Whisky Rematuration in Small Cask

let the rhum sit another week.

after that, take out the rhum and fill it with milk. (make sure to keep in the fridge so it doesnt curdle.)

let that sit for another two weeks, then take it out and have lots and lots of delicious cereal.

rinse the cask out with some cheap rum to get rid of any actual milk left inside.

fill with your favorite scotch and age for 2-3 weeks.

enjoy your smooth and creamy scotch.

nah, just kidding. im just making this up as i go. imbueing milk into the cask is probably a bad idea. (although, hey, you never know, could be worth trying once!)

this is definitely something i want to try at some point, though, especially with a scotch that im not as big on. could be nice to try to nudge it in the right direction on my own. keep us informed how it goes for you!

Update:

I decided to let it sit another week (until sept 17th) before replacing content with GlenFiddich

FYI: My friend will is doing the same process with Porto instead.

I will let you guys know how things go!

@ppelletier I saw a discussion previously which you jogged my memory about. Read this and maybe ask cowrfish & @bwmccoy as they might have some useful tips.

connosr.com/wall/discussion/…

@ppelletier Thanks for letting us in on this journey with you. I've been wanting to try this method myself, it sounds very interesting so please keep us updated on how it works for you. You are trying something new and innovative good luck. :)

@tjb - thanks for reading my post and for linking to it here.

@ppelletier - Good luck with your rematuration. I am 4+ weeks into my first attempt, but instead of rematuration, I decided to age a cask strength new make rye from Heaven Hills.

After starting my experiment, I discovered a local WA state distillery (Heritage Distilling Co. - www.heritagedistilling.com) that has only been opened since last November. Since they are just starting out, in addition to distilling Vodka and Gin, they are using a lot of small 10L casks (in addition to traditional ex-bourbon casks from Makers Mark) in order to get some whiskey product out the door sooner. They are also selling some new make including rye, bourbon and single malt. (Most of their ingredients are locally sourced including the barley which is malted in Vancouver, WA.)

During my visit to the distillery, I explained my experiment to the owner / distiller. He suggested that with a 1L cask, about 2 months was the optimum time (on-average) for aging new make. He claims any longer and the whiskey becomes over oaked, especially on a first fill. My plan is to start checking my cask around that time in order to determine the best time to bottle. Once I do bottle the first batch of Heaven Hills Rye, I plan to refill that cask with a bottle of Heritage Distillery's Commander Rye that is based on George Washington's original 1797 recipe (65% Rye, 30% Corn & 5% Malted Barley). Unlike my first batch, the Commander's Rye is not cask strength; it's only 40% ABV.

I have also ordered a 2nd 1L cask that should arrive in the next couple of weeks. I plan to mature the Heritage Distillery boubon new make first and when that is matured, fill the cask with the Heritage Distillery single malt in an attempt to emulate the Scotch process as closely as I can.

Others who have tried this have cautioned not to expect great whiskey out of these small casks. I don't. It's just a fun experiment. Again, I wish you the best with your cask. Please let us know how things go. Cheers!

I did something similar a couple years back. I posted on my blog.

bourbondork.blogspot.com/2009/11/…

I did a second fill for a much shorter time (7 weeks) with better results.

Update: GlenFiddich has been sitting in the cask for a week now. For now, very happy with the result. The impact is still very gentle. It seems like the rhum really took out all of the harsh taste of the new charred oak. I'm planning on letting it sit for a month. Will keep you posted for people interrested.