2 Pack Oak Infusion Spiral Medium Plus Toast for Aging Whiskey, Wine, Brandy or Spirits - Oak Chips for Aging Whiskey, Oak Cubes for Wine Making, Oak Spirals Bottle Aged by The Spirit of The Forest

A few years ago, I did a blind taste testing with several whiskeys for my birthday. One of the cheap whiskeys had used these aging spirals in it for 2 weeks. The results? The cheap whiskey outperformed some of the expensive bourbons. It simply works. Cheaper whiskeys tend not to be aged as long. For instance, Samuel Grant (a Safeway storebrand whiskey) is only aged for 3 years, whereas something like Makers Mark is aged for 6. The lack of aging is generally the reason why it tastes worse than more expensive options. Whiskey gets its flavor from the burnt oak of the barrel diffusing into the spirit. Diffusion rate directly occurs proportional to surface area. A spiral has much greater surface area than the rim of interior of a barrel has on a square inch basis. What this means is that this spiral burnt oak diffuser will add flavor to your whiskey at a much faster rate than aging over several years. With these added, the $16 Samuel Grant received similar grades as $95 to $110 whiskey. Not bad for this diffuser's price! You do need to be patient, as it will take 2 weeks to work, but it is definitely a fun experiment to do. Also, it's going to save you money. What's not to love?

Made homemade brandy work great

Working as it should

We make our own maple syrup and every year I try a new experimental batch. This was this year's experiment, trying to mimic a barrel aged maple syrup.

So, they are charred Oak spirals intended to flavor alcohol when not stored and aged in a barrel. I put some of my favorite clear liquid into a glass carboy and added two of the spirals for flavoring. Within a few days, the liquid took on a beautiful honey color, so the appear to work well. As far as taste goes, I'll be able to tell you a bit more in a couple years. Overall value is OK, for some little twists of wood.

Tiny is the size. Not medium. You can get larger pairs for the same price if you keep looking.

Time will tell, it changed the color in two weeks. No taste or smell change yet.

This product comes as a long spirals of charred oak and when added to Spirits, it mellows and enhances the flavor. I usually use about and 1 1/2" of the spiral to flavor my bourbon and cutting it presents a small problem, as oak is a very hard wood. I usually leave the spiral in for a minimum of 2 weeks and enjoy the results. If you would like to take some of the sting out of poorly aged spirits, this product provides a way.