Barrel aging

This process confers the uniqueness, peculiarity, and specificity of Madeira wine. It is meant to simulate the effects of a long sea voyage of aging barrels through tropical climates. As noted, the benefits of this exposure were discovered in the seventeenth century, where casks of Madeira were stored in the warm, humid holds of sailing ships for months at a time. It led to the employment of the technique of baking used today. 

Fourth.—Certain incrustations are left on the sides and bottoms of fermentation tanks and aging barrels. They are called... 

For example, the many deepwater fields located in the Gulf of Mexico are of Tertiary age and are comprised of complex sand bodies which were deposited in a deepwater turbidite sequence. The BP Prudhoe Bay sandstone reservoir in Alaska is of Triassic/ Cretaceous age and was deposited by a large shallow water fluvial-alluvial fan delta system. The Saudi Arabian Ghawar limestone reservoir is of Jurassic age and was deposited in a warm, shallow marine sea. Although these reservoirs were deposited in very different depositional environments they all contain producible accumulations of hydrocarbons, though the fraction of recoverable oil varies. In fact, these three fields are some of the largest in the world, containing over 12 billion barrels of oil each ... 

In Section 13.2, it was suggested that opex is estimated at the development planning stage based upon a percentage of cumulafive capex (fixed opex) plus a cosf per barrel of hydrocarbon production (variable opex). This method has been widely applied, with the percentages and cost per barrel values based on previous experience in the area. One obvious flaw in this method is that as oil production declines, so does the estimate of opex, which is nof the common experience as equipment ages it requires more maintenance and breaks down more frequently. 

White oak barrels of 190 liters (50 U.S. gallons) that have been previously used for bourbon maturation are often used a second and third time to age Canadian whisky. This used cooperage along with the higher proof distillation gives Canadians their characteristic light flavor compared to the heavy flavor of most bourbons aged in new charred oak barrels. 

The grain whiskeys used in Scotch blends are produced using com, rye, and barley malt and are distilled using a continuous multicolumn stiU at 180—186° proof (90—93%). Grain whiskeys are aged in used oak barrels of 190 Hter capacities. The used barrels are often purchased in the United States from bourbon distilleries. 

Gra.in Spirits. Grain spirits are neutral spirits from grain that are matured in used oak barrels and bottled at 80° proof or higher. The period of aging in oak may be declared on the botde. 

In the United States about 95% of the brandy comes from California. The first brandy was made in 1837 though it was not produced in quantity until 1867. Ak California brandy must be made from grapes grown and distiked in the state and aged a minimum of two years in oak barrels. 

Amber or gold mms can be matured in wood barrels three years, though the color in gold mms should not necessarily imply that it was derived from aging. Often the color is achieved by adding caramel color to the product. They are more flavorful than light mm. 

Tequila is usuaky bottled at 80—86° proof. It is sold unaged as white tequila or it can be matured in oak barrels. Aging gives Tequila a golden color and a pleasant mekowness without altering its basic taste. 

Much work has been reported and summarized ia the Hterature on the matufing of various whiskeys ia charred or uncharred white-oak barrels (4—7). The early Hterature iadicates that total acids, aldehydes, esters, soHds, and color iacreased with aging time and that their concentrations were iaversely proportional to proof. Thus aging at higher proofs (over 127°) yields less color and flavor. The maximum allowable entry proof for straight whiskeys was iacreased from 110° to 125° by the U.S. Treasury Department ia 1962. 

Table 3. Concentration of Aromatic Aldehydes in Bourbon as Influenced by Barrel Treatment, Age, and Proof...

In the US, more than 80% of caramel is used to color drinks such as colas and beers. Another important application is the coloring of blended whiskeys produced by mixing straight whiskeys with neutral spirits. The addition of neutral spirits to the straight whiskey produces a loss of color that can be compensated by the addition of caramel. Straight whiskeys are colored during aging for 2 yr in freshly charred oak barrels and contain furfural and 5-HMF in a ratio of 2 to 2.6 1, while the ratio... 

A manufacturer observed that the compound produced by one twin-screw extruder exhibited much better dispersion than that produced in a similar extruder making the same compound. The only difference between the two extruders was the age of the screws and barrel. What could be causing the observed difference ... 

Benzoic aldehydes mainly cover syringaldehyde and vanillin. Natural vanilla is prepared from the seeds (beans) of Vanilla planifolia, which may contain about 21 mg/ 100 g FW total phenols, including the major components vanillin (19.4 mg/100 g FW), 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (1 mg/100 g FW), and vanillic acid (0.4 mg/100 g FW) (Clifford 2000b). In mango, vanillin has been found as free as well as vanillyl glu-coside (Sakho and others 1997). It has also been found in lychees (Ong and Acree 1998) and wines (Moreno and others 2007). For analysis of both brandy and wine aged in oak barrels, the limits of detection were found to be 27.5, 14.25, 14.75, and... 

Fernandez de Simon B, Cadahia E and Mocha J. 2003. Volatile compounds in a Spanish red wine aged in barrels made of Spanish, French, and American oak wood. J Agric Food Chem 51 (26) 7671— 7678. 

RELATIVE AMOUNT OF EIGHT ANTHOCYANINS IN FOUR TEMPRANILLO WINES (VINTAGE 1999) DURING THEIR AGEING IN OAK BARRELS (O) OR IN STAINLESS STEEL TANKS (S)... 

In barrel-aged red, white, and model wines, naturally occurring furfuryl alcohol decreased in concentration with time. In red wine, furfuryl ethyl ether was identified as a degradation product after 55 wk of storage. The average percentage decrease of furfuryl alcohol was 73% (Spillman et al, 1998). 

Source Furfuryl occurs naturally in yarrow, licorice, sesame seeds, clove flowers, and tea leaves (Duke, 1992). Also detected in barrel-aged red, white, and model wines. Concentrations ranged from 3.5 mg/L in white wine after 55 wk of aging to 9.6 mg/L after 11 wk of aging (Spillman et ah, 1998). Identified as one of 140 volatile constituents in used soybean oils collected from a processing plant that fried various beef, chicken, and veal products (Takeoka et al, 1996). 

Spillman, P.J., Pollnitz, A.P., Eiacopoulos, D., Pardon, K.H., and Sefton, M.A. Formation and degradation of furfuryl alcohol, 5-methylfurfuryl alcohol, vanillyl alcohol and their ethyl ethers in barrel-aged wines, / Agric. Food CAe/n., 46 (2) 657-663, 1998. 

Apetrei, C., Apetrei, 1. M., Nevares, L, Del Alamo, M., Parra, V., Rodriguez-Mendez, M. L., and De Saja, J. A. (2007). Using an e-tongue based on voltammetric electrodes to discriminate among red wines aged in oak barrels or aged using alternative methods. Electrochhn. Acta 52(7), 2588-2594. 

Parra, V., Arrieta, A. A., Fernandez-Escudero, J. A., Iniguez, M., De Saja, J. A., and Rodriguez-Mendez, M. L. (2006a). Monitoring of the ageing of red wines in oak barrels by means of an hybrid electronic tongue. Anal. Chim. Acta 563(1-2), 229-237. 

Microoxygenation (MOX) is now widely applied for the maturation of red wines as an alternative to barrel aging. The proposed improvements in wine quality arising from MOX include color stabilization, removal of unwanted off-odors, and improvements... 

Ortega-Heras, M., Rivero-Perez, M. D., Perez-Magarino, S., Gonzalez-Huerta, C., and Gon-zalez-Sanjose, M. L. (2008). Changes in the volatile composition of red wines during aging in oak barrels due to microoxygenation treatment applied before malolactic fermentation. 

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