Well, this got away from me a bit...

Ok, so I had intended to update this on a weekly basis, but that irascible old coot known as life got in the way. If you read my other blogs, you know that I am engaged to be married, so my wife-to-be and I are in the midst of planning a wedding, she is wrapping up school, we're both working, and I am, frankly, not the best at prioritizing my tasks. Also, I'm kind of lazy.

That said, I have not neglected my bourbon-to-be! No, no, my barrel is still chock full of corn-based goodness, and I am still tasting it weekly to ensure quality.

When last I blogged, I had cleaned out and primed the barrel. Next up, bourbification! Bourbonifaction? Bourbonization? I like bourbonization, let's go with that.

Next up, bourbonization!

The first step is to put something in the barrel, which led to my first question: what do I put in the barrel? I poked around the internet for a couple of days, and found many contrasting opinions, many of which weren't all that helpful. Basically, I asked the internet, "What do I put in my barrel?" and received the response, "Anything!" The most informative sites explained how to barrel age cocktails, and why that's a great idea. Awesome, but unhelpful. I did find a barrel site that instructs owners to fill with the bottles of clear grain alcohol that came with the barrel. The only things that came with my barrel were a plug, a stand, and a spigot. Unless the bottles were teeny, I didn't have any.

This actually was a good start, though, and led me to discover how bourbon is actually made, what moonshine actually is, and how both relate to my barrel.

First off, moonshine. I don't know about you, but when I hear the term "moonshine", I think of southern hillbillies distilling booze in their bathtubs, storing it in mason jars, and selling it to friends under the table. This is surprisingly accurate, even to this day. However, some companies have taken the name and applied it to their corn whiskeys, since they're producing essentially the same thing, just using a professional facility and not passing the liquor through a car radiator. At least, I assume it's not. I really have no idea. Haven't gone blind yet, so that's a plus.

Second, Bourbon. Also known as bourbon whiskey, it starts with a corn mash. Water and then yeast is added, and the mash ferments. More water is added, and the mixture is distilled, usually to 130-160 proof. This spirit is then poured into a charred oak barrel, where it sits for a few years (the patience of distillers astounds me), during which time it becomes bourbon. It is drawn from the barrel and diluted to the appropriate proof, generally in the 80-100 range. If we take a step back to the 130-160 proof spirit, add some water at that point to dilute the alcohol down to around 100 proof, we have corn whiskey, also known as moonshine. Thus, a shortcut in this process is to take moonshine, put it in a charred oak barrel, add time, and boom - bourbon.

The worry I had now was whether or not moonshine was actually sold in stores up here in New Hampshire. To my surprise, I discovered there's actually a brand of moonshine made right here in New Hampshire. What better to use for my first bourbon? Well, frankly, something that isn't twice the cost of pretty much everything else on the shelf. Ok, scrap that, we'll go with some Midnight Moon 100-proof Moonshine.

It even comes in mason jars. The legends were true!

February 13th, 2014

First up, a taste test of my starter. It's moonshine, basically pure, straight-up corn whiskey. Immediate observation was that it was clear. Second observation was that, judging by the smell, I may have bought rubbing alcohol by mistake. Third observation, the taste. Yup, this might be rubbing alcohol. Very sharp, intense burn, but no real nuance. Just burning. And, it left my lips tingly and numb.

Frankly, as long as the odor and flavor mellows even a little, whatever comes out of this barrel will be better than what's going into it.

Each jar of 'shine is 750mL, the barrel holds 2L, so I will be adding 375mL of tap water. This alone should mellow things out a bit. Using the equation V₁C₁ = V₂C₂, we have (1.5L)(100Proof) = (1.875L)(x) or 150/1.875, which is 80. So, by adding the water, I’ve diluted the moonshine down to 80 proof. I think. Maybe that equation isn’t applicable in this instance, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t be. Proof is just a measure of the concentration of the alcohol. Not sure what aging does to the proof, but at the very least, we know we’re starting at 80.

February 21st, 2014

Big day – the first tasting! I pulled the stopper from the top of the barrel, then opened the spigot to draw off about an ounce of the liquor. Right off, I noticed that the color had changed, in that the spirit actually had some color – a very light, but distinct – golden hue.

The odor is still distinctly medicinal, but there is a hint of oakiness there. The taste is still harsh, though there are hints of the oak/char in it, and a sweet note. The finish is not smooth, and there is a sort of bitter aftertaste.

I don't want to make these too long, so I'll stop here for now.

Up Next: Months of incremental change!