Father's Day - Mini Cask

[ecowper]

For Father's Day, my wife and kids got me a mini-cask (3 liters) for aging whiskey myself. This looks like fun!

The first thing you have to do is "cure" the barrel. Basically, fill it with hot water, put your spigot and bung in place and wait for it to stop leaking. The hot water causes the wood staves to expand and tighten. I had to change out the water several times as it cooled off, but after about 6 hours no more leaks. Now I'm ready to start aging my first batch of whiskey.

[SoCal Chris]

Its fun if you can keep from drinking it before it is time. I have heard that 1 day in a small cask like this is the equivalent of like 57 days in a full-size barrel due to the amount of surface are in contact with the alcohol. You will be very sad when you realize how much of an Angels Share these casks give up but they do a nice job of aging your whiskey.

[ecowper]

The instructions for this 3 liter cask say that it will be 4-12 weeks, depending upon what I like, etc for the aging process. i plan to sample very small amounts every week to see how it changes. One thing I read said that you can top off the cask every week for the first few weeks, to reduce the Angel's Share. I don't think I will do that until I understand how this all works better.

[smokinfatties]

is angel's share just evaporation? I am intrigued...

[Henrik]

That sure sounds like one fun project! Let us know how it all progresses!

[ecowper]

Oh definitely .... just got started on it.

[Jerod Broussard]

I'd throw a brisket in there for good measure.

[ecowper]

Can't hurt

[Spinaker]

When its done you can smash it and burn it in your smoker! Duel use!

[ecowper]

Spinaker you just want to burn my whiskey cask!

[kmhfive]

Age homebrew in it!

[ecowper]

kmhfive I don't really do the home brew thing .... but I guess it would be worth a try .... I have some friends that do, and maybe I can grab 3/4 gallon of home brew from one next time they do a batch.

[ecowper]

So, got started a little bit ago. I bought 3.5 liters of unaged rye whiskey ..... whew, not something you want to drink very often. It really doesn't taste good, but has tons of alcohol heat. Just under 3 liters of that went in the cask, and then I added some stuff that came with the cask called "Single Malt Essence" ..... supposed to give me a Highland Single Malt character.

[EdF]

This is going to be interesting!

[ecowper]

EdF totally agree .... not something I've ever done before

[SoCal Chris]

The char on the inside of the cask will start imparting color and flavors almost immediately. If you try it again, try doing it without the "single malt essence." You will get a totally different flavor profile than what you will get this time. You might find you like one more than the other. Or one may taste more like a smokey scotch and the other more like a whisky.

If you let your cask sit empty for a while, it will loosen up again and you will have to go through the prep stage again. I have used mine for a couple of batches.

[ecowper]

Yeah, I figure next time I'll buy the same unaged rye, but just age it in the cask without adding anything to it. This time I wanted to try it as it came. My wife did a ton of research to find this one for me :-)

[kmhfive]

Keep us posted! The pictures are great.

[rototiller78]

Wow, I'm amazed that I haven't heard of this. I want one now. Darn this thing called MCS! haha

[realdocBBQ]

Ditto that, man! I am already drooling at the possibilities... I'm wondering why you can only use it 3 times, though? I would expect reusing it might actually add character over time. I am sooooo going to try this! Where do you get "unaged" stuff though? Never heard of that.

[ecowper]

rototiller78 this was not something I knew much (call it anything) about. My wife wanted something really cool for me for Father's Day and discovered the whole idea of mini-casks and aging your own whiskey.

[Mr. Bones]

ecowper
Please, Brother, if ya' will:
What Brand o' cask?
An' what's that unaged rye? Zoomin' in clearly shows th' RH one to say Vodka 1.75 L.
Best I can tell from th' pic, it is J. Harrison Distilling output.

[ecowper]

Mr. Bones ..... dang, I posted the wrong picture ..... that picture, you are correct, IS vodka .... I bought it to make limoncello. I make my own limoncello every summer. Happy to share that recipe with you, too, if you want it.

The mini cask is from Brew Naturally .... the rye is from Legs Diamond .... never heard of them before. It was the cheapest unaged rye whiskey the liquor store had.

[Mr. Bones]

Thanks, Kind Sir...
Needed me a Breadcrumb Trail, figger out where to start!!!

[ecowper]

PS if you don't keep your limoncello in mason jars in the freezer .... you're doing it wrong .... plus limoncello mixed half and half with club soda is the perfect drink while you are playing bocce ball

[HouseHomey]

Darn that Mr. Bones .... talking booze he's sharp as a tack.

[ecowper]

heh, yep

[nickgutnick]

I received one of these for my birthday last year, just used a bottle of Jim Beam. The results were great. Have to try the rye.