timber liquor barrels

[bear74]

Hey Fellas,
does anyone know of a suitable substitute for american or french oak in australian timber for making barrels for storing the likes of whisky or rum in? I would like a barrel to put some whisky in made from aussie timber that may impart it's own flavour into the liquor. it's for a birthday present for my old boy.

Bear

[longbowinfected]

Silky Mountain Ash Orites excelsa or commonly known as Prickly Ash is listed as suitable for cooperage in Bootle.
If you go to page 373 in Bootle it lists for:
heads- miva mahogany, satinay, yellowwood, WA sheoak
staves- WA sheoak, kauri, tulip oak, black wood, yellowwood, messmate
bungs- white beech, southern sassafras, myrtle beech, celery-top pine
shives- white beech, bollywood

Kevin

[bear74]

cheers mate

[Slackshot]

I guess eaucalypts is a no no then

[bear74]

I guess eaucalypts is a no no then

it's bad enough in cough lollies and ointments, I dont think them flavours imparted on my rum or whiskey would be palatable though it may stop people from pilfering my supply

[Dennis La Varenne]

Bear,

I would be surprised if all the traditional woods used in cooperage did not impart something to the flavour as in the case of the wines where the wood flavour is well regarded.

There are over 370 species of eucalyptus in Australia, so it would be a bit premature to presume they all have a single 'flavour' I think, let alone that of the eucalyptus flavour which only occurs in the leaves rather than the wood - at least I cannot remember any eucalyptus flavour when I have sucked on a bit of eucalyptus wood.

My guess is that it would be a case of what flavour-effect the wood had on the spirit and whether it added to the flavour or not.

The usefulness of the wood specie in cooperage staves depends on how well they are able to be heat bent and how well they seal when wet. That would be perhaps the principle property you would need.

If you contact the tourist shop at the Bundaberg distillery (if it is still there), perhaps they may be a source.

[Nutgrass]

I am pretty sure American white oak is what the Bundaberg Rum vats are made from (I have a 4 litre keg made from an old decommissioned one)

But the Bundaberg Red rum is filtered with Red gum ?? So I don't know how many types of red gum there are, but I guess that is an option.

As for the flavour, I usually store all my rum in my keg, itreally smooths it right out

[bear74]

cheers dennis and nutgrass, a bit more research and phone calls on order

[longbowinfected]

The various true Oaks [Quercus are used all around the world. You did ask about Australian Native. My list dealt with timber available in Australia and not all of them would be easy to get. Oak was also a good ship building timber.
Australian Softwoods such as Celery top Pine and Huon Pine whilst rare and expensive are great at withstanding moisture, are used for bathroom , kitchen fixtures/kit as well as in ship building for exotic, expensive builds.
I did not check their other properties though.

Kevin