Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

A couple of newbie type aging questions;

Is there any benefit in agining in a fridge ?

Some of my mixes - seem to have condensation on the inside, others that are close cousins of the same mix do not have any - why is that ?

Some of the oak chunks float, some sink, is this just air being pushed out by the alc ?

How does Glycerine affect aging - I have seen this used here and there as an ager, does this stay mixed or does it break away after a period ?

Sorry for all the Q's - steeeeeeep learning curve. Am lining up a tour of LARK still set up in the coming weekend, should learn a bit there as well... :)

Cheers
Si

Ideally, you want to be ageing somewhere that experiences temperature fluctuations, which pushes the spirit in and out of the timber...

Eventually all of the oak should sink. What 'chunks' are you using? Got a pic?

Not sure about the condensation... Are some jars sealed better than others? For ageing you don't want a complete seal, some of the lighter alcohols need to be able to evaporate - called 'The Angel's Share' ;-)

I thought glycerine was added after ageing to add a bit of mouth feel? I've never used it, never been interested in anything but natural ingredients and old school processes :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Ive used glycerin a bit. mainly with essences but lately i have been adding 5ml to 1L of TPW neutral for my vodka and this seems fine. My last batch was feints run and i wasn't exactly happy with it so it needed a little fixing up but glycerin is not what i recommend. Sure it can help sometimes but i would rather do the job right first time rather than fixing something :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Here;s a pic.
I have a mix of chips from SS medium charred oak and i've recently bought some chunks from an old jim beam barrel.

See in the demi - 80% of the chips are floating.

Not sure on the condensation either - a little strange. Maybe the angles are trying to get out but the lid wont let them...

I've taken a sample of the condesate - it's a little harsh

scrub turkey is the essence i use but i use chunks not chips :handgestures-thumbupleft: I feel they are better and have less endgrain

I'm just trying a heap of different cordials to find a couple i like and then I'll concentrate on improving 2 or 3.

I think the SS American Burbon in the packet is pretty good thus far and the scub Turkey is up there as well, but i cant drink them without some oak flavour.
My wife loves bombah gin - the essence bottle said 2 drops per 700 ml...well we are at 50% of the essence bottle to 700ml and we are getting closer...lol.
It's all different that's what makes it fun.

So much to learn lol.
Si

the bourbon I made about 2 years ago has a crazy thin mouth feel. it almost feels like it isnt even there. I add glycerin to that to make it more enjoyable. it doesn t change the flavour. i always like to leave it in the bottle for a few weeks to properly meld

I need to try a few things...I noted that the whiskey profile kit rates pretty highly by those that have purchased.
I guess I want to do a cut down version of that - using different amounts of the main flavours/notes of genuine stuff.
Caramels, vanillas, glycerine, maybe a coffee bean here and there...

I would like to move away from cordials - def okay, but just...after its mixed, well it's not really mine.
Si

Exsitable wrote:I'm just trying a heap of different cordials to find a couple i like and then I'll concentrate on improving 2 or 3.

I think the SS American Bourbon in the packet is pretty good thus far and the scrub Turkey is up there as well, but i cant drink them without some oak flavour.

Si

I've been mixing a bit of both those essences, with a few ml of maple syrup and about an inch of vanilla bean. Sit that on top of SS bourbon staves for a while...
comes up reasonable. Well good enough to sit on some ice.