Aging

[Bourbon HQ]

Anyone know what effect or aging ratio difference barrel sizes have? Let's say for instance a 10 gallon barrel vs. a 53 gallon barrel. I know Buffalo Trace is experimenting with some 10 gallon barrels. If whiskey has been in the two barrel sizes for four years. What would be the age differences?

Gayle

[afisher]

On first principles, you would think that the rate of aging would be proportional to the ratio between the surface area and the volume of the barrel, hence proportional to the 1/3 power of the volume. So a 10-gallon barrel would age 1.7 times faster than a 53-gallon barrel, and 4 years in the 10 gallon would be about like 7 in the larger barrel. I don't know if this matches experience, though.

I'm actually aging some 100pf vodka in a 1-liter barrel to get a more or less pure barrel taste; theoretically this should develop almost 6 times faster than in a full-size barrel, modulo variations in char, wood, temperature, etc.

[Bourbon HQ]

Yes afisher, that sounds reasonable to me. Interesting topic. Maybe we'll get some other input. Let us know how your experiment turns out.

Gayle

[bunghole]

ima aging a bit faster than I'd like. I've been told a lot of heat is headed my way, so I'd like to be stored on the coolest floor of your rackhouse.

Do take me out for a 'spin' each season, if it's not too much trouble.

I keep trying to get to Pittsburgh to see an old friend, and folks keep telling me to go to hell. Is that the same place?

imasaintbunghole

[afisher]

Here's the authority:
http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/calvin-on-death-and-pittsburgh.jpg