Aging White Spirits

[ketel3]

Reading all comments I think we all have about the same toughts.

But I want some right now or as quick as possible,especialy with someting new like rum.
Brings me back to one of the things I am thinking about ultra sonic treadment,I did not use it sofar but hear quit some positive info about it,even from a pro.

Aging is ok but with MY age the years waiting  are importand.
I gues I have only 180 months left  .  but  maybe some more hopefully not less      so why wait,propably will not sip that much anymore when I am 80 

1 year is what I see as resonable ,if I have plenty ........it is no problem to wait longer with the rest.

[ShiFu]

Well this aging thing is all over the place 

Swedish Pride's need to "panic still again" is surely something we've all been through. I know I have!
And K3 trying to time his last breath on earth to coordinate with the last pour from the jug. (Not really, it sounds like he's trying to figure a way to have 10+ year old stock for the rest of his life.)
YHB needing to keep his aging stock where he cannot access it. Under lock and key where he can't get the key.

I'd like to take a moment to think more about Aging White Spirits.
When we talk about aging liquor we instinctively think of brown spirits - rum, scotch, bourbon, etc...
We don't usually think about aging vodka (or gin). And that, maybe, is wrong since this topic is Aging White Spirits.

I'm a little tossed between the terms "aging" and "conditioning" when it comes to white spirits. To borrow from the genius Forrest Gump, "Maybe its both?"

We normally take cuts from the still and let those cuts "air out" for a day or two before deciding which to blend together and keep vs. which to discard or recycle.
Then the Keepers are put in a big old jug until needed - capped off from the air.

And THIS is very possibly the step that I have neglected for my vodka... the occasional airing and/or oxygenation of those jugs.
It is known that all spirits age in the bottle but it is an EXTREMELY slow process. 

That's it, I can't take any more... I'm going Right Now and shake my jugs and let them air out for awhile. Remind me to do it again after a couple of weeks.

[Swedish Pride]

Fair play, bringing us back on track.

One way to mellow white or indeed brown spirits that are employed by both Zygmond bob and Riku is to blast the spirits with air.
Zbob coined the term Angel blaster for it.

Riku uses a aquarium  air pump and have the hose in to a copper pipe with holes in it, the copper part gets submerged  in the spirits and airates it for up to 10 hrs.

Zbob has something more powerful, can't recall exactly, something like a airbed inflation that is connected to a SS pipe that get submerged in the spirits and gets a blast for a few minutes. He states that he can loose a few % points in just a few minutes hence the term "Angel Blaster".
He does this when it first starts to age and then again after 6 months.

An other way to do it if you have lots of booze  and no nosy neighbors it to put your booze in a keg, screw a piece of ply to the keg and hoist the keg up a tree.
The idea is that the wind catches the ply much as a sail and moves the keg about introduces  air to the booze.

I'm going to get an aquarium  air pump and try it Rikus way as that suits my circumstances the best.

[ketel3]

Yes whtite spirit is nice 
I air some of it by use of a aquarium pump with a ceramic airstone , it can smooth quit a bit BUT be carefull to long and you end up with a flat tasting and mouthfeeling spirit.

The angel blaster is new to me do you have more info ?
Maybe the keg in a tree is a better solution for Yhb 

[YHB]

Yes whtite spirit is nice 

Maybe the keg in a tree is a better solution for Yhb 

    Don't have a tree

But there again, in the length of time you guys are talking about aging for, I probably have time to grow one. 

[Swedish Pride]

..,
The angel blaster is new to me do you have more info ?...

more or less the same up scaled up to bigger pump it i understand it correctly.
Link to it on AD

[ketel3]

more or less the same up scaled up to bigger pump it i understand it correctly.
Link to it on AD

Thanks for the link,they use a real air compressor instead of the small aquarium air pump like I use with my air stones.
A jar half full and a blast for a minute or two is a explosion of air into the spirit,
Could be working fine as the time is short so less risk for flattening your WHITE SPIRIT    or other

[Myles]

Lots of info here about aging booze on Oak, but what is your the regime for aging White Rum?

Is there any advantage in aging at "barrel strength" if it is not in contact with wood?

Have to agree with Eucyblues and the only thing I wish to add relates to barrel entry proof.

It has been suggested (based on standard 200 - 250 litre casks) that the optimum for rum is 65% - 75% as opposed to 55% - 65% for whisky. This relates to maximizing extraction and colour without taking in too much tannin.

[ketel3]

Right and you dilute more as you bring to consuming percentage  SO  dilute the tannins also never looked at it that way.