Kenyan Hicks on Spoutible

2/20

This as the laziest of lazy hobbies. 😀

It started after two separate things happened many years ago. First, having a friend introduce me to the concept at a gathering out in LA. Second, attending a tequila tasting hosted by company I worked for.

08:03 PM - Jun 22, 2023

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3/20

The tasting was my first exposure to expensive tequila and just how much better it is compared to what I was used to at the local bars.

08:03 PM - Jun 22, 2023

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4/20

The first step is ordering the oak barrels. There are websites on the interweb and the barrels can be ordered in all sorts of sizes based on liters. They typically come in sizes of 1, 2, 5, 10, and up.

I just ordered two 2-liter oak barrels. Here’s a pic of the barrels previously used.

Two 2-Liter oak barrels with a fancy growler in the middle, surrounded by various size drinking glasses.

08:04 PM - Jun 22, 2023

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5/20

I prefer 2 liter barrels for a couple reasons. First, 2 handles (1.75L) of alcohol are enough to get through the full aging process for each barrel.

Second, the bigger the barrel, the longer it takes to age the alcohol. I’m not that patient.

08:05 PM - Jun 22, 2023

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6/20

The next update will be in about a week after the barrels are delivered and I begin the curing process.

08:05 PM - Jun 22, 2023

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7/20

Behold, the new oak barrels!

The barrels were just filled with hot water and will sit overnight to cure. This process will swell the wood to close any potential leaks, because the last thing we want to do is waste alcohol.

I'll probably put them in the sink or tub just in case there's a leak.

Two 2-liter oak barrels next to each other on the counter.

07:28 PM - Jun 30, 2023

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8/20

Not yet concerning, but the oak barrels were a little damp around the spigot this morning, especially the one on the right. 😔

I emptied the barrels, ran hot water thru the spigot, and then refilled the barrels with hot water.

Let's hope things are better by tonight or tomorrow morning.

Two 2-liter oak barrels next to each other over towels to soak up any leaks.

11:56 AM - Jul 01, 2023

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9/20

Barrel #1 had no leaks or damp spots so it was filled with Costco/Kirkland tequila.

I prefer white/silver alcohol for barrel aging. The first time I used Bulleit Bourbon and the results were no different than the original bourbon as far as I could tell.

Also, I had a shot for good measure.

Oak barrel flanked by two bottles of Costco Kirkland tequila, one empty after adding to the barrel and the other about three quarters full.

06:24 PM - Jul 02, 2023

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10/20

Barrel #2 was discolored around the edges but not damp or leaking so took the plunge and filled with Captain Morgan White Rum. This is my first time aging rum.

Still unsure if the barrel was ready. Hoping my lack of patience didn’t get the best of me.

Tequila barrel looking cozy on the left.

Oak barrel on the right flanked by two bottles of Captain Morgan white rum. Tequila barrel on the left.

04:28 PM - Jul 04, 2023

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11/20

Cheers to our first tequila tasting after (almost) two weeks in the oak barrel.

As you can see, the tequila has definitely taken on some color from the barrel. Not much has changed in taste at this point, but it has smoothed out a tiny bit for sipping.

Oak barrel filled with tequila next to a little shot glass of tequila from the barrel, slightly discolored from the barrel with the original tequila in the background for comparison.

04:37 PM - Jul 14, 2023

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12/20

This update on the rum barrel is a couple week late. My travel plans a few weeks ago messed up the usual update. The pic is from June 15th.

There continues to be a small leak where the spigot enters the barrel so I ordered barrel wax to hopefully fill the gap. We'll see if it works later today.

Oak barrel with a shot of rum sitting in from of the Captain Morgan white rum handle. The rum in the shot glass started showing some color.

09:21 AM - Jul 30, 2023

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13/20

Took a little taste test from the tequila barrel last night. The tequila has taken on just slightly more color, but there wasn't much change in taste from a few weeks ago.

What did surprise me is how much tequila I needed to add back into the barrel to account for the Angel's Share.

Oak barrel filled with tequila blanco on the right. A shot glass of tequila from the barrel on the left in front of a the original tequila blanco bottle for reference on the color change.

03:53 PM - Jul 30, 2023

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14/20

Sunday Funday included a taste test from the rum barrel. The color is slightly darker but, similar to the tequila, not much change in the taste yet.

I topped off the barrel with about 6 oz. of rum, which seems like a lot of loss to the angels.

See alt-text for info regarding the leak.

Shot of rum from the barrel is on the left in front of the white rum bottle for comparison. Oak barrel is on the right. There's a lot of discoloration on the front of the barrel due to the initial curing and ongoing leaks when opening the spigot. I'm not necessarily happy with it, but I did add some barrel wax around where the spigot enters the barrel to help with the leak, which it mostly did. However, I think another layer will be needed to totally close off the leak.

04:24 PM - Jul 30, 2023

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15/20

Don’t mind me as I sip some tequila and rum this afternoon. The tequila barrel is at 49 days and rum barrel at 47 days. The oak flavor is really starting to take hold now.

I’m debating on whether to stick with the original 100 days of aging or just letting it go until the holiday season now. Hmmmm.

Two oak barrels, one filled with Captain Morgan white rum and the other filled with Costco tequila blanco. Also, there are two shots glasses with little tasted from each of the barrels.

04:24 PM - Aug 20, 2023

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16/20

Here's a close up of the shot glasses. The rum is taking in more color and flavor so far.

Two shot glasses, one filled with Captain Morgan white rum that's been aging in an oak barrel and a second filled with Costco tequila blanco that's been aging in a separate oak barrel.

04:28 PM - Aug 20, 2023

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17/20

Why not do a taste test from the oak barrels today on this first Sunday Funday of the football season?! First up is tequila which is starting to mellow every so slightly after 70 days in the barrel. Another minimum of 30 more days left, but still thinking of leaving it in much longer.

Tequila barrel on the right, oak barrel filled with tequila on the left, and a little shot glass tasting of tequila from the barrel in the middle. The tequila in the shot glass is slightly colored compared to the clear/white tequila in the original bottle.

02:43 PM - Sep 10, 2023

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18/20

It's not gin and juice, but don't mind me as I sip on some rum that's been aging for 130 days now. I've been aging the rum for longer periods between tastings and am now running out of original Captain. Hoping to get one more tasting done and then the big reveal after the move next month.

Bottle of Captain Morgan white rum, oak barrel filled with rum, and a little shot glass for tasting.

02:17 PM - Nov 11, 2023

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19/20

Posted a pic on the regular feed earlier. This is 133 days for the tequila.

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Decided to take a little bit of tequila out of the oak barrel. Not sure if tequila is supposed to be had with ice, but wanted to go fancy with the big ice ball.

09:52 PM - Nov 12, 2023

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