Why do this?

I watch a lot of whiskey related blogs on YouTube. I don’t remember where I heard the idea for this for the first time, but it certainly intrigued me. Apparently, you can “age” whiskey in oak barrels after it has already been bottled. The smaller the barrel, the quicker the liquid takes on the properties of the wood, since more of the whiskey can make contact with the wood. Using a small 1 liter barrel, you can completely change the taste and smell of a store-bought product in just a month.

Which whiskey to use?

I’ve always found wheated mash whiskeys to be just a bit harsh unless they are aged longer than the standard 5-6 years. I thought that I would give this a shot with an inexpensive wheated whiskey and see what happens. I went with Larceny Small Batch 92 for my first experiment. The mash is somewhat similar to the famous Pappy and Weller, but quite a bit more available where I live. I already liked Larceny as a daily sipper, but wanted to see if I can add anything to it.

Later I learned that you probably want to use a higher-proof whiskey for the aging process, since the alcohol will help pull out the sugars from the wood.

The barrel

Small barrels are available just about anywhere, a quick google search will give you plenty of options. I ended up going with this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J82FLNQ

The barrel came with instructions to seal it, which are vital to follow as I learned. I got a bit impatient after about 48 hours into the process when the barrel hadn’t shown any signs of leaks. Later in the ageing process, I had to deal with leaks as a result of my impatience. Luckily some barrel wax can help.

Original Larceny Tasting notes

The first thing I noticed was heat. Sugar lingered on the tongue, slowly replaced by oak and pepper. My wife said she tasted burnt brown sugar. The finish was moderately long. Pepper remained as the dominant flavor for quite some time. Overall, a good sipper, but not super complex.

After 1 week

Shouldn’t have been a surprise, but the oak smell and taste were much more pronounced. The whiskey took on more of a spicy profile, almost like a rye. It added some complexity as a result, but I can’t say that I liked it better than the original.

My barrel was leaking at this point, around the bottom ring which I noticed was a bit warped. Some barrel wax helped seal the problem area.

After 2 weeks

At this point, I was battling more leaks. The spigot was leaking heavily and I was losing whiskey. I tried to seal it with wax, but it doesn’t stick well to metal. I later figured out that I could turn the barrel on its side to elevate the spigot and that helped quite a bit. However, be prepared to lose some whiskey and have some spare to add.

In terms of tasting notes, the whiskey changed, but not significantly. The oak was coming through even more. There was a bit more sweetness on the nose and on the first sip. The finish became even more spicy and oaky.

After 3 weeks

The nose became more floral with a pronounced star anise or licorice note. There was lots of caramel. The oak took more of a back seat on the nose.

On the first sip, there was oak, pepper, and some light brown sugar. As you continue tasting and the whiskey sits a bit, the licorice comes in stronger along with brown sugar. Pepper takes a back seat but lingers a bit on the finish. The finish is longer than the original. The biggest surprise is that there is hardly any bite to the whiskey. It’s very smooth.

At this point, I liked what I had and decided to pour it into a bottle. I thought that the flavor profile changed significantly, gaining some complexity and a smoother finish.

Next up

It’s important to note that the barrel should never be allowed to dry once it has been sealed. While i was figuring out what whiskey to age next, I filled it with water. It was only for a day or so. Old Grand Dad 114 is what’s in there now. Looking forward to seeing how a higher proof whiskey turns out.