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Does steeping or "aging" in oak barrels actually impart flavor?
submitted over 7 years ago by penatbater

I've seen a number of companies or flavors that claim they were 'aged' in 'oak barrels' for 'x number of days'. To me it sounds a bit of marketing mumbo jumbo to increase the perceived value of a juice, but I don't have oak barrels here to test it out.

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21 points
 
by MasterBeernutsover 7 years ago

They probably just throw in a few drops of FA Oak Wood/FLV Oak Barrel... and charge double

18 points
 
by chewymidgetover 7 years agoThe Colonel

I've always assumed this is exactly what they do. This industry is littered with marketing bullshit.

7 points
 
by ChemicalBurnVictimover 7 years agoresident tobacco expert

I said that about Johnson Creek and the owner came in saying that they actually do the oak barrel thing and think the price is justified and it always sells out really fast, so the customers seem to think it is worth the price.

They went out of business though so....

6 points
 
by Stratocraticover 7 years ago

JC Founder's Reserve was aged in charred oak barrels that had previously held whiskey. New batches (1100-1200 30ml bottles) sold out same day, often within an hour or two.

There were a lot of factors in the going out of business. Some of them were due to poor decisions, but some very significant factors were beyond JC's control.

5 points
 
by penatbaterover 7 years ago

Damn. I saw in one of my fb groups someone selling those VCT juices, 60ml is around 22-24 usd. @.@ it has a pretty label and says it was "aged in oak barrels for 90 days".

1 points
 
by imNAchogrlover 7 years ago

Is it tobaccos oak flavored?

1 points
 
by BlameReligionover 7 years agoProud Sidebar Reader!

This is Ripe Vapes VCT (Vanilla Custard Tobacco) "Private Reserve" that's supposedly aged in french oak barrels for 90 days. The regular VCT is not.

2 points
 
by kuri_sanTouover 7 years agoDiketones, Schmiketones

haha. I think you just added two new flavors onto my buy list

2 points
 
by thelateoctoberover 7 years ago

FA Oak Wood is awesome, can't speak for the FLV one yet though.

1 points
 
by imNAchogrlover 7 years ago

👏🏻👏🏻😂

14 points
 
by Stratocraticover 7 years ago

It can, but not to the degree that it will with liquor. Use of charred barrels has more of an effect, especially if the barrels previously housed alcohol such as bourbon or wine.

The problem IMO is that VG/PG do not move in and out of the wood as easily as alcohol does. In fact, the biggest issues we had were in keeping the barrels hydrated enough to not shrink and leak. "Basting" them helped. Keeping them in a high humidity (think fog) room helped. But that also waters down the e-liquid, as that water will move out of the wood into the e-liquid, since VG & PG are hydroscopic.

4 points
 
by Barbarakeover 7 years ago

I totally agree with the part about keeping the barrel hydrated. I tried this for fun using a small one liter barrel. Went to check it 3 months later and the barrel had dried out and everything had stepped away.

What I would do in the future - and what should work very well - is aging the liquid in a clean glass bottle and addding Oak chips to the liquid.

2 points
 
by n0tveganover 7 years ago

This is actually a brilliant idea that I'm gonna try with some whiskey barrel chips I have lying around.

2 points
 
by Stratocraticover 7 years ago

Small distilleries sometimes do this. SS vats instead of glass bottles, but the same idea. They drop mesh bags of wood chunks into corn liquor for short-term aging.

2 points
 
by db2over 7 years ago

Would it work to use alcohol in the barrel, add it to the juice and distill off the alcohol leaving the flavor?

5 points
 
by electrobrainsover 7 years ago

I'm just entertained that you have "aging" in quotes and "steeping" bare, considering that steeping is the misnomer and aging is quite accurate.

2 points
 
by theBigDaddioover 7 years agoMixologist

Some time ago a group did a test on E-Cig, apparently it does what it says. Did a blind taste test.

4 points
 
by EdibleMalfunctionover 7 years agoThat Sugar Cookie Guy

Sounds really credible. Very trustworthy

4 points
 
by theBigDaddioover 7 years agoMixologist

As trustworthy as this sub.

2 points
 
by imNAchogrlover 7 years ago

Not gonna see EM any wolf tickets 😂🤣

2 points
 
by EdibleMalfunctionover 7 years agoThat Sugar Cookie Guy

Huh?

1 points
 
by throwawayeg3over 7 years ago

I don't believe the Five Pawns guys actually age juice in barrels. FA Oak Wood is what they likely use.

1 points
 
by BulldogIrishover 7 years ago

The Lazarus vintage definitely has bottles of Journey that come in oak barrels it's called Barrel journey... You actually can even buy them in the bottles.. Journey is a phenomenal juice fantastic flavor.. Unfortunately I don't think there's any diy'ing it it's to intricate when I started diy I pretty much gave up hope on my love for it.. It's a cigar dipped in cognac with a buttermilk finish... It's very masculine and still sweet and smooth..

1 points
 
by FOG-CITY213about 7 years ago

Please, gentlemen, did anyone find a correct answer regarding the use of wood barrels in the process of aging?

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