Here we are almost 2 months into the re-barrel and the changes are evident but slower now that the weather has turned below freezing at night. The color has stayed pretty consistent; still a shade darker than the reference sample. The nose has changed as has the taste. I mentioned in my previous post at Day 14 that there was a fruity quality to it. At this point of the project the oak and char is playing a more dominant role as well as leather popping through. At first taste, the rye is still apparent on the palate but now there's a bit more sweetness on the backend of the finish. I have some relatives visiting from the U.K. and I got the thumbs up from an impartial taster so it appears we're progressing nicely.
Because of the winter weather, updates on this project will probably come in at longer intervals as I expect the changes to be less dramatic until warmer weather settles in. I'll continue to dip into the barrel and if I find there's a change worth mentioning, I'll be sure to post my notes. If any of you are conducting a re-barrel project of your own, please post some comments on how you're progressing. Cheers.
Just a couple of questions I hadn't thought of at the start, but how long are you anticipating letting the bourbon age? A year? Two? And when will you think about pulling the bourbon out? Are you anticipating a certain flavor profile? Finally, what will you do with the barrel once this batch is deemed ready? There are some home brewers that would love it I'm pretty sure!
ReplyDeleteAs for the length of time, I'll simply monitor and when I think the flavor profile isn't progressing the way I think, I'll pull it. I don't have any expectation as to a flavor profile, my intent is to see if I think it's improved or not or just changed from the original. As present, I think it's pretty good. The barrel, as has been suggested by other bourbon folks, will be re-used for another re-barrel. At this point I'm hoping the current contents will progress into the summer so I can at least get one warm season from the barrel. After that, I may head back into DC and pick up some Old Grand Dad or JW Dant BIB from the '80's and re-barrel that. We'll see what happens.
ReplyDeleteWhen you do a rebarrel, does the barrel have to be completely filled when you initially fill it? I'm thinking about getting 2 Old Grand-Dad 1.75L bottles, but there aren't any barrels made that are exactly 3.5L. Also, what does being back in a barrel do to the proof?
ReplyDeleteEhtan - I would suggest you try to fill it up but not to the very top....leave a little air at the top of the barrel. Get another 1L of the OGD to give yourself 4.5L which should be good. As for the proof, I think it you are able to go through a hot season, the proof should increase slightly. My friend did a re-barrel of Old Bourbon Hollow BIB and trying the bourbon after 18 months, I think the proof has increased although there's no way for me to test it.
ReplyDeleteSo now I've finally secured permanent employment (And a paycheck!) and I dug the walk out going to the garage so it may soon be time to do my re-barrel project. I've been doing a lot of thinking and watching how your project is going and also talked with Dick Stoll, who was Master Distiller at Michter's back in the day. So now I have a few options I'd like to run past you. The first is of course the OGD BIB idea that I've been going with. Another is Rittenhouse BIB rye. Then there is Weller Antique 107 also. Lastly, I can get that Georgia Moon corn whiskey at the local state store for dirt cheap in Mason jar form. Since that is unaged, I have been wondering what would happen if I were to age it. Would it come out like a very corny bourbon???
ReplyDeleteEthan,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on getting a job. You'll find that money thing is nice to have. The whiskey's you list are all good choices in my opinion. My preference would be to do a bourbon/rye rebarrel before doing a corn whiskey, which I will do eventually. In my opinion, the OGD is getting some better than average marks right now so using that as your rebarrel bourbon might be a good idea. The thing to keep in mind, and what I've found with my barrel, is the oak quality really starts off fast and may turn the bourbon before you know it. It's due to the small barrel size and such. Since mine has been somewhat dormant the last couple of months, I've left mine in the barrel for now but once the weather begins to warm up, I'll be watching it very closely. It's good your getting some feedback from an industry professional as it can only help in the long run.