Aging and flavoring with wood chips

[Jokester]

I was thinking of trying to "age" some cheap vodka I got sitting around that is plain undrinkable without mixing, and thought I'd try a aging and flavoring with that.

So a nice google search lead me to this - Buy cherry wood chips for smoking meat @ Walmart. Then toast it @ 350 for 1hr.

Here is my question, can I throw in that into the bottle ? Or do I need to put it into a glass bottle ?
How often if even to shake it ?
I don't plan on tasting it till it turns atleast the color I want to try it so how long before it turns to the color of say makers mark.

Apparently makers mark does something similar but with a barrel ? that true ?

Thanks.
Srinath.

 

[Grod1]

makers mark is Bourbon not barrel aged vodka.

 

[madscientist451]

I don't drink hard liquor anymore, but it sounds like you want to make the "undrinkable without mixing" vodka better by adding some wood character?
Its not going to work. The better, smoother vodka and other spirits are run though the still more than once and some other techniques are used that I won't get in to because we aren't supposed to discuss distilling methods here.
Bottom line: Don't buy cheap vodka. Best advice: Make high quality homemade cider, wine and beer and you'll stop drinking distilled spirits and be way happier.

 

[cetlin]

I was thinking of trying to "age" some cheap vodka I got sitting around that is plain undrinkable without mixing, and thought I'd try a aging and flavoring with that.

So a nice google search lead me to this - Buy cherry wood chips for smoking meat @ Walmart. Then toast it @ 350 for 1hr.

Here is my question, can I throw in that into the bottle ? Or do I need to put it into a glass bottle ?
How often if even to shake it ?
I don't plan on tasting it till it turns atleast the color I want to try it so how long before it turns to the color of say makers mark.

Apparently makers mark does something similar but with a barrel ? that true ?

Thanks.
Srinath.

How much are you going to add? lb/gal?

 

[bucketnative]

Go for it, and report back in this thread. It seems a bit alchemistic.. lead into gold and all that. But, it's a fairly cheap experiment.

 

[Jokester]

The cherry chips are in the bottle for a day, very light toast and ~4-5oz by volume, and in 1 day its turned the color of light beer. If it gets to the color of caramel, I'll be in chipping them pronto.
I may get that distilled 10 times vodka next if it even improves it slightly. This is crappy vodka. I'll be glad to finish it one way or another.

 

[cetlin]

Cheap vodka may be made from things like potatoes...

 

[Jokester]

makers mark is Bourbon not barrel aged vodka.

Didn't even know there was something called barrel aged vodka. LOL. Now I know.

 

[Grod1]

neither did I, but now abdays you can get anything barrel aged.maple syrup, vinegar, cold brew coffee...

 

[Jokester]

The vodka tastes better, nearly good enough to be drunk neat, but mixing with lemon - it needs a whole lot less lemon. I didn't toast the chips enough too. Next run I will.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

All whisky is essentially (but not literally) barrel-aged vodka, in the same way that all gin is essentially flavoured vodka. The details vary (and can be very important), but at heart that's all they are.

 

[nobadays]

Another trick that will really take the "edge" off is to run it through a Brita filter 2-3 times. The better - read smoother - vodkas are quite often charcoal filtered.

I use this trick when I make "Whiskey" with Everclear - cut with distilled water to about 80 proof then sealed in a glass jar with about a cup or so of Jack Daniels smoking chips for a month or two. Then run it through the Brita. Strips some of the color but really removes the harshness. Makes a pretty good "whiskey" !

Cheers! Don

 

[applescrap]

I got this bottle of bad tequila and put it in my garage a year or two ago. Drank some a couple months ago and it was nice. Perhaps age it and then chip it before drinking. No need to shake put chips in and pull vodka when flavor is where you want it, I am guessing.

 

[Jokester]

Coffee beans in a bottle of vodka is awesome, I started doing that to whisky but pretty soon decided vodka was better.