Barrel Aged Old Fashioned (3 Weeks In)

Sass & Gin Barrel Aged Old Fashioned (3 Weeks In)

Last month I received a new, 2-liter, lightly-charred American Oak Barrel from Deep South Barrels. I've been wanting to try out barrel aging for some time now, thanks to this particular cocktail trend led by Jeffrey Morgenthaler, and since it's Old Fashioned Month here at Sass & Gin, I figured, why not!?!

Barrel aging comes with its own challenges. A lot of the barrel aging you've seen trending in cocktail bars is being done in used barrels that once aged whiskeys or wines. As this is a new barrel, there are several things to remember: (1) it needs to be cured, (2) it will produce a stronger oak flavor in your spirits the first few times you use it, (3) it will take your selected spirit or cocktail 6 to 12 weeks to mellow out.

To cure my barrel, I filled it with hot water (close to boiling) and let it sit for approximately 24 hours until the wood had absorbed some of the moisture, expanded, and sealed all the microscopic gaps that exist in new barrels. Deep South Barrels have a great set of instructions on their website. [Note: Sometimes older barrels need to be re-cured too.]

Next, I filled my barrel with a batched cocktail. You want to choose something liquor forward, like a Manhattan or a Negroni. Since it's Old Fashioned Month here at Sass & Gin, I went with the classic, using Canadian Club, cane syrup and Angostura bitters. 

I've been tasting my concoction once a week. I'm currently 3.5 weeks in.

Week 1- You can already tell a huge difference. It reminds me a bit of the toasted effect I got from speed aging a cocktail with cedar paper. 

Week 2- The oak stands out a lot more. But it needs more time for the flavors to come together and mellow out. 

Week 3- I tried it next to a freshly made Old Fashioned. The oak is still omnipresent, but the whisky and bitters are starting to mellow out. The color hasn't changed much and it somehow seems sweeter (???), likely from the caramel coming through from the charred oak. 

I don't expect it will be where I want it to be until week 6 or so, but I'll keep testing it out. 

The barrel itself is small (only 2 liters) and comes with its own stand. It fits easily on top of my little home bar and is a nice conversation piece for when I have guests. I'm excited about trying more cocktails in it in the future. I think next up will be a batch of Negronis. More notes to come on my Aged Old Fashioned as the weeks progress. 

Cheers!

Laura

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