Recycle Scrap Wood for the Enhancement of Spirits.

The Idea is, that since alcohol does not age in glass, to use charred wood chips in your bottled spirits, to enhance the flavors of the spirits. This can, if done carefully, have the same effect as aging the spirits in a barrel

This Instructable will explain how to make your own chips, how to use them, and how they are supposed to effect your spirits. You may even pick up a few pointers on spirits from the information I have researched.

I came across this idea, and forgot where I found it, so I can not give credit. It was not here - I am pretty sure. It seems to be getting fairly popular, as more people are making fuel alcohol. They must not be claiming some of that fuel on their taxes.

This is a wordy one. I did not have any personal photos on this yet and tried to publish it and it was sent back for that reason. I did some searching on the internet tonight and came up with some pretty good shots of stock photos. Hope this is OK.

Enjoy.

Step 1 Materials

The things you will need are:

Some pieces of scrap wood
a sheet of foil wrap
and oven

Head out to the work shop and find yourself some scrap pieces of red oak (traditional). I will mention a few personal thoughts on this topic at the end.

Cut the pieces into good solid 1/2 dollar coin size (area wise) pieces that will fit into the neck of your glass spirit bottles. This step is really up to you, as far as the shape goes. What am I saying everything is up to you. This is just a guide.

You can cut the pieces in any shape you like, but it is advisable to tell you to set a standard for yourself so that you can better judge the amount to use from your experiences. So, if you use small pieces you can add more if you have to next time. if you use large pieces you can add half a piece next time. It will depend on your personal results. So, try to make a standard size for yourself.

Pre-heat your oven to 200F. I believe it was 200F (they did not specify) - 200C seems pretty high for the length of time recommended.

Comments

[admin]

Hey, this is a great instructable and is very informative. Just one thing is missing... pictures! It really helps a lot when trying to follow directions so you should consider taking some photographs. Once you do that and leave me a message when you have so that we can publish your work. Thanks! Thanks for the cool instructable and we hope to publish this soon!

[Qcks]

Just a bit of info on the wood...

Different types of woods will produce different flavors depending on how charred they get. Generally speaking, the more you char the wood the greater the vanilla character will be. This is in part due to the chemistry of vanillin, which you can google, and charcoal's tendency to form benzene-like structures (minus hydrogen... usually.).

After that... Vodka actually isn't a grain alcohol. It's made from potatoes. I you freeze a potato solid, and then let it thaw the potatoe naturally converts it's starch into pure glucose. If you've ever left a bag of potatoes out in the cold, that's why they get so stinky.
As a result, Vodka is specifically distilled to get rid of any flavor, cause really... no one wants to suck on a rotten potatoe.

[rhayes1]

Qcks sounds like an informed distiller so I will ask his opinion: if you run the potatoe mash through a reflux still and through a thumper would the taste be better? I had a bumper crop of potatoes last year.

[motorbicycle]

When the starches in potatoes convert from freezing, is there enough enzymes to ferment potatoes alone or do you have to add them?

Also on topic. I work with wood a lot, be careful and stay away from the more fragrent woods... They actually contain toxins! Cherry is what they make poisons out of and bugs stay away from cedar for this very reason!!!

Use maple/ and even oak has very mild toxins!

To the el-cheapi-ano's at home reading, this is why our Settlers used Maple for wood spoons... Every see an old wooden spoon? Yep, every one is Maple!!! What kind of Chinese wood are you stirring your soup with? What's in it???

[Qcks]

Multiple distillations are best.
Potato mash is unpleasant, so even trace flavors are probably not good.
this is part of why premium vodkas are distilled multiple times.

As for how you ferment potatoes, they do contain enough enzyme to self ferment, but, they may not produce the flavors you want.

[motorbicycle]

Corn meal does little if anything to up your sugar content. It's more for flavor

[dakiro]

Try the homedistiller website in the Aging category. Very very useful tips.

