OrneryGringo OP t1_iuj8f4l wrote on October 31, 2022 at 7:09 PM

Reply to comment by Gnonthgol in Eli5: how is it possible that a wooden barrel, which is used for aging alcohol, does not rot away. by OrneryGringo

I would like to be distracted into this topic a little more. I drink whiskey and i know that some whiskey have the selling point of "aged on cherry barrels" or something like this. Can every barrel be reused for this purpose?

thelastdarkwingduck t1_iujb06o wrote on October 31, 2022 at 7:27 PM

Many, yes! It mostly depends on if it’s toxic. I have friends who homebrew/distill and we visited a distillery together recently and did the whole tour, it’s pretty interesting stuff. Some places are taking traditionally “clear” alcohols and also “finishing” them in re-purposed barrels. So for example, gin, by definition, has to contain juniper berries and must be at least 37.5% alcohol by EU regulations (which I used as an example since london gin is a staple) Traditionally, aged gin wasn’t really a thing but there’s a trend now of aging gin in re-purposed bourbon barrels. This gives the gin both color and flavor, while still following the legal requirement. Every country has different requirements on what process you must follow to sell an alcohol under that name, and some require certain alcohols to only be aged with certain types of wood. In short, it depends, but the creativity is getting wild.

OrneryGringo OP t1_iujr303 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:17 PM

Okay, this is very interesting actually, thank you for this distraction! But Im wondering now. Recently I was in a small whiskey shop looking for a specific whiskey and the owner told me that whiskeys from time to time get "washed" by letting it flow trought oak shivers or coal or whatever after the aging proces. Does this have a purpose in regards to the re-purposed barrels you descripe?

thelastdarkwingduck t1_iujvwd8 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:52 PM

It very well could! That’s a little beyond my knowledge level, I did some googling because I like the topic but couldn’t tell you. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some method to get rid of sediment after aging, it’s a very different grade but I’ve had aged cinnamon and rose petal mead and I bet coal filtration would have made that a much better experience.

kmosiman t1_iujrz37 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:23 PM

It's probably Sherry not Cherry.

Sherry barrels still have some of the Sherry soaked into the wood and add that flavor to the whiskey.

Many beers are aged in Bourbon Barrels to add the flavor.

Additional aging in certain barrels is all about adding flavors that would not be there otherwise. Sherry, barrels, wine barrels, bourbon barrels, French oak, American oak, maple, Hungarian oak, etc.

OrneryGringo OP t1_iujuvtm wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:44 PM

You right, it was supposed to be Sherry!

Gernia t1_iujmjil wrote on October 31, 2022 at 8:45 PM

aquavit are often made on aged barrels, this is what gives them the yellow/brown color. When they tap from differing barrels, they use coloring to make them all have the correct color.

If the aquavit isn't made on old barrels it is blank in color.

noonnoonz t1_iujp0ee wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:02 PM

For more distraction: Appleton Estates use American Oak Bourbon barrels to age their rum. They have ~6000 aging at the factory and double that in their Kingston warehouse, iirc.

Mirabolis t1_iujraan wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:18 PM

I tried a red wine (Cabernet, I think) that was aged in bourbon barrels a little while ago (nothing fancy, it was from Costco) that was really quite good. Per my usual, I forgot to write down what the name was, so I will likely never find it again. :)