So I recently found one of the coolest things I have ever seen in a liquor store this past holiday weekend, and believe me, I visit a lot of liquor stores. This particular item of interest is a 2L charred American White Oak barrel packaged with 2 bottles of Wasmund's Rye Spirit. Wasmund's also offers a Single Malt version as well.
Following the directions in the package, I started by filling the barrel with hot water and let it set for a few hours. This is done to make sure that the water swells the wooden barrel so that nothing will leak out. After the coast was clear, I put the bottles of Rye Spirit into the barrel, inserted the bung, and started the process of patiently waiting for 7 to 8 weeks. The first cool thing I noted about this experiment was that even though the test water only sat in the barrel for a few hours, it had a nice light caramel color and pleasant woody smell and taste. I am always thinking about the next thing to try with our Twenty 2, and vodka diluted with "wood water" could have potential.
I will be updating the status of this little project as time goes on, taking small samples along the way, ending with the grand finale of a tasting line up when the spirit is fully aged.
