Preserving bourbon barrel

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roadymi

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We took a trip down to Tennessee last week and toured the Jack Daniels plant. It was very interesting and totally free. If your in the area I highly recommend it.

We then went into town and visited the old Hardware that markets the used barrels. I bought a freshly emptied / not enhanced barrel for $85. I was wondering if any of you has used wooden barrels from year to year and if you did anything special to preserve them. I know they need to remain moist on inside, not sure of the best way to maintain the moisture til next fall.

Interesting fact: New barrel weighs 85#, freshly drained barrel weighs on avg 144#. There is nearly 60# of Jack waiting to infuse into my cider!
 
Jack Daniels is NOT bourbon!

Other than that, I think you're on the right track by keeping the barrel wet. Either keep a batch in it all the time (if you can) or if not, be sure to keep the inside of the barrel moist/wet. Maybe even keep the barrel full of water if it's not full of something else.

Brian
 
My Bad.......JD is defenitely WHISKEY.

I hesitate to fill with water for fear of diluting the taste.

I can't get fresh pressed cider until next fall.

My theory is to pour a fifth in and rotate on occasion. I even considered covering with a large trash bag to prevent evaporation. It has a tight bung so really I should just to contain what might evaporate through the wood.
 
True--JD is certainly whiskey.

Also true that filling with water might dilute the flavor. I guess I hadn't thought of that. If a fifth or two keeps the interior wood moist and keeping the bung in prevents evaporation then I guess you'd be okay.

But I've never used a barrel...so don't put a whole lot of stock in my opinion. :)

Brian
 
I have never used one, but THIS podcast from Basic Brewing Radio has great info on that subject.

05-10-07 Basic Brewing Radio - Aging with Oak
Thursday, May 10, 2007 4:30 PM
Dan Carey, Brewmaster of New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin, shares his tips on aging beer in oak chips and in oak barrels.

Click to Listen-mp3

IIRC he goes into great detail about how to reconsititute, sanitize and maintain them.
 
Jack Daniels is NOT bourbon!
Brian

Its not?

"Jack Daniel's is a brand of sour mash Tennessee whiskey that is among the world's best-selling liquors and is known for its square bottles and black label. Although the product generally meets the regulatory criteria for classification as a straight bourbon, the company disavows this classification and markets it simply as Tennessee whiskey rather than as Tennessee bourbon"

"Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky (which, in turn, was named after the French House of Bourbon royal family). It has been produced since the 18th century. While it may be made anywhere in the United States, it is strongly associated with Kentucky.

Whiskey sold as Tennessee whiskey is also defined as Bourbon under NAFTA and is required to meet the legal definition of Bourbon under Canadian law, but some makers of Tennessee whiskey do not label their product as Bourbon and insist that it is a different type of whiskey when marketing their product."
 
The way barrels are usually stored is with a sanitising solution of metabisulfite and citric acid, I don't know how much they add. I don't think you have to fill the barrels completely.
 
Thanks Revvy.........great link, very informative.

the metabisulfite and citric acid seems the way to go.

Dang 53 gallons is a lot of cider. I'm thinking of shooting for around 8-10% ABV and leave it in the barrel for a whole year. Put it in Wine bags (can't imagine bottling 53 gallons) then refill and start the following years batch.
 
Damn I'm so jealous, 85$ for a 53 gallon barrel is the deal of a lifetime, and it's also infused with the best bourbon in the world.
I too also thought that Jack is bourbon since the only two types of whisky I know about are bourbon and scotch.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Benthic View Post
Jack Daniels is NOT bourbon!
Brian
Its not?

"Jack Daniel's is a brand of sour mash Tennessee whiskey that is among the world's best-selling liquors and is known for its square bottles and black label. Although the product generally meets the regulatory criteria for classification as a straight bourbon, the company disavows this classification and markets it simply as Tennessee whiskey rather than as Tennessee bourbon"

"Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky (which, in turn, was named after the French House of Bourbon royal family). It has been produced since the 18th century. While it may be made anywhere in the United States, it is strongly associated with Kentucky.

Whiskey sold as Tennessee whiskey is also defined as Bourbon under NAFTA and is required to meet the legal definition of Bourbon under Canadian law, but some makers of Tennessee whiskey do not label their product as Bourbon and insist that it is a different type of whiskey when marketing their product."
It's actually really simple. Jack can't be called bourbon because they add a step to their process that a true bourbon does not have ... they mellow the spirit in charcoal to make it taste smoother before putting it to cask. Regular JD is mellowed once before aging and gentleman Jack is mellowed twice(before and after). all other true bourbon are never mellowed ! And that is why they call it Sour Mash instead of bourbon ... legally, they cant call it bourbon.
 
I got my hands on a Tuthilltown barrel this week.

I found this article to be a big help.
http://***********/stories/techniques/article/indices/8-aging/952-keeping-it-clean'
 
Not sure about keeping it sanitized etc, but I know some Scotch companies in Europe that age in bourbon barrels will occasionally re-char the barrel before use to get more flavor out of the barrel
 
It's actually really simple. Jack can't be called bourbon because they add a step to their process that a true bourbon does not have ... they mellow the spirit in charcoal to make it taste smoother before putting it to cask. Regular JD is mellowed once before aging and gentleman Jack is mellowed twice(before and after). all other true bourbon are never mellowed ! And that is why they call it Sour Mash instead of bourbon ... legally, they cant call it bourbon.

I guess you missed 90% of my last post.

