Has anyone barrel aged their Rum, other spirits? - Tiki Drinks and Food

S Sunny&Rummy Member Melbourne, FL Joined: Jun 13, 2013 Posts: 601	S Sunny&Rummy Posted posted on Wed, Oct 9, 2013 11:46 AM On 2013-10-09 08:04, Kill Devil wrote: I'm wondering - would the vermouth in a barrel-aged Manhattan, maintain itself through the aging process, or could it "go off"? It is wine, after all. I could definitely see where citrus would not age well. Wine, yes, but fortified wine, so they are typically bottled at 16-18% abv instead of the 9-12% abv of table wine. That is certainly enough alcohol to allow for good preservative properties during aging. On the other hand, oxidation is what I would be most worried about. If I was to lay down a cask of Manhattan or Martinez, etc., to be aged I would be careful to agitate/aerate the contents as little as possible (no need to stir to mix ingredients, they will have months to mix and marry in the cask) and would leave no head space in the cask.

On 2013-10-09 08:04, Kill Devil wrote:
I'm wondering - would the vermouth in a barrel-aged Manhattan, maintain itself through the aging process, or could it "go off"? It is wine, after all. I could definitely see where citrus would not age well.

Wine, yes, but fortified wine, so they are typically bottled at 16-18% abv instead of the 9-12% abv of table wine. That is certainly enough alcohol to allow for good preservative properties during aging. On the other hand, oxidation is what I would be most worried about. If I was to lay down a cask of Manhattan or Martinez, etc., to be aged I would be careful to agitate/aerate the contents as little as possible (no need to stir to mix ingredients, they will have months to mix and marry in the cask) and would leave no head space in the cask.

Post #695859 by Sunny&Rummy on Wed, Oct 9, 2013 11:46 AM