Entering a liquor store without a clear idea of what to buy can be quite daunting, with towering shelves full of bottles bearing labels laden with unfamiliar terms. You’ve probably come across the term “barrel-aged” but may not fully understand what it entails.
Quite simply, it means that after distillation, the fresh spirit is placed in wooden barrels for several years. During this time, the flavor of the spirit evolves, gaining different notes from the wood. Though this process is standard for whiskies, barrel-aged vodkas are rarer but not unheard of.
Whiskey features that makers and drinkers appreciate don’t usually suit vodka. While aging can mellow the ethanol burn found in any alcohol, it also brings in a complex blend of sweet, smoky, and spicy flavors. However, many consider the quality of good vodka to lie in its purity, not its complexity. Keeping in mind this factor, and the fact that barrel-aging needs years of maturation and a considerable amount of space that wouldn’t be required otherwise, most vodka producers don’t experiment with barrels. Nonetheless, there are exceptions to this tradition.
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Some spirits, like bourbon, rye, and Scotch whiskey, are actually required by government regulatory bodies and trade associations to be aged for a set period of time. Vodka, however, isn’t one of them. Since it doesn’t have to be aged, and many folks don’t particularly like age-related characteristics in their vodka anyway, most of it just simply isn’t.
In fact, aged vodka falls into an ambiguous category in the eyes of the law. Aging vodka isn’t expressly verboten, but the Alcohol and Tobacco Trade Bureau defines vodka as having no “distinctive character, aroma, taste or color” — all of which are properties that can result from aging. (Interestingly, it doesn’t limit what products vodka can be made from, though most vodkas have a base of grain or potatoes.) For that reason, you might see vodka makers avoiding the phrase “barrel-aged” and instead describing their spirit as having been “rested on oak” or “finished in barrels.” But ultimately, it means the same thing: The distilled spirit spent a significant amount of time in contact with barrels or wood chips, infusing the vodka with the wood’s unique flavors.
But aged vodkas certainly exist, and like with any other aged spirit, wine, or beer, careful consideration goes into the kind of barrels used. Oak is a common kind of wood used for aging vodka and other beverages, but there’s variation even within that category — French vs. American oak, for instance. Spirit makers may also use other kinds of wood entirely, like chestnut or cherry. Whatever kind of wood is chosen, it also needs to be toasted in order to bend it into a barrel shape, and the degree and method of toasting can introduce different flavors as well. Sometimes barrels are reused to impart some of the taste of whatever the barrel previously held — hence you’ll sometimes find vodka aged in cognac, wine, or even whiskey barrels.
Because aged or “barrel-finished” vodka is still a relatively niche, experimental product, you won’t find it everywhere, and when you do, it’s likely to be a bit pricier than most standard, unadulterated vodka options. If you’re itching to try some bold flavored vodkas but aren’t having any luck at your local shops, you can always tide yourself over with some homemade vodka infusions to really level up your next at-home cocktail hour.
Read the original article on Daily Meal.
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