MAKING YOUR OWN WHISKEY FROM 1000 OAKS BARREL CO.

[tylergallant7]

Has anyone ever tried the whiskey kits from 1000 oaks barrel co ? they do sound good but they say cause of the small 1 litre barrel it ages liquor much quicker 1 month= 1- 1 1/2 years. is this an accurate statement?

[scotchwillie]

I don't know for sure, but Ian Hember has a blog in which he is chronicling his experiences with this product (edit: my bad -- it's the Whisky Works product he's blogging about. The cask is the same size, though). His latest post indicates that it might be closer to 2.4 months = 1 year.

It's a really fun blog, really. Check it out.

-Will (yes, the same Will who nerded out with the math)

[Deactivated Member]

Does anyone in the UK sell these at all?

[tylergallant7]

The website for the company is http://www.1000oaksbarrel.com if anyone is interested in looking at the whiskey kits.

[Deactivated Member]

Oh, yes. I'm definitely ordering at least one to try 'finishing' some of my own whiskies.

[ihember]

Ian here, the guy Will mentioned who's maturing some whisky as we speak.

I think it's likely that the Whisky Works kit I'm using has its barrel sourced from Thousand Oaks. They're both 1-litre casks made of American oak and have a medium char. If not identical, they're similar enough that you'd get similar results.

I'm still early on in the project: the first whisky taste test will be Sunday February 3rd, I think.

As for the ageing speed, I just this morning got a message from the guys who make the Whisky Works kit, which will apply to all small barrels: even though the ratio of surface area to volume in a 1-litre cask is about 5 times greater, that doesn't seem to mean a 5 times faster maturation. Lots of other influences are at play, like temperature, humidity, air quality, etc. The whisky will also mature quickly at the beginning, then slow down over time.

It's a fun project either way - go for it!

[mikeymad]

I remember these guys. A while ago a friend of mine was looking for half barrels for a party (fill it with ice and beverages). So I was looking around for him (being up in wine country he found them for really cheep).

But I did come across this site, and found it interesting.

One thing that I was thinking of doing is getting a 1 or two liter barrel and dump a couple of bottles of young (cheap) but okay beverage in there (balvinie 10, Speyburn 8, Bowmore Legacy, etc (not together)). Then take a pull of it every month or so and see what it does over a year or more.

It is not that much money.

hmmmmmm..... maybe and order is in order....

I could get my own Share....

Cheers,

[IainB]

I think I've posted on this before somewhere but I got a couple of 5L and 1L barrells from 1000 Oaks. I filled one of the 5L barrells with barely legal bargain basement bourbon. Tested it about a year later, and it had definitely aged well beyond what one year in a standard cask would do. Unfortunately I've no scientific measurement on this but based on taste and colour I'd say it added somewhere between 5 - 10 years. It actually turned out very well, especially compared to what had gone in there.

A word of warning though, I wouldn't necesseraly put a single malt in straight away - remember these are new charred barrells - SM's are almost never matured in these - so you might want to put some cheap bourbon something in there first to "season" the cask! (That was my intention with the bourbon).

I also filled a 1L barrell with cheap rum. 5 months later the barrell was completely empty, wihtout any help on my part. No sign of stain under the barrell indcating a leak. I think the angels where I live must really like rum.

[LeoDLion]

I have two 1-litter barrel that I bought from another place here in Texas. I filled each with 1-liter McClellan Islay whisky. Its been sitting in my bar since Aug. 1,2007 so thats about 6 months. I think its time to sample and I will this weekend.

[mikeymad]

Good points IainB. I would have to consider the pre-beverage. Maybe make a sherry cask.. hmmmmm

Cheers LeoDLion, Let us know how it goes.

I would also recommend getting some sample bottles and saving it off at various stages, then you can go back and try a flight of them and see how it changes.

Cheers,

[Deactivated Member]

I have just ordered a 1L cask.

I wonder what I'll stick in it first...

[irishwhiskeychaser]

I lost this thread and posted on another a while back. I hope to recieve my 1lt Cask next week.