[andybuda]

iv been using alcotec yeast and nutrient and white sugar for years now to make the mash (if i can call it that).. iv tried diffrent yeasts and seprate nutrients but the alcotec 24/48 super yeast gives the best amount ther is stronger yeasts that wont die off till you get 20-30% alc but they cost twice the price for just abit more. so stick to what you know. im always getting the same standard with the base spirit. if im flavoring i do it when i distill to get a clean clear drink that i fillter afew times.

[tinkerunique]

Making wood alcohal is good for science burners/experements and such. Certain woods produce a deadly poison.., Like hemlock... USE CAUTION !!!

[strmrnnr]

I found a short time ago that most woods are poison, with the exception of fruit woods. Oak was the wood of choice due to its ability not to leak when formed into a barrel and re wetted. But the sap from oak is poison!!

Furniture make of oak was actually banned for sale at one point until it was made manditory to coat the surfaces which may contact food. It really surprised me but then I thought about it and it makes a lot of sense because I don't get a hang over from my hooch and I do from store bought.

[andybuda]

iv never tried corn meal mash or fermenting with starch iv tried to find corn meal in a super market but not found it yet i always use white sugar( if it ain't broke don't fix it) il get round to trying different sugars 1day

[tinkerunique]

Corn meal is readily available in most grocery stores IF you look in the right place... Baking section - breakfast section - OR is it just a "southern thing" If you want corn meal in a 80 pound bag, go to a farm / livestock supply.

[illuminatis]

tried this one (using store bought vodka and mason jars) in small batches. Red oak makes a smooth bourbon-like flavor, pecan wood and applewood give it a light,sweet taste, with only a little color added. but I have to say, in my opinion mesquite make a better spirit , reddish/pink with a spicy afternote. Next batch will definately have to be, mesquite mellowed tequila. will post the results if anyone wants(and/or I don't go blind).

[andybuda]

cut cedar wood smells lovely il try that.. don`t think ash or beech would be any good though you want to flavor your hard work with some thing a bit special if i ferment with the chips in and distill with them in them in what would happen to the colour im guessing it would remain clear

[andybuda]

i know distilleries always charre the inside of newly made barrels but alot use old red wine barrels to add more flavor and colour do these get a quick flaming as well?

[andybuda]

this sounds like a very good idea this instructable iv turned a good wine in to a crap brandy b4 now and it was clear and tasted very cheep... iv just tried putting 1lb of that not so legal plant in when fermenting and distilling and ended up with 1 of the nicest flavored drinks iv ever made... and iv made alot.... i think it might have had something to do with the stems and leaf also tried fruit juice but comes out cloudy first run then i run it through the stil again and filter( just a Britta filter its one of the quickest way to filter not the best though) that gives a very strong drink with a potent flavor,its amazing what every day drinks you can ferment that are links on here to give advice..

[megapix]

Thanks for the instructable. Interesting idea there. I'd like it better if I knew you had tried it with success.

A few clarifications (per Home Distiller and Wikipedia): 

--when fermenting starches, malt provides the enzymes to turn starch into sugar, then yeast turns the sugar to alcohol, as with other alcoholic brews.
--if you start with a grain (including wheat, corn, rye) and don't distill all the flavor out of the fermented "mash" you have whiskey.
--if you distill all the flavor out you get vodka (starting from grains, potatoes or sugar beet molases)
--if you distill wine you get brandy.
--whiskey,vodka,brandy and rum are all spirits. If you add sugar and flavorings you get a liqueur.

[shantinath1000]

Nice- I was thinking of trying something like this and then saw the instructable. The one thing that you forgot to mention was that even if you add wood to a glass bottle the aging process will be different. In a wooden barrel there is some interchange of air across the wood. As ETOH leaches into the wood and some will eventualy evaporate away and a slight amount of air will over time enter the cask. The mixing with air (oxygen) will affect the flavor as well. this is one reason we can't get the same result without a wooden cask. Having said that- I think this would add a LOT of flavor.

[strmrnnr]

What do you think of the idea of transfering the spirits over to a bottle with a cork? There should be some air tranfer there, although maybe not as much as with a cask.