We are just over a month since we started this ModernThirst Barrel Aging Experiment. And I am happy to report that we have progress! This tasting was conducted on 7/28/14, just about a month after we barreled our Old Weller Antique 107 in the 1 Liter barrel. Check out the comparison to the un-aged OWA 107 below.
As I pour the tasting out of the barrel, rich copper liquid was accompanied with bits of real oak (so you know its good).
Color: The color of the aged bourbon is new certainly, discernibly darker than the original. even if the photos still do not fully show it.
Aroma: A smoother, toffee, and more caramely (I feel like I am always making up new words in these reviews) scent comes from the barell aged bourbon
Taste:
I first compared them both neat: I tried the original first, and like always, it had a nice flavor throughout with a touch of alcohol burn. After rinsing my palate, I tried the aged one, and it was noticeably smoother,with more flavor in the middle of the taste, but instead of the alcohol burn, there were many tannins in the finish, the lingering tannins were a bit harsh, yet rewarding with a nice flavor.
I then tried both again with a splash of RO water: This gave both great all around tastes, but really smoothed out tannins on the aged to make a very great bourbon.
For fun, at the end, I mixed the last taste of each together: This made for a fantastic bourbon with very little tannins at end…great all the way through.
This experiment could already be called a success,but i am curious and want to see what a little longer in the barrel will do. While i realize i run the risk of too many tannins, the fact that I can vat it with OWA or anything else for that matter makes it intriguing to go just a little longer to see if I can get more oak and caramel flavors to come out. This is much quicker than I expected to see results, i will certainly be getting more barrels and trying some more things…stay tuned!
