Barrel aged Wray and Nephew

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Mon Apr 14, 2014 10:06 am

So it appears Josh at Inu A Kena beat me to the execution of the idea I've long been having. http://inuakena.com/misc/solera-aging-rum-at-home/ (Jimbo you commented on his post and didn't say anything here!)

After just one month in a 2L barrel:

The result was fantastic. The new charred American oak rounded out the famously funky and raw J Wray, giving it big smoke notes and imparting a bit of vanilla.

Also, the color looks like a dead ringer for Appleton 12, but that's neither here nor there.

A while back, I was given an empty 5L Rhum Clément barrel by the owner of my favorite bar when I told him about my idea to do something similar (in an attempt to get close to the mythical 17 year old WN of Mai Tai fame). However, I think the barrel needs re-charring, and I'm not sure at all how to do that. Furthermore, 5L is a lot, tying up a LOT of rum, and I can imagine that to get a decent amount of "age" on it will take a while. http://bootleggersbarrels.com/page/barrel-faqs says to get the equivalent of 1 year on a 2L barrel, 58 days are required. More for 5L.

I'm also curious at Josh's tasting notes on his 30 day, 2L product: the guy who gave me the Clément barrel said that in his opinion, 5L was the smallest one could go without the finished product "just tasting like wood," citing a Virginia single malt producer that does fast-aging, whose products apparently all taste of nothing but oak.

So as you can imagine, I'm torn. Do I attempt to char the 5L barrel, put in $100 worth of rum, or just get that cheap 2L barrel Josh got and hope it also comes out "fantastic"

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Mon Apr 14, 2014 1:17 pm

There is no such thing as fast aging...

Never has been, never will be, at least in the sense of micro barrels. Small barrel aging (15 liter and up) has been repeatedly attempted and has never succeeded. This was well covered in Chuck Cowdery's wonderful books, especially one of his e-books "Small Barrels Make Lousy Whisky":

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Barrels-Pro ... B006X9UD2W

Friends, don't deny yourself any longer - you can get the Kindle version for a mere 99 cents right now, and you don't need a Kindle to read it (you can read it using Amazon's Cloud Reader). Order it now, read it now, memorize it and please, please understand that fast aging is nothing more than the marketing wet dream of the ADI (American Distilling Institute) and their suckers, er customers who are led to buy mucho expensive stills, training and mini-cooperage based on this hopeful but very silly pseudo-process.

So why can't it work?

Simple. It is well known that wood aging involves three basis processes: additiive (the wood adds components to the rum), subtractive (removes components) and interactive (wood and rum components interact to form new components). The bad news? There are multiple processes and interactions that do NOT occur simultanously, but in different ways and at different times and get this: completely independent of barrel size.

What the "fast agers" want you to believe is that the whole idea of aging concerns surface area to rum ratio, ie the more square inches of wood per liter, the "faster" the aging. Is this true? No, no, non, nix, neggies and no fackin way! No. No! NO!! And, uh, not on your life. Ever. Period. See above.

In fact micro-barrel "fast aging" is a good way to completely ruin a rum. Still, if you can get a decent micro-barrel, W&N is not all that expensive, but I'd be tasting it daily as the road to ruin won't take very long and do keep in mind: what you will get is not aged rum...

bearmark · Post by **bearmark** » Mon Apr 14, 2014 1:49 pm

If what you mean by fast aging is that you can't get a 5 year old rum in 1 year by aging it in a smaller barrel (or other means), then I agree... it's a 1 year old rum. It might be good and it might have some of the characteristics of a 5 year old rum (presumably the reason for doing this), but it's not a 5 year old rum. It's clear that distillate aged in a different climate, barrel size, building environment, etc. have their flavor affected differently, but it doesn't increase the age. I'm assuming that this is what you're referring to, but you seem to have some (unstated) minimum age in mind for an "aged rum."

One example is Garrison Brothers Straight Bourbon, which is aged in Hye, TX for about 26-30 months (per the distiller). Note that Straight Bourbon must be aged a minimum of 2 years per regulation. I can attest that this bourbon is on the highly-oaked side of the scale, similar to an aged bourbon, although it doesn't have some of the other characteristics of an aged bourbon (e.g. complexity, pronounced caramel, vanilla, fruits, reduced tannins, etc.). The hot Texas heat is not kind to aging distillate and producers lose about 25% per year to evaporation. Based on the results, I'm not sure that Texas Straight Bourbon is a good idea, but at least their not trying to call it 15 year old bourbon and I appreciate their honesty.

