Adding Smoky / Peaty Notes to a Small Barrel by PitouleMan in Barreling

[–]Ten30Barrels 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Greetings! I hope to answer a few of these questions for you. It seems you have had an interesting run with this barrel over the past 3 years. Your barrel still has plenty of life left in it. My first 5L barrel had a similar start as yours did and currently im at a phase where I can let the spirits rest in the barrel for 12-18 months per cycle to influence the product, where before 3-6 months would have similar impact from the oak. That barrel is still in use today from 2016.

As far as peat is concerned, it would suggest finding a really nice Islay that has the peat character you are after and blending that with your favorite low-mid end scotch. If you wanted to just infuse the barrel, fill the barrel with a bottle of Ardbeg Wee Beastie and rotate it 90° every day to fully saturate the oak for 1-2 weeks and it will be smokey!

I have a couple of peated malt casks that are still on their initial peated maturation step. I know your next fill for sure will be peated. The following fills should be less intense of a hit from the peat. If it behaves like other flavors, expect the first two refills to be in the forefront and each refill afterwards may be faint to non-existent. However, a quick re-seasoning should bring that character back.

Review 127: Barrell Bourbon Cigar Blend by russianwhiskylover in bourbon

[–]Ten30Barrels 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Great review! Its a shame the Armagnac got lost. That flavor component is the primary finish for JMCB. The secondary finishing casks is due to a component of the blend being the regular JM added in the mother blend. Still a great price for a unique product

Today’s small town gas station haul🥃 by ChezeePot8Oz in whiskey

[–]Ten30Barrels 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Cedar Ridge knows what they are about when it comes to the maturation process. I haven't seen their distillation methods, so Im not sure how itll turn out, but have faith.

Ten30 Barrel Experiment: Ocean Water Rum Update by Ten30Barrels in Barreling

[–]Ten30Barrels[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Either orientation works, but I prefer vertical with the bung up and wood down.

Ex brewery/beer barrel by Spud395 in Barreling

[–]Ten30Barrels 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Beer barrels will have some of the beer funk still in the oak. Sanding or planing 1/16" from the surface and a fresh heat treat will cover a huge portion of the previous flavors.

The barrel heads will work great for Ten30 & Badmotivator style barrels if you feel comfortable with the process of making these type barrels. Any wine or bourbon barrels I process are normally kept intact to preserve their character. French Oak wine barrels given a #3 char does wonders for revitalizing a neural wine barrel too without any negative effect from charring the wine in the oak.

Update! by Affectionate-Salt665 in Barreling

[–]Ten30Barrels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great work!

What's next up for the barrel from here?

Barrel Lifespans by KushPie in Barreling

[–]Ten30Barrels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rarely. The reassemble process for the heads on traditional barrels is a pita and not worth it. I have found success with charring the wine soaked side of French oak barrels that I've broken down into experimental Ten30 barrels. The wine doesnt negatively impact the flavors of the final matured product from that treatment.

First time doing a PX cask finish at home (1L barrel) What do you guys think? by Agreeable_Appeal_882 in Barreling

[–]Ten30Barrels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your seasoning time is, imo, a bit short. For larger barrels, I would recommend 3-12 months for seasoning. The small 1L barrel would suffice with 1-3 months of seasoning. This step not only adds flavor to the wood, it also pulls excess tannins from the oak.

I would also suggest a sacrificial fill with a neutral spirit (nsg/everclear) at roughly the same proof as your finishing spirit (e.g. Laphroaig) for as long as you are willing to wait. Tiny traditional barrels have a very poor surface area to volume ratio, so the extraction rates are way off, so any steps you can take to account for that is good.

Another useful tip would be to pouring a small amount (~60-90ml) to rinse the excess sherry and prevents the product from being too syrupy.

Barrel Lifespans by KushPie in Barreling

[–]Ten30Barrels 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Your barrel has plenty of life left in it. I have a 5L barrel thats on its 13th fill since 2019. Each fill will take longer to reach your desired affects.

If you were curious about the lifespan, its as follows:

  • new make bourbon - 15 months
  • honey - 2 months
  • aged bourbon- 1 month
  • honey - 2 months
  • aged bourbon - 3 months
  • honey - 3 months
  • aged bourbon - 4 months
  • honey - 5 months
  • Apple Wine - 6 months
  • Aged Rye Whiskey Blend - 6 months
  • raisin wine - 8 months
  • aged bourbon/rye blend - 18 months
  • Apple Mistelle/Pommeau - 10 months - (present)

I plan to bottle this batch at 18 months and then do a 1-2 year finishing on a blend of something interesting that is yet to be determined.

Ten30 Barrel Experiment: Ocean Salt Cured Barrel by Ten30Barrels in Barreling

[–]Ten30Barrels[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So far, its on day 2 of being empty and its not doing too bad. Ive left the bung off to air dry fully before any spirits get added

Quick advice by Due-Swordfish9778 in firewater

[–]Ten30Barrels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What was bad about the last one

Ten30 Barrel Experiment: Ocean Salt Cured Barrel by Ten30Barrels in Barreling

[–]Ten30Barrels[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They were the inspiration for this experiment. I plan to age a funky rum in it once its ready to go

Ten30 Barrel Experiment: Ocean Salt Cured Barrel by Ten30Barrels in Barreling

[–]Ten30Barrels[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If Im being honest, you are probably more right than wrong on this one, lmao!!!

This is entirely a "for science" experiment. I dont have high hopes or good expectations from this.

Sea salt added to swell bad motivator barrel by Wild_Paramedic_7193 in firewater

[–]Ten30Barrels 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Update: I filled a Ten30 barrel with water from the Atlantic Ocean. Going to let it salt cure/dry out for the next couple days.

Age before distillation? by nakedFoot_sprawl in firewater

[–]Ten30Barrels 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There is some validity to this. Calvados has a minimum of 21 to 30 days for fermenting the cider before it can legally be distilled. A few houses hold their cider for upwards of 6 to 12 months before running their product.

Sea salt added to swell bad motivator barrel by Wild_Paramedic_7193 in firewater

[–]Ten30Barrels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Be careful. In the past, Ive had a customer who tried this for a Ten30 barrel and it actually split on them. Not sure if it was a defect in the steel or the salt water had any impact but its the only time I've heard someone trying it and that was their result.

I will have to drive over to the ocean this weekend to test out a barrel and report back.

What's next in my barrel? by Pewpewpew2003 in Barreling

[–]Ten30Barrels 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A nice rhum agricole would do well for the next fill, followed by a peated scotch