ABSTRACTAGING OF WHISKEY SPIRITS IN BARRELS OF NON-TRADITIONAL VOLUMEByJohn D.E. Jeffery In the aging of whiskey spirits, oak barrels provide vessels for containment which are semi-permeable to the spirit and to outside air. The barrel wood itself provides extractives derived from structural polymers which have been degraded during barrel construction. These extractives have a cumulative effect on the sensory characteristics of the aging spirit. The traditional barrel for the aging of spirits ranges from 52-60 American gallons. Recent growth in the American craft distilled spirits industry has increased the use of reduced volume barrels ranging from 2-30 American gallons. These smaller barrels provide more rapid extraction and to some extent more rapid maturation. The current study tracked extraction rates of 5 phenolic components from 2, 3, 5, and 10 gallon barrels confirming that extraction rate is tied to surface area to volume (SA/V) ratio. Volume loss was also monitored and rate of volume loss tied to SA/V ratio with greater losses in smaller volume containers. Extracts from oak spirals were examined and it was found that a variety of spirals may produce an extraction profile that is comparable to a barrel extract and that almost complete extraction was achieved in 10 days.
Read
