hold it at that temperature so you can cook stuff in bags and sealed containers without the worry of burning or going over temperature might be useful if your doing this sorta thing often enough

[@StillIt]

Nah good idea mate

[@sarcasmo57]

You are a scientist!

[@BlazRa]

I found the way to really increase the process is the submerged two jars and hot water overnight and then stick them in the fridge

[@BiggMo]

Weight in the wood isn’t as important as surface area (if the pieces are not uniform) Also, the wood isn’t charred like a barrel. In traditional barrel aging the mash doesn’t come in direct contact with the oak, it moves through charcoal in its process.

[@smfield]

You can note a subtlety of inebriation as the tasting developed over time.

[@StillIt]

. . . . or not so subtle lol

[@daveyup100]

Hi love'n the vids I've been in distilling for about a year now and got my gins spot on so trying ujssm for the first time only running a T500 with pot and column in the Wellington area. Good work man. :)

[@DjOzKid]

Try Ultrasonic ageing, I think red Nile did a video on it

[@StillIt]

Yeah was a interesting video

[@user-sv9dl8sk3d]

There is an idea to make aging under pressure. Pressure-heating-cooling. Of course not all I will splice.

[@monkeysuncle2816]

Try pressurizing it in PET bottles with CO2 and a "carbonator cap", available at most homebrew supply shops. Note I do not say carbonate, I say pressurize. No need to shake, as you're not actually trying to get the CO2 into solution, just using it to pressurize the liquid into the wood. Once you've achieved pressure, hold for as long as you like, probably 20-60 minutes, but it's up to you. Then release the pressure, and repeat as many times as you care to. One full pressure/depressure cycle could be compared to one warm day and one cool night in a barrel aging warehouse. It's a lot, but if you did this 8,760 times, you could THEORETICALLY approximate 24 year old product. Since many days don't get that warm, and many nights don't get all that cold, you could probably get by with far less. Totally making a up a number here, but probably 1/3 as many cycles as days. Whatcha think, Still It?

[@spence5103]

@@monkeysuncle2816 lmao give it a try mate!

[@kirkstinson7316]

Other than the use if a microwave there isn't much new here. Long ago moonshiners would force age whiskey by putting it in a chard barrel. Then put the barrel in a wash tub of heated water and agitating it for several days

[@mikeebner8313]

Use a food vacuum sealer to pull the contents down in pressure.

[@markfrancomano2389]

on a scale of Pendleton to Crown, which was closer to a Crown taste? I have friends that like Pendleton, I like Crown. I have just started brewing and would like to make my own Crown Royal type whiskey. A starting point a little more narrowed would be nice. Thanks to whom ever answers this.

[@patternsmashing]

Awesome stuff, sir! Thanks for making these.

[@danssv8]

More like vanilla or caramelised oak staves. With a hint of sugar of course.

[@PAULMC0]

Great video man, I have just cited you in a design science project. This is a brilliant idea.

[@ClassicRyder1]

I'm a complete newbie at all of this and have just been watching your videos to learn more about the hobby. Can you explain more about the jar lids and what about them you shouldn't be using?

[@604jroe]

I came to the comments looking for an explanation about that too.

[@tonytwotoes]

I would like to suggest using a Sous Vide machine and water bath to bring your mixtures up to temp next time

[@brianrafter123]

hi jessie, love what your doing gonna give it a go ! just wondering if you put the wood in before or after you dilute the product ? best wishes from ireland

[@StillIt]

I normally age in the 50-60% range. So if it comes out of blending around there cool, if not I'll drop it down. Then again to bottle strength after it's done with the wood.

[@brianrafter123]

ta for the reply Jessie

[@barrytipton1179]

I always did mine at 40 percent

[@mike-cc7eg]

I had a friend in Washington state that has been making and aging whiskey for several years. I was working on stabilizing wood by infusing resin into the wood with a vacuum pump. I tried that same technique with a couple of jars he had just started aging. I took it down to 29 in. Of mercury (complete vacuum). When he tried it he said it tasted like 40 year old whiskey. Very smooth. Please tell me what you think. Great videos.

[@Jazz-ji9zu]

Infusing resin... Tell me more!

[@mike-cc7eg]

@@Jazz-ji9zu it's a way of replacing the air in the wood grain with resin and baking it. It turnes the wood into plastic that can be worked or machined.

[@shanonallen5395]

Interesting, how long did you leave it at vacume?

[@a1d3nh0]

dude, please do a video trying to recreate jack daniels. from the grain, mash, still, aging etc. that would be amazing.

[@bryanherman8601]

What type of oak did you use? From what I have heard, some guys put the jar in the freezer over night.... which makes the wood contract, in the morning, they set it on the counter, all day long, letting it come up to room temp. Then they do this for two weeks. This freezing temps make the wood contract, squeezing the yummy goodness of the wood into the jar. As the wood comes up to room temp, it swells back up, flooding it with product. Over two weeks, this process can really up your game. Thats what I heard.

[@StillIt]

This was American white oak. So they dont heat it? I guess in terms of pressure change its probably about the same. (just a different temp range).

[@jakewansor2889]

Recently learned that aging becomes dormant at about 50°F. That's in barrels, though. Not sure about wood contraction.