I basically have a liter or 5yo Cooley Irish Whiskey. I have also purchased some Amontillado Sherry (Which is actually a mix of Palomino & Pedro Ximenez) to doctor the cask.

SO my question is this ..... how should I do it.....
Lob in all the sherry in and leave it for a while?
Put in a small bit and wait till it all soaks into the wood?

or what?

[ihember]

I cured my cask by pouring in an entire bottle (750ml) of sherry and leaving it for a couple weeks. The sherry transformed from something that was just all right into something that was remarkably tasty in that time. The whisky that's in the cask now is picking up the fruit and the sweetness on the nose so far, but the taste is only slowly developing a fruitiness. You can't rush greatness, as they say....

[Deactivated Member]

I think I'm going to try one of the cheap, young whiskies from Lidl or Aldi to see if they can be matured into something a little more...

[IainB]

I lost this thread and posted on another a while back. I hope to recieve my 1lt Cask next week.

I basically have a liter or 5yo Cooley Irish Whiskey. I have also purchased some Amontillado Sherry (Which is actually a mix of Palomino & Pedro Ximenez) to doctor the cask.

SO my question is this ..... how should I do it.....
Lob in all the sherry in and leave it for a while?
Put in a small bit and wait till it all soaks into the wood?

or what?

I'd put in the whole sherry. You may get a better sherry, and more importantly, you'll get an even "soakage". Also, the barrell needs to have a decen amount of liquid to be waterproof. This sounds strange I know but when you first get the barrell you have to fill it with hot water and leave it to swell you that it becomes fully waterproof. If it dries out it will contract and you may get leakage. For the same reason you need to rotate the barrell every one in a while.

When you do fill it put it on some sort of drip tray as you can get the odd drop leaking out at the start.

[RufusA]

I wonder if Ledaig NAS could be turned in to something?

Or is it like Ridley Scott's Alien blood that will burn a hole in anything it comes in contact with?

Rufus.

[irishwhiskeychaser]

I'd put in the whole sherry. You may get a better sherry, and more importantly, you'll get an even "soakage". Also, the barrell needs to have a decen amount of liquid to be waterproof. This sounds strange I know but when you first get the barrell you have to fill it with hot water and leave it to swell you that it becomes fully waterproof. If it dries out it will contract and you may get leakage. For the same reason you need to rotate the barrell every one in a while.

When you do fill it put it on some sort of drip tray as you can get the odd drop leaking out at the start.

Thanks Iain

[mikeymad]

I almost pulled the trigger on one of these over the weekend. I was looking at a 2 x 1L barrel deal. That way I could play with them back a forth.

And it sounds like it would be just fun to have barrel's around.

Cheers,

[irishwhiskeychaser]

This arrived just a while ago ....



a 29yo Bunnahabhain on the left and a 5yo Cooley on the right which is to be the guinea pig

Let the games begin

[Deactivated Member]

Hmm, mine still hasn't arrived. Should be this week, hopefully.

[Willie JJ]

This arrived just a while ago ....



a 29yo Bunnahabhain on the left and a 5yo Cooley on the right which is to be the guinea pig

Let the games begin

Wow, that looks like a lot of fun! Hmm ...

[Newbie]

Looks like an really interesting experiement!

Wouldn't mind trying it but knowing my luck it would turn out horrible! Some how I don't think any distillery will be happy with me butchering their whisky!

[irishwhiskeychaser]

Hmm, mine still hasn't arrived. Should be this week, hopefully.

Mine took over 3 weeks to arrive

Typically I mailed them on Friday and it arrives next working day (Today Monday)

[Deactivated Member]

Are you planning to add any sherry or anything first, or are you just sticking the whisky straight in?

[irishwhiskeychaser]

Yes I was just about ask another question here ....

After curing it with water .....

I will use Amontillado(Contains Pedro Ximenez) to soak the cask before adding the Whiskey.

I was wondering from anybody who has done this before if they toasted their cask and if so how did they do it?

[Deactivated Member]

If you read through Ian Hember's blog, linked further up, he says that it was already pre-toasted (although from a different supplier, I think) and he pre-soaked it with water and then sherry.

