Jesse Alexander Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Does anyone have experience aging whiskey in an unheated facility in the north. I am in the very early planning stages of a small operation. I understand that temperature swing is a good thing but temperatures below 50 are not. What are thoughts comparing possibly slower aging in an unheated pole building versus the expense of a heated aging facility in the north? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertS Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Our unheated storage in Michigan has been aging barrels nicely, but our oldest is 3 years and I haven't seen what aging in the South is like for comparison. I'd never heard the 50 degrees thing before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Alexander Posted May 15, 2017 Author Share Posted May 15, 2017 Trying to figure out the cost / benefit analysis to quicker aging in a heated facility vs. less expensive storage in an unheated rick house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mead Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Jesse, We've had good luck aging bourbon at 43N. We typically see temperatures down to -5F in the warehouse (~-20 outside), and temperatures up to 135F (~100F outside) in the tops of our warehouses during the summer. I wouldn't necessarily call it better or worse than aging in KY or other southern states, but it is certainly different. My biggest suggestion is to track your flavor profile throughout the temperature regime it will see in the barrels, because in our experience it can change quite noticeably. That being said, I think aging in a non climate controlled warehouse will really speak to the terroir of your region. Just so you know I'm not making things up, we have nearly 7000 barrels in storage, ranging from fresh fills to 8ish years old. Shoot me a PM if you have any more questions. -Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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