Sapwood and the Single Barrel

Discuss any bourbon related topics here that do not belong in a forum below.

Moderator: Squire

Sapwood and the Single Barrel

Unread postby BlueGrass_BrownWater » Thu Dec 03, 2015 9:38 am

I purchased a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel the other day and after 3 or 4 pours, I am really disappointed in this product. The reason is that flavors of hay and corn are really overwhelming and it distracts from some of the other, sweeter notes of the bourbon. I've been thinking about the reason for this characteristic and reading a bit about the source of bourbon flavor notes and I have a theory to put out there. I've read that occasionally, a cooperage will produce a barrel that may have some sapwood in the staves. This wood is very dense and high in resin so it doesn't "breathe" the way it should. This prevents permeation by the whiskey and retards the aging process. What you could end up with is a product with a significantly under-aged taste. Since I believe that corn and hay are notes that come from the mash and are generally indicators of a lack of wood-derived compounds that flavor the bourbon, I have to wonder if maybe my particular barrel was just an outlier and that maybe a different lot would be more pleasing. What do you think about this hypothesis and do you have any experience with this particular bourbon that you could compare to mine?
BlueGrass_BrownWater
Registered User
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 9:02 am

Return to Bourbon, Straight

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] and 35 guests