Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

To me "port finished Glenmorange" is just about the unltimate scotch :handgestures-thumbupleft: so I'm looking for ideas to achieve this sort taste using essences ( beginner taking baby steps :oops: ) and port/oak chips, any thoughts please .

buy cheap port (like a stanley cast, nom nom). soak some staves in the port for a few weeks. then use these to age neutral. either dry them out, partially dry them or put them straight in depending on how much port flavour you want through the spirit. after a good few weeks or some months take out the oak and add essence.

Andy wrote:buy cheap port (like a stanley cast, nom nom). soak some staves in the port for a few weeks. then use these to age neutral. either dry them out, partially dry them or put them straight in depending on how much port flavour you want through the spirit. after a good few weeks or some months take out the oak and add essence.

:text-+1:

Pretty much what I do

Does this taste ok with say CFW or BWKO? sounds interesting

can do it with any spirit. a number of spirits are available- jim beam small batch has port, glenmorangie have sherry cask (as do many scotch distilleries)

instead of port you can use sherry

i like sherry oaked rum.

Mate and I tried mixing different amounts of port to a bourbon cordial in an attempt to make small batch, can't remember the outcome though :laughing-rolling:
Might try soaking oak first though sounds like a better plan than the one we came up with
Our plan:
Pour a bourbon, add a splash of port, drink, no not quite there.
Repeat :laughing-rolling: :obscene-drinkingdrunk: oops

Andy wrote:buy cheap port (like a stanley cast, nom nom). soak some staves in the port for a few weeks. then use these to age neutral. either dry them out, partially dry them or put them straight in depending on how much port flavour you want through the spirit. after a good few weeks or some months take out the oak and add essence.

That's a bit too easy. Port has been in casks for years before they put the Glenmornagie in it. Soaking some oak chips for weeks hardly will reach the saturation of a cask. But it is worth a try

McMelloW wrote:That's a bit too easy. Port has been in casks for years before they put the Glenmornagie in it. Soaking some oak chips for weeks hardly will reach the saturation of a cask. But it is worth a try

we are not using a cast, we are using staves. more surface area and more end grain exposure. I soak for about 3 months when I do sherry oak for rum, then age the rum for about 6-18 months, and it is more than enough time- possibly too much as it takes away some of the woodiness away. The reason the casks have had sherry in for years is because they are trying to oak the sherry itself (again surface area to column ration comes into play), we are not, we are just flavouring the wood.
Could go with nuclear ageing if you wanted to cut down on time a bit as well.

You've obviously tried both and compared the results, McMelloW? We'd love to see the comparo :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Andy wrote:Could go with nuclear ageing if you wanted to cut down on time a bit as well.

I'm new here :D just what does that mean please :think:

there is a long thread of it over here http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=38991

it involves heating up the liquid to force it into the oak and then cooling it down to pull it out. Large distilleries utilise the different temperature in their barrel/ageing rooms (hot air rises cold air sinks), some will open up the room to the elements and let to cold in during winter and the warmth in during summer.

I haven't tried this nor would I recommend this method. mainly because I'm lazy and t is easier to put oak in a bottle, poor some port/sherry in the bottle, poor some in my mouth and then wait.

Zak Griffin wrote:You've obviously tried both and compared the results, McMelloW? We'd love to see the comparo :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I have not tried it myself yet. But I love a single cask Scotch matured on Port casks or Sherry casks.
Perhaps I will have a go with staves as well someday