As far as the fast aging crowd, I'm okay with them claiming some of the benefits that they believe are achieved as long as they call it what it is. For example, if they want to say that they have a rum that is aged for 2 years but tastes like a 10 year old rum, I'm okay with that as long as it says on the label that it is actually aged 2 years. Let's say that they have a product with this on the label, "HyperDrive Rum 10 (aged 2 years using proprietary fast aging process to approximate 10 years)." I would be fine with that, but I would NOT be okay with, "HyperDrive 10 Year Old Rum." I would even be okay with the producer claiming that their rum tastes like a 10 year old rum as long as they didn't claim that it was a 10 year old rum.

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Mon Apr 14, 2014 3:32 pm

I'm not trying to get 5 or however many years on the WN, or claim it's anything it's not, I just would like to experience the same thing Josh enjoyed - a "rounding out" of WN. Something that would make for very interesting sipping with some water, or would make a ridiculous cocktail without the fire and burn of straight WN.

(before you think otherwise, I do occasionally sip it over an ice cube and use it in some tiki-type drinks as is)

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Capn's Log: your experiment's goal seems to be how to make an overproof more sippable. I'd love for you to conduct Josh's trial as whatever effect a short dip will have (mostly tannin and color, extractives) it will change the basic profile and character of the spirit. OTOH adding two teaspoons of water will bring it down to 46% which for most, ought be the goal for sippability (I'd start with one).

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Tue Apr 15, 2014 8:32 am

This bears clarification...

Bear: I'm OK with... "HyperDrive Rum 10 (aged 2 years using proprietary fast aging process to approximate 10 years)."

If that were even roughly true (a 2 yr approximating a 10 yr), we'd all be fine with that. But it'll never happen in small or micro barrels (15 gallons or less). Never. Again...

...wood aging involves three basis processes: additiive (the wood adds components to the rum), subtractive (removes components) and interactive (wood and rum components interact to form new components). The bad news? There are multiple processes and interactions that do NOT occur simultanously, but in different ways and at different times and get this: completely independent of barrel size.

To clarify there are many different processes - but they do NOT occur at the same time. For example some of the interactive processes may occur only after many years and based on earlier processes and interactions involving oxidation. A micro or small barrel can't accelerate these. Specifically, it is impossible for a micro-barrelled 1 year old to "taste just like a (traditionally barrelled) 10 year old". It can't be done. Believe me if "fast aging" were possible, all the distillers would be doing it if for no other reason than greatly increased profits.

The most famous trial...

Buffalo Trace, whose expertise and dedication to cooperage cannot be doubted. They took a quantity of some very good new make and aged it for five years in 5, 10 and 15 gallon barrels against a standard 53 gallon barrel (all prepared in like fashion). They they constantly sampled and compared the bourbons. The results, as reported by Cowdery:

1. The angel's losses for the micro barrels was massive (the 5 gal. lost 50% of the spirit).

2. Color was the first to change and quickly. But about taste?

3. Per Cowdery the bourbon from the 5 and 10 gallon barrels was undrinkable. From the 15? Barely drinkable and as Cowdery put it "in a pinch only".

4. All three were unbalanced, and featured "more unpleasant flavors than good ones". The highly unusual taste of "raw wood" was common to all. Cowdery points out that this was due to the bourbon pushing out past the toasted/charred carmelized layer into the raw wood beyond (which does not happen in traditional barrels).

5. All three had no body, no richness and expressed excessive tannin-like bitterness.

Cowdery states that micro-barrels will work but only for the very briefest of aging to take the edge off of "white dog", and perhaps add a bit of color but little else. None of the traditional aging effects will be achieved. In no way can even this very brief aging compare in any way to real and traditional aging. Leave the spirit in a micro-barrel for more than a brief dunk and it will be ruined.

To all: Cowdery is a well published hard cover spirits author. His e-book on the failure of small barrel aging was published as a long article and not as a book. For a lousy 99 cents it really is a must buy as your understanding of aging will be well served.

Do it! In closing I'd discuss the underlying issue (extractives, related to wood area and oxidation, which is not) but that depends on you...

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http://www.amazon.com/Small-Barrels-Pro ... B006X9UD2W