little experiment

[frenchrumlover]

hi guys.i m looking for to try to age some basic white rum into a small oak barrel just to see how the flavour will improve or decrease with time .my only problem is , in europe i cannot find any charred (toasted) oak barrel.
all the website i had a look at offer me the right size of barrel i need but all of them are brand new or not charred.is there is any of you guys who knows where in europe or only uk i could get some small charred oak barrel

[Papa Jules]

that will be difficult. A barrel is expensive, take space, it can also leak, you need litters and litters of rum. I have got some samples of rum with different age if you want. Let me know when you want to try them, you need to pop in in Mahiki.

[Bill]

There are other methods... here's some advice I found on a nice home distillation site:

Based on some whisky barrels I've seen, I add about 70 square centimetres of oak per litre of 55% spirit. Keep in mind that one "strip" of oak has two surfaces that interact with the spirit. I age spirits in 4 litre glass bottles and add thin strips (<1mm) of oak that I had wrapped in aluminum foil and lightly charred on the stovetop. So if my oak strips are 2 cm wide I cut a total length of 70 cm, but I usually break such a strip into a few pieces before charring and adding them to the jug. Gives nice colours and flavours and generally a smoother drink.

And how bout this?

To make your own toasted timber, find a tin with a push on lid of 1-2L. Split your timber into thin enough strips to fit your bottles. Light the pieces, and when well charred, place in the tin. Place the lid on lightly to snuff out the flames. Add more wood as it becomes ready, replacing the lid each time. When cooled, push the lid on tightly to retain the smokey aroma until ready to use.

Another way is to wrap the oak chips/shavings in aluminium foil, and bake them in your oven for a while.

The temperature of the toasting will affect the flavour that develops...

This gentleman alleges that different temps lead to different flavors, eg.
Oaky = 200-240, Sugar = 250 - 320, Vanillan = 340 - 480, Toasty = 400 - 500, Almond = about 500 degrees. All are in farenheit.

Jack Daniels toasts their barrels at 450 for 4 hours then flash chars (you could use a blowtorch) them. The toasting carmelizes the sugar, the flash burn creates the charcoal. The barrels are steam quenched to activate the charcoal.

This resource advises that perhaps the easiest method is to cut enough oak chips (70 sq cm per liter), toast them in the oven at 450 F for 4 hours, and use them along with some activated charcoal.

Credit to: Link to Home Distiller/

Hope that helps...

[Troy]

The bigger challenge if you are using an off the shelf white rum will be to avoid ending up with too much of an oak flavor. When you set out to create an aged rum you generally distill it a little rougher. It will be a bit harsh out of the still but over time in barrels it will mellow and be in balance with the effects of the oak.

I've done some experiments with Cruzan 2 year and oak infusion spirals. It added an oak flavor very quickly but in my opinion overpowered the rum in a short time.

[Bill]

Believe me, I am NO expert at this, but it would seem to make a case for for making/using wood chips, with or without charring, with or without activated charcoal. In this way he could more precisely limit the oak effect, yes?

[Bill]

Sorry for the double post, just remembered a source (Portuguese) that sells oak barrels to order with various levels of toasting. They also make stunning alembics...

Link to Toasted Oak Barrels in Europe

[frenchrumlover]

thank you very much for your advise and your help.
as soon as i buy a barrel and start the aging process i ll let you know

[forrest]

Originally Posted by Bill

Sorry for the double post, just remembered a source (Portuguese) that sells oak barrels to order with various levels of toasting. They also make stunning alembics...

Link to Toasted Oak Barrels in Europe

My goodness Bill what an amazing, amazing site!!
However did you find it?

[Bill]

Originally Posted by forrest

My goodness Bill what an amazing, amazing site!!
However did you find it?

Hum, er, ah, oh, um, la-la-la-la-la... well let's just say I was thinking about distilling essential oils...

[forrest]

Originally Posted by Bill

Hum, er, ah, oh, um, la-la-la-la-la... well let's just say I was thinking about distilling essential oils...

Bill you are a machine!!
A maniac... an amazing maniac!
(and i call jest, stretch-- or whatever ...)