I think before doing anything you should read the full blog for a good idea of what he's tried already and the results.

[LeoDLion]

I bought two 1-liter oak barrels from a shop here in Texas and last August 2006, I filled it with McClellan whisky. Yesterday, I tasted the contents. I also poured a dram from an original bottle for comparison.

Here is my observations:
The 7-month old has a smoother taste. There is also a definite sweetness like blueberries but not very sweet. There is also an oaky taste from the wood barrel. The color is much darker than the original. A world of difference in the smell. It has a deeper more pronounced smell slightly sweet and the original does not have any smell at all except it smell of alcohol and kind of bland.

I need to add that I am very excited about this you would think I created a $5,000 Bowmore! Just the thought of being able to create a completely difference but much better tasting whisky in your home is so exhilirating.

There is much evaporation because the barrel is lighter than when I filled it up originally. I should weigh it but my guess is it lost more than half of its original weight.

Its definitely an improvement. If one month in the 1-liter barrel is one year, than I added 7 seven years to this whisky. I will let the 2 1-liter aged some more and probably get some more.

[ihember]

Yeah, my cask arrived pre-toasted, though was indeed from a different supplier. You can re-char a cask by completely draining it, letting it dry for a few hours, then sticking a butane torch through the spigot hole or bung. I haven't tried it myself, and can't tell you how long to use the torch. Keep in mind, these small casks have a thinner wall, so if you get too excited and want a deep char, you might end up burning your cask through, so be careful!

Expect your whisky to get a lot darker very quickly. Mine has developed a butterscotchy sweetness to the nose, though the palate is more complex, with spice and oak and vanilla and chocolate mixing with a hint of smoke. It's changed pretty dramatically from the un-aged whisky I put in, and it's been only 6 weeks. You can read about it here if you're curious.

[irishwhiskeychaser]

If you read through Ian Hember's blog, linked further up, he says that it was already pre-toasted (although from a different supplier, I think) and he pre-soaked it with water and then sherry.

I think before doing anything you should read the full blog for a good idea of what he's tried already and the results.

Thanks for the heads up .... interesting all right but i fear this guy is fumbling in the dark and guessing his way through from limited knowledge (and nothing wrong with that either, the only way to learn) but because of that I would take his experience with a grain of salt.

This will hopefully be a longer term project and I intend to leave the sherry in the cask for months rather than days as he did.


All I need to know now is it possible that I can toast my cask after the sherry stage

[IainB]

Why would you toast the cask after the sherry stage?

I think the 1000oaks barrells are pre toasted.

[Deactivated Member]

I suppose that's sort of what they do with sherry casks now, to burn-in the sherry before transporting to distilleries so that it doesn't go off. And which is the cause of all JM's complaints about sulphur.

[IainB]

That's the point though, isn't it? From what I read not all distilleries do this, and those that don't seem to have a better quality stock of oak. Or at least according to Jim Murray. Also, for example , Irish distillers have a lear policy about when the move their sherry barrells to avoud the use of sulphur.

As to how you'd re-toast - you'd need to take them apart. Maybe for mini barrells you could get a mini cooper!

[irishwhiskeychaser]

I don't think sulphur has much to do with the toasting of the barrels...

The majority of bourbon barrels (if not all) are toasted and it can give the whiskey a great colour ..... as does darker sherries like olorosso. But toasting also can change other wood flavour profiles in your whiskey and most importantly prevents it from getting too oaky.

So toasting on new wood (like mine ) can be a very important factor in the end product.

[irishwhiskeychaser]

Why would you toast the cask after the sherry stage?

I actually don't know when I should be doing it

I think I'll have to leave it anyway as it appears to be impossible to do

[IainB]

Why would you toast the cask after the sherry stage?

I actually don't know when I should be doing it

I think I'll have to leave it anyway as it appears to be impossible to do

I think the toasting generally comes first - and you're right - there is a good reason - it helps to open up the wood. Where did you get the barrels - I'm pretty sure mine were toasted - judging from the smell and colour of the water coming out after the initial seasoning.