Capn Jimbo's Rum Project Forum

[Capn Jimbo]

Can you count to three?


Although spirits have been aged in all manner of barrels, oak possesses the qualities most desired by distillers. The first reason is simple strength. Oak makes for a strong, durable barrel that can last for the many years it may be in use, through daily expansions and contractions, re-racking, turning and the like.

Oak is also considered a "pure" wood, free of nasty resins and other components that would otherwise ruin the spirit. That's why pine would never work, as such components would add horrible, strong and unwanted flavors.

Last and most important are the favorable qualities added by oak. They are:

1. Additive: oak will add certain flavors to the spirit; different oaks, even different barrels will add different flavors. The master blender/distiller plays a key, if not primary role in what finally ends up in your glass. Much of their day is pulling samples from each of the barrels, and logging his/her impressions and following each barrel through the years.

Examples would be coconut, bourbon, "toastiness", and hints of vanilla (vanillan - which is NOT vanilla), wood sugars (from charring/toasting), and color. BTW, it's all too easy for distillers to "cheat" and add artificial flavors, glycerol or sucrose and colors to phony up a rum to appear and to taste aged.

2. Subtractive: oaks are toasted and/or charred to varying degrees and for varying purposes. Light and medium toast will add certain flavors, but charred oak actually filters and removes some of the nasties. Although you wouldn't think about it this way, barreled rum does not sit still. The barrels expand and contract daily. The position of the barrel, vertical or horizontal, height from the floor, construction of the warehouse, humidity, etc. all vary and produce varying results.

Thus the rum is constantly moving and being filtered by both the grain and char. Example: new make naturally is "edgy" or a bit raw, and contains sulfur - both are smoothed and removed by time in the barrel.

3. Interactive: the flavor elements of the new make and chemical components added by the wood interact and form entirely new compounds and flavors. Distillers who can achieve this are rare masters, and even then the process is not completely understood. Richard Seale is one of these masters and continues to experiment with woods.

Example: the wood tannins will interact with the new make alcohol components and convert them to "acetyls", which are then converted to new and fruity "esters". Wolfboy take note. Although new make will pick up tannins (especially from new oak), any further aging works to convert them into the fine aged rum we appreciate.

The fabulous Ian Wisnewski (and others) have identified five elements of oak and their effects:

1. Cellulose: no effect (this is what holds the wood together).

2. Hemicelluose: breaks down when the oak is toasted or charred into simple sugars. These add body and smoothness, a touch (just a touch) of sweetness, what are called "toasty and carmelized flavours", and a bit of color (not to be confused with burnt caramel color).

3. Lignin: when toasted, releases "vanillan", a component of oak that is mildly vanilla like (but is NOT vanilla). The heated lignin also produces some of the sweet, smoky and spicy impressions.

4. Tannins: very misunderstood, and released especially in new barrels. Almost immediately these begin to transform the rum by oxidizing undesireable components and transforming them into desirable acetyls and esters (fragrant and fruity).

5. Lactones: these are lipid (fatty) components of oak. When toasted these can lead to noticeable woody and coconut flavors.


Bottom line:

I once engaged in a huge private debate with the Wolfboy, who held that barrels are simply commodity purchases, bought at the lowest possible price, and with some of former contents still sloshing around the bottom.

He could not be more wrong.

As you can see, oak and cooperage is very expensive, quite variable, and the distiller/blenders' primary concern, almost more than the distillation itself. Some commentators have estimated that, for fine rums, 80% of the wonderful flavors and sensations arise from the oak and aging.

There is much more to tell about this wonderful wood, so stay tuned...
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