[Joe Sr.]

Looking at the woodenville site the one difference is that woodenville only uses each barrel for 1 fill while baclones uses each for 2 fills so that might make a difference. I am counting on it making some differnce as I have a BW in there for nearly three weeks now and it's going to be super oakey if that second fill didn't strip more of the oak.

This is curious.  It's my understanding that to be considered "whiskey" the spirits must be aged in a new oak barrel.

This would preclude a second use of the barrels for whiskey.  Are they (Balcones) making/aging other spirits in the barrels?

I guess you never specified that it was a whiskey barrel, but that was my assumption.

[morticaixavier]

Looking at the woodenville site the one difference is that woodenville only uses each barrel for 1 fill while baclones uses each for 2 fills so that might make a difference. I am counting on it making some differnce as I have a BW in there for nearly three weeks now and it's going to be super oakey if that second fill didn't strip more of the oak.

This is curious.  It's my understanding that to be considered "whiskey" the spirits must be aged in a new oak barrel.

This would preclude a second use of the barrels for whiskey.  Are they (Balcones) making/aging other spirits in the barrels?

I guess you never specified that it was a whiskey barrel, but that was my assumption.

the one I got was filled twice with a beverage they call 'Rumble' which is a rum like drink as the name implies. The impression I got talking to him is they will often fill once with whisky and refill with something else. But I could be wrong. Chip Tate (The head distiller) is pretty good about explaining all that if you talk to him on the phone. They make a single malt, a blue corn whisky, a peated whisky and this Rumble stuff which smells wonderful.

[Joe Sr.]

I was just checking out their website.  Rumble sounds like it could be tasty and looks like it has been barrel aged.

Since it's not a whiskey, the "new oak barrel" requirement wouldn't apply.

It makes a lot of economic sense for them to find a way to reuse the barrels before they get rid of them.

[Kit B]

Sorry for the cheesy picture but it was taken for a NY times article.

And?  Where's a link to the article?  Come on man!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/garden/home-brewing-need-a-beer-hit-the-basement.html?pagewanted=all

[tschmidlin]

Looking at the woodenville site the one difference is that woodenville only uses each barrel for 1 fill while baclones uses each for 2 fills so that might make a difference. I am counting on it making some differnce as I have a BW in there for nearly three weeks now and it's going to be super oakey if that second fill didn't strip more of the oak.

This is curious.  It's my understanding that to be considered "whiskey" the spirits must be aged in a new oak barrel.

This would preclude a second use of the barrels for whiskey.  Are they (Balcones) making/aging other spirits in the barrels?

I guess you never specified that it was a whiskey barrel, but that was my assumption.

Close - for it to be bourbon it must be aged in new oak barrels, so one use only.  It also has to be made of 51% corn, and I think there are some other restrictions.  There are no restrictions on the number of uses for a whiskey barrel, and many spent bourbon barrels are shipped to Ireland and Scotland for whiskey and whisky production.  It's cheaper for them that way.

[tschmidlin]

Sorry for the cheesy picture but it was taken for a NY times article.

And?  Where's a link to the article?  Come on man!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/garden/home-brewing-need-a-beer-hit-the-basement.html?pagewanted=all

Ah yes, thanks.  I remember the article, not the pic.

[morticaixavier]

Looking at the woodenville site the one difference is that woodenville only uses each barrel for 1 fill while baclones uses each for 2 fills so that might make a difference. I am counting on it making some differnce as I have a BW in there for nearly three weeks now and it's going to be super oakey if that second fill didn't strip more of the oak.

This is curious.  It's my understanding that to be considered "whiskey" the spirits must be aged in a new oak barrel.

This would preclude a second use of the barrels for whiskey.  Are they (Balcones) making/aging other spirits in the barrels?

I guess you never specified that it was a whiskey barrel, but that was my assumption.