"Jack Daniel's is a brand of sour mash Tennessee whiskey that is among the world's best-selling liquors and is known for its square bottles and black label. Although the product generally meets the regulatory criteria for classification as a straight bourbon, the company disavows this classification and markets it simply as Tennessee whiskey rather than as Tennessee bourbon"

Legally it is considered a Bourbon according to the ATF.

"(1)(i) “Bourbon whisky”, “rye whisky”, “wheat whisky”, “malt whisky”, or “rye malt whisky” is whisky produced at not exceeding 160 deg. proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn, rye, wheat, malted barley, or malted rye grain, respectively, and stored at not more than 125 deg. proof in charred new oak containers; and also includes mixtures of such whiskies of the same type.

(ii) “Corn whisky” is whisky produced at not exceeding 160 deg. proof from a fermented mash of not less than 80 percent corn grain, and if stored in oak containers stored at not more than 125 deg. proof in used or uncharred new oak containers and not subjected in any manner to treatment with charred wood; and also includes mixtures of such whisky.

(iii) Whiskies conforming to the standards prescribed in paragraphs (b)(1)(i) and (ii) of this section, which have been stored in the type of oak containers prescribed, for a period of 2 years or more shall be further designated as “straight”; for example, “straight bourbon whisky”, “straight corn whisky”, and whisky conforming to..."


Not that I care since I don't like JD. Just pointing out what I found during a quick search for the definition of "Bourbon".
So as far as the OP is concerned his barrel is a Bourbon barrel.
Sorry for getting off topic. :)

.
 
It's not really a deal, it is their everyday price. You just need to drive to TN to pick it up. Fortunately it fit in the back of my wife's Ford Flex with ease.

You can spend more if you want the big heavy JD #7 Brand on one end, and even more if you want it varnished, and even more if you want it branded and varnished. I was happy with plain and it does have the factory stamp on the end of the barrel.
 
Jack Daniels is a whiskey because they filter it through charcoal to get rid of the bourbon flavour at least that's what the tour guide told me I too toured the distillery and would recommend doing so if your in Tennessee
 
And I'm jealous you've got a barrel I live in England think the barrel might exceed baggage weight on the plane would love to have a jd barrel to brew in
 
I've lived in Tennessee for almost 4 years now and have yet to go om the JD tour. A few of my German coworkers did, however, and managed to bring the empty barrels back to Germany with them... I'm not sure how they managed that feat. I'm more of a Jameson fan personally, but that is a pretty good deal on the barrel. If nothing else, it would make for a cool decoration in my basement, or I could make it into a piece of furniture.
 
Jack Daniels is a whiskey because they filter it through charcoal to get rid of the bourbon flavour at least that's what the tour guide told me I too toured the distillery and would recommend doing so if your in Tennessee

The tour guide was wrong.

Jack Daniels IS a bourbon, according to both the legal definition of bourbon in the United States and according to the conventional definition of bourbon.

Charcoal filtering is something that is not done much outside of Tennessee, but charcoal flavoring does not make a bourbon no longer a bourbon. Just like adding vanilla to a beer doesn't make it no longer a beer. Charcoal filtering DOES add flavor, but it does not "get rid" of any flavor.

As a pretty big whiskey drinker, I'm quite familiar with different kinds of whiskey, especially bourbon as it is my favorite kind (and Gentleman Jack, which is twice charcoal filtered, is my favorite by JD). I also was in Tennessee just a few weeks ago and bought quite a few different Tennessee whiskeys. They are ALL bourbons.

It's mainly state pride that makes them call it Tennessee whiskey. As I said and as others have said, Jack Daniels meets every single legal requirement to be called a bourbon, which is:
1. It must be made within the United States. Jack Daniels meets this requirement. Although bourbon is most associated with Kentucky, it can be made in any state, including Hawaii, Alaska, Rhode Island, and so on. In fact, I bought some bourbon from a distillery up near San Francisco, California where I used to live. The guy there said "People from Kentucky will swear up and down that it's not bourbon if it's not from Kentucky or Tennessee. History and the law disagrees with them."
2. It must be made from at least 51% corn (in regards to the grain bill). Jack Daniels meets this requirement. You'll notice that Scottish (Scotch) and Irish whiskeys are primarily made from barley.
3. It must be aged in NEW CHARRED OAK barrels. Jack Daniels meets this requirement too. You'll also notice that Scottish (Scotch) and Irish whiskeys usually use USED oak barrels, some of them charred and some of them not charred (many of them bourbon barrels sent from the US). I have also heard of Scotch companies that used dark rum barrels from Central or South America.
4. It cannot be distilled to more than 80% ABV. Jack Daniels meets this requirement. Different kinds of whiskeys have different requirements for this.
5. It cannot be bottled at less than 40% ABV. Jack Daniels meets this requirement. Again, different kinds of whiskeys have different requirements for this.

Note, unlike most countries, there is no requirement for how long bourbon needs to be aged with the single exception of "straight bourbon" which needs to be aged for 2 years and must have the age written on the bottle if it is less than 4 years old.

If your whiskey meets all 5 of the requirements above, it is bourbon regardless of whether you filter it through charcoal, filter it through hops, filter it through moss, or whatever you want to do.

Therefore, Jack Daniels is bourbon by every definition possible. Tennessee folks just don't like the association that bourbon has with Kentucky, so they demand on calling it Tennessee whiskey... which is just another name for "bourbon from Tennessee."
 
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