3

Take a Kirkland Blended Whisky or something similar. Is it reasonable to put that in a container with smoking wood chips and let sit for a long while with good results?

Are there any gotchas that will just make this a terrible idea.

Also thought about charring the woodchips first.

notthehoff
  • 131
  • 3
  • 2
    It might be helpful if you edit to indicate what exactly you're trying to accomplish. If you're looking to add some subtle smoke flavor to a cocktail, for example, other methods would do a better job. Generally, when a liquor has a smoke flavor (e.g. scotch, mezcal, some newer niche bourbons) the smoke flavor comes from using smoke very early in the process (malting) rather than during aging or finishing. – Ernest Tippler Apr 15 '19 at 23:58

1 Answers1

2

Yes, it will taste like wood and not the smoked flavor you are seeking. First they should be oak chips. Then they should be charred. You should probably visit the Distiller's Forum and this topic comes up quite a bit. You want the chips to be charred black but not burned all the way through before you use them. Unlike wine chips, that should be toasted to just a deep brown.

Why should you want even more charred flavor in a Whisky that's already got it? If you want to make your own Whisky, just use vodka or Everclear.

farmersteve
  • 7,029
  • 11
  • 20
  • 2
    If the outcome is intended to be whisky-like, I'd start with a commercial "white dog" (an un-aged distillate from a whisky mash bill). Vodka and Everclear are both effectively grain neutral spirits and are distilled to the point where they lose much of the character of the original mash (190 proof before dilution for sale), whereas Bourbon whiskey cannot be initially distilled beyond 160 proof by law so that it retains some of the flavors of the mash. – Ernest Tippler Apr 15 '19 at 23:46