by elec » Thursday Dec 09, 2010 5:46 pm
Couple of things I've read/learned/worked out, Bribie. 65% ( 130 proof) seems to be the magic number for both colour and flavour extraction, and a few new chips or staves for 6 months works better than a heap for a short time, where you can risk unwanted "wood" flavours. I use oak strips , jigsawed down to approx 150x20x6mm, charred with a Mapp gas torch, and store for at least 4 months. Every time I remember, I open the lid and give it a bit of a swirl. This mimics the barrel rolling thing, where the liquor comes in contact with air and oak.
Another way to speed up the process is to put your oaked 'shine in the freezer for 12 hours, out for for 12 hours. Repeat for 2 weeks. The expansion/contraction of the oak speeds up the process a fair bit, but its not as smooth as extended time .
Regards
I'm not young enough to know everything..........