3 ms·

I always wonder if/why pressure aging hasn't become more common Seems pretty solvable to replace t through P or A in a barrel-aged liquor

by xorbax 3y ago

noirbot 3y ago
I believe it's been tried some, but it both doesn't produce quite the same output in important ways, and it's expensive enough to do that just having a larger building and racking the barrels for longer isn't that much more expensive. For most spirits, a lot of long-age stuff is about the extraction of wood flavors from the barrel it's in, which I'm not sure anyone's found a great way to do with pressure. I know there's some difference in temperature though - higher temp aging, either just in a warmer area, or more normally with rum, creates very different aging conditions than normal Bourbon/Scotch/Cognac aging that's traditionally made in more temperate climates. The complaint about a lot of southern US bourbon is that it ends up uncomfortably over-oaked for its age.
- splonk 3y ago
  Buffalo Trace has an Experimental Collection where they try to isolate one variable in the aging process (temp, wood, mash bill, rickhouse location, etc.). It's interesting if you can get access to a flight of them, but they're pretty rare and expensive.
splonk 3y ago
Quite a few people have tried. Generally the reviews are terrible. The barrel aging process is more complicated than most people think. Lost Spirits (now in Vegas, formerly in LA, Salinas, and Barcelona before that) makes some pretty drinkable stuff that I like, but I'm never going to argue with someone who hates it, because it's noticeably different. There's also some marketing gimmicks like Blackened, where they claim to play Metallica at the barrels to vibrate them or something. This probably doesn't help the reputation of the segment much. The aging process is somewhat accelerated by temperature, but it's not a simple relationship. This is one of the stated reasons that whiskey made in hot climates (e.g. Amrut in India, Kavalan in Taiwan) tend to be aged less.

I always wonder if/why pressure aging hasn't become more common Seems pretty solvable to replace t through P or A in a barrel-aged liquor

by xorbax 3y ago

I always wonder if/why pressure aging hasn't become more common Seems pretty solvable to replace t through P or A in a barrel-aged liquor

noirbot 3y ago

I believe it's been tried some, but it both doesn't produce quite the same output in important ways, and it's expensive enough to do that just having a larger building and racking the barrels for longer isn't that much more expensive. For most spirits, a lot of long-age stuff is about the extraction of wood flavors from the barrel it's in, which I'm not sure anyone's found a great way to do with pressure. I know there's some difference in temperature though - higher temp aging, either just in a warmer area, or more normally with rum, creates very different aging conditions than normal Bourbon/Scotch/Cognac aging that's traditionally made in more temperate climates. The complaint about a lot of southern US bourbon is that it ends up uncomfortably over-oaked for its age.

splonk 3y ago
Buffalo Trace has an Experimental Collection where they try to isolate one variable in the aging process (temp, wood, mash bill, rickhouse location, etc.). It's interesting if you can get access to a flight of them, but they're pretty rare and expensive.

splonk 3y ago

Quite a few people have tried. Generally the reviews are terrible. The barrel aging process is more complicated than most people think. Lost Spirits (now in Vegas, formerly in LA, Salinas, and Barcelona before that) makes some pretty drinkable stuff that I like, but I'm never going to argue with someone who hates it, because it's noticeably different. There's also some marketing gimmicks like Blackened, where they claim to play Metallica at the barrels to vibrate them or something. This probably doesn't help the reputation of the segment much. The aging process is somewhat accelerated by temperature, but it's not a simple relationship. This is one of the stated reasons that whiskey made in hot climates (e.g. Amrut in India, Kavalan in Taiwan) tend to be aged less.