The art of aging and finishing bourbon
At home aging and finishing allows you to embrace flavor profiles and things you love and make them stronger and richer. Below i have included some of the best products and companies i have found that stand on high quality and consistency when making their products.
Transforming taste through time
The aging process significantly changes the flavor of bourbon. As it rests in charred oak, the spirit extracts compounds from the wood, while undesirable elements evaporate. This maturation refines and intensifies its characteristics, often leading to a smoother, more complex, and well-rounded profile. Home enthusiasts can learn from this by understanding that even a younger bourbon, with proper aging techniques or finishing, can develop a flavor profile similar to a much older and more expensive pour.
Beyond Barrels- Is an awesome company that offers different wood staves toasted at different levels including Cherry, American White Oak, and French Oak. Even though they come toasted, you have the option to char them as well! One stave is sized to age alcohol in a 750 ml bottle.
Craft A Brew- Another awesome brand that has products for all different type of home brewing and different alcohols. They also have infusion spirals in different sizes, char and toast levels, and different types of wood!
Oak Infusion Spiral- This product is exactly what it says. Perfect for aging right in a 750 ml glass bottle.
Hydrometer- When your aging in bottles or blending and your trying to figure out how much water to add to get the perfect proof, you will need a high quality hydrometer to help you monitor your proof throughout the aging process and prior to bottling.
Oak Barrels Ltd. - This company uses the finest American Oak to craft their barrels. Their barrels are charred to a Level #3. They offer a wide variety of sizes and their website has great tips and tricks for using and caring for your barrel.
Drip Tray- This is the perfect size drip tray that fits under my 2 L Barrel from Oak Barrels Ltd. It is plastic and super easy to wipe down and clean.
Funnels- This 4 pack of funnels has been a life saver. They are silicone and foldable making them easy to clean and store and come in different sizes which is great when transferring your bourbon from container to container to make sure not even a drop gets wasted!
Coffee Filters- These are great for getting very fine particles out after you remove your spirit from either your mini barrel or from a bottle that had a spiral in it.
Glass Bottles- There are great styles and sizes of glass bottles that come already with the T-Top reusable cork seals and some even come with shrinkable caps.