Homemade Whiskey

[Homebrewer]

According to an article by Clawhammer Supply they suggest two simple beginner options for homemade whiskey. One option is to make the whiskey in a mason jar using moonshine and oak and the second option was to simply age the moonshine in a barrel. But they also note that, since the bottle doesn’t breath like wood, the volatiles will not be able to escape. This means you have to periodically open the jar to vent the volatiles. For a first attempt I want to keep my costs down so I would like to know if I can attach an airlock to the jar cap to off gas the volatiles?

[BeverageCommander]

That is an interesting question….

When I age I usually do it in pretty small quantities…and I find it is very easy to over-oak the whiskey.

What size container are you planning on aging in? What are you going to use to age- chips? spirals?

[Homebrewer]

Since this is my first attempt I plan on starting small and will age either one or two quart jars of moonshine. As to chips or spirals I am open to suggestions but with the larger surface area provided by chips it may be prudent to start with spirals. Suggestions on how many spirals per quart would be helpful as well as how long to stage on the spirals. Also how long before sampling to make sure I do not over oak the whiskey and is a lighter oak better than a dark oak. Lastly, am I compromising product quality (taste/flavor) every time I collect a sample?

[BeverageCommander]

I would not worry about an airlock on such a small batch- it is going to age quickly. I always use spirals- I get them at my homebrew shop. I break them in half and toss in a full spiral into each quart jar. I take a sample on the 5th day and then every day after that. I don’t take a large sample- just enough to see where it is at. I sample every day for 2 reasons- to make sure it is not overaged and also to release anything that needs it. It can take between 5 days and a few weeks- depending on what you are looking for.
Once I am happy with is usually around day 10 for the stuff I age- I run it through a charcoal filter.

[Homebrewer]

Hopefully final set of questions. Do you use a charcoal filter for a home water system or did you fabricate one on your own? If you are using a store model or components should I be looking for. Likewise any tips regarding setup if your filter is home made and where did you source the carbon?

Thanks

[Homebrewer]

As an afterthought could I use a Brita activated charcoal water filter?

[BeverageCommander]

I’ve bused the Brita with great results. It you are doing larger batches you might want to look into something larger- but the brita works well for me

[Author]

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