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Barrel Aged
“Barrel Aged”. What does that actually mean? If you go to your local market, you will likely see a multitude of products that claim to be barrel aged. I have seen everything from barrel aged hot sauce to barrel aged maple syrup to even barrel aged soy sauce. Is this a marketing ploy or does it really change the flavor? To dive into this subject, first I want to explain a little about what barrel aging actually DOES.
Barrel Aged
In the world of distillation, all spirits come out of the still CLEAR, meaning no color. This does not mean the spirit comes out with no flavor, however. Some spirits go straight from the still to the bottle (Peruvian Pisco is a great example), and are incredibly flavorful. Many others go directly into a barrel, like Bourbon, for instance. In the world of Bourbons, the barrel must “by law” be brand new, must be charred oak, and the liquid (or “new make” as it is called) must stay in that barrel for a minimum of two years. As much as 70% of the flavor of aged spirits comes from the maturation process, as well as ALL of the color. Keep in mind that this means once that barrel is emptied, Bourbon distilleries can no longer use it to make bourbon. The barrels often get sold to other distilleries to age their spirits, such as tequila, Scotch and Irish whiskey, and yes, RUM (or in this case, any number of products on the market).
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A few years ago I had the honor of attending the Irish Whiskey Academy in Middleton, Ireland, and I learned a ton about the art behind making a barrel, or coopering. From the very beginning when the barrel is being made, flavors are imparted. The wood is bent into “staves” which requires the cooper to heat it in order to make it flexible. This obviously doesn’t burn the wood but it does allow the vanillin to add flavors which will ultimately show through in the spirit. Coopers call this “toasting the barrel”, and distillers are able to decide what level of toast they want. Once a barrel is made, it is then charred inside, and that char has classifications from grade 1-4 depending on how “toasted” the distiller wants it to be. (Think about putting a piece of bread in a toaster oven and how the flavor changes depending on how dark you allow it to get). And finally, the spirit is sealed up in the barrel and left to age. Where and how the barrel is stored, the temperature in the storage facility, and the length of time it ages all goes into that final product that we get to enjoy from the bottle. Another major factor is the type of tree that the wood originates from. French oak vs. American oak will have totally different flavor profiles in the end result of an aged spirit, and in the world of rum, the wood is often tropical which gives us those wonderful flavors of baking spices and banana.
So what is the point of barrel aging a maple syrup, hot sauce or even beer? Whatever spirit that barrel originally held is going to then seep into that item and enhance its flavors, and it is a great way to repurpose the barrel.
Cris