Close - for it to be bourbon it must be aged in new oak barrels, so one use only.  It also has to be made of 51% corn, and I think there are some other restrictions.  There are no restrictions on the number of uses for a whiskey barrel, and many spent bourbon barrels are shipped to Ireland and Scotland for whiskey and whisky production.  It's cheaper for them that way.

the other requirement to be a bourbon is to be made in Kentucky. Hency Jack is tennasee whisky rather than bourbon even though it is made of at least 51% corn and aged in new oak barrels (thank skyler for that tidbit)

[tschmidlin]

the other requirement to be a bourbon is to be made in Kentucky. Hency Jack is tennasee whisky rather than bourbon even though it is made of at least 51% corn and aged in new oak barrels (thank skyler for that tidbit)

That's not the case.  I just bought a bottle of bourbon made in Woodinville WA (from Woodinville Whiskey Co).  It can be made anywhere in the US.

Since Jack is just called whiskey, presumably it fails on one of the other criteria.

[bluesman]

The bourbon barrels from http://www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/barrels/ seem like a nice choice. Anyone try anything with them yet?

[Joe Sr.]

It's simply marketing.  They prefer to call it Tennessee Whiskey and claim that it is different.

Same basic stuff.

Tom - I should have caught myself on the whiskey/bourbon deal with the new barrels.  How could you have white whiskey if it had to be aged?  A little bit of knowledge...

[tschmidlin]

Found this on wikipedia:

The Federal Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits (27 C.F.R. 5) state that bourbon made for consumption within the United States[2] must meet these requirements:

    Only whiskey produced in the United States can be called bourbon.[3]
    Bourbon must be made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn.[4]
    Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak barrels.[4]
    Bourbon must be distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume).[4]
    Bourbon must be entered into the barrel for aging at no more than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume).[4]
    Bourbon, like other whiskeys, must be bottled at 80 proof or more (40% alcohol by volume).[5]

And this (Joe Sr. got it first):

Whiskey sold as Tennessee whiskey is also defined as Bourbon under NAFTA[13] and at least one other international trade agreement,[14] and is required to meet the legal definition of Bourbon under Canadian law,[15] but some makers of Tennessee whiskey do not label their product as Bourbon and insist that it is a different type of whiskey when marketing their product.

[tschmidlin]

It's simply marketing.  They prefer to call it Tennessee Whiskey and claim that it is different.

Same basic stuff.

Tom - I should have caught myself on the whiskey/bourbon deal with the new barrels.  How could you have white whiskey if it had to be aged?  A little bit of knowledge...

Ah yes, white dog.

[morticaixavier]

the other requirement to be a bourbon is to be made in Kentucky. Hency Jack is tennasee whisky rather than bourbon even though it is made of at least 51% corn and aged in new oak barrels (thank skyler for that tidbit)

That's not the case.  I just bought a bottle of bourbon made in Woodinville WA (from Woodinville Whiskey Co).  It can be made anywhere in the US.

Since Jack is just called whiskey, presumably it fails on one of the other criteria.

Huh. Well I learn that I am wrong about something everyday

[tschmidlin]

The bourbon barrels from http://www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/barrels/ seem like a nice choice. Anyone try anything with them yet?

I had a taste of the RIS when I pulled it out of the barrel, it was very nice but might need a little time to smooth back out.  I haven't tasted it chilled/carbed yet (although it was at 50F).

[tschmidlin]

the other requirement to be a bourbon is to be made in Kentucky. Hency Jack is tennasee whisky rather than bourbon even though it is made of at least 51% corn and aged in new oak barrels (thank skyler for that tidbit)

That's not the case.  I just bought a bottle of bourbon made in Woodinville WA (from Woodinville Whiskey Co).  It can be made anywhere in the US.

Since Jack is just called whiskey, presumably it fails on one of the other criteria.

Huh. Well I learn that I am wrong about something everyday

Hah!  Join the club, I'm a charter member.   I don't mind though, that's a big part of how I learn stuff.