oak chips. Distillers and rectifiers have long used a variety of shortcuts to simulate oak barrel aging. One of the most common is to infuse the spirit with oak chips or even pulverized oak. This adds more contact with the wood and hence creates greater extraction of color and tannins. But of course, that is only part of what barrel aging does, and the technique has no effect on the oxidation or concentration that are also essential to the process. While oak chips and powders are legal for most spirit production, they are forbidden in bourbon and other American straight whiskies. (Similar to oak chips in effect are such stratagems as putting whole new staves inside the barrel, relining the barrel with new oak, or switching the barrel’s heads for ones of new oak.)
See also boisé and maturation
By: Doug Frost