[@rrmuf]

Just put the jars in a big old pot of hot (60C) water (bain marie) instead of the microwave. The point is the cool/heat cycle right. It is a bit slower but inherently safer. Also, depending on season and climate, the great outdoors are great for cooling it down. … especially if you use larger jars.

[@johnnycobb00]

heating the wood in the alcohol would force the wood to expand and contract fast and release the flavor

[@davedreds5905]

Great video. You're a mad scientist 👍

[@StillIt]

Well I don't know about scientist 🤪

[@davedreds5905]

Your videos have given me a lot to think about with my hobby. I've been making flavoured sugar washes on charred oak for some time, using turbo yeast. I saw your video on birdwatchers wash, worth a try. Also, the 'cooked' vs 'raw charred' oak, and blending them from this video is inspiring. Also want to try a corn mash instead of sugar sometime. Thanks for all the great info. Best wishes

[@StillIt]

Absolute pleasure man. Glad the vids help. Definitly give it a go. That UJSSM is a easy way into something else :)

[@joelyfpv7075]

Loving these vids as I look more into this craft ❤

[@danssv8]

If you add copper it also sweeten it up

[@dave50cal]

Nice video Jessy,I just ran a batch of rye bread and corn flake mash today,going to try this method of oaking.

[@StillIt]

awesome man. hows it tasting > ?

[@dave50cal]

Just ran it yesterday,haven't made the cuts yet,still airing,I will make cuts tomorrow and put it on some oak,will let you know in a couple months

[@jasonroskom7430]

Love the videos! I haven't even gotten a still yet but I am looking forward to it. This video has me excited to get another oak barrel and age one in my 56 degree basement and the other outside.

[@TedDaudel-zi9ct]

Try sous vide it works well and better control

[@jtfalkner]

FYI. Pure stainless steel can be put in the microwave.

[@got2kittys]

They may be easier to control in a water bath canner.

[@sethhill5689]

How about trying putting X amount of each type of wood (a blend) in the jar when you do the aging? You did 8 parts in total from the various jars, 4 (or 1/2) of the 320 (?), 1 char, 1 of 180 and 2 of 120. Since you did about 10 grams of wood in each jar, you could try 5 grams of the 320 (?) wood, 2.5 grams 120 wood, and 1.25 of the char and the 180 wood. See how that tastes and maybe then you could adjust the wood amounts.

[@lptvboy]

I like what your doing but I think pressure would be better than heat. Look up Chicago underground whisky they use industrial pressure vessels to put flavors into liquor

[@moose7611]

Great experiment

[@garyglitta]

Dude, that microwave looks to be about as old as I am (early 80s). My mom and dad still have their old National, which looks a lot like yours - same display, same door opening mechanism, same annoying 5x beep when done 😅

[@tb-sk1yc]

Finally finished the video definitely going to try this with my George Washington rye. Why did you use the plastic lids? I'm planning on using mason jars with the metal lids. Also did you put your jars on a carousel in the micro wave or were they stationary? As always a great video thanks for all you do. Cheers

[@StillIt]

Cool man! Only used them because I really wanted 4 "identical" containers.

[@neverfailhedland7569]

Mason Jars have a plastic lining inside their lid, too. Best check that out!

[@dack4545]

I wonder if you could ferment Skittles to the point so it tasted pretty good on the other side, poured over ice with lemonade as a drink, I call it the I.C Insta Cocktail just add Lemonade and ice of course, ok it's not quite an instant Cocktail, because I don't own a replicator out of StarTrek, but hopefully it will taste like a few different liquors but only 1 Base Spirit, and I don't mean it will taste full on like a proper liquor but have hints of the different Skittle flavours 🤔

[@radaraacf]

Wouldn’t this be more safe and still possible with placing the jars in a pot of water like canning food?

[@danielmcmillan4349]

Someone may have already asked this, but curious. You microwaved the samples without lids on the jars. Won't you lose alcohol by doing that? I get why you didn't put the lids on (pressure inside the vessels), but I would think that some of the alcohol may evaporate using this technique. Of course, ethanol vaporizes at 78 degrees celsius (172.4 Fahrenheit for the Yanks) so I guess you wouldn't lose too much alcohol.

[@hansulrichjohner2694]

A bain marie would be great for that kind of thing!

[@RideSlide13]

Have you ever thought about doing the exact same thing but not a microwave but a vacuum chamber?? Might draw the wood flavour out some what maybe?

[@wrinkyscarnagecrew]

You should use a ultrasonic water bath instead of the microwave better flavor profile and more of an aged process flavor

[@majidnahas6620]

hi bro, plz I want to ask u if i put walnut wood did the taste of whiskey will be bitter??? or only i have to aged it with oak??? there is a problem if i put them together??? waiting your answer 😊

[@willthedingo]

21:40 Your mention of the caps! I could be totally wrong, but I feel like those caps are designed to constantly off-gas at a certain rate either CO2 or something else heavier than o2 to try to displace the oxygen away from whatever is in the jar. That chemical off-gassing could very well be what the lingering "canned"/"jarred" flavour the use of these lids could cause. An experiment on this could be done with sourcing some waxy engineering paper that's usually wrapped around metal parts, that continually off-gasses to prevent the metals it's wrapped around from rusting.

[@davesmith3562]

Love your videos Jesse. Keep em coming. Got to try nuclear aging 👍⚛️

[@BylliPierce]

You should try using an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner for quick aging

[@thirstbuster78]

Have you tried it and does it work well?