All natural accelerated aging of distilled spirits
AssigneeKairos, L.L.C.
InventorsRemy F. Gross II, John P. Delmore, Walter E. Buske
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Abstract
A process for producing an aged beverage, preferably a distilled spirit that is aged in contact with wood, in which raw or partially aged beverage is processed in a closed system with controlled heat and oxygen levels, and in contact with a beverage aging wood product. In certain embodiments ethyl acetate is added to the raw beverage prior to the aging process.
Claims23
A process for accelerating the maturation of an unaged or partially aged beverage comprising:
- (a) determining a target concentration of ethyl acetate for the product of said maturation;
- (b) providing an unaged or partially aged beverage with from about ½ to about 2½ grams/100 PL of ethyl acetate in excess of said target concentration;
- (c) flowing said beverage of step (b) through a closed system wherein said closed system comprises a beverage aging wood product such that a beverage passing through said system contacts said wood product;
- and
- (d) processing said beverage in the presence of oxygen for a period of time sufficient to produce a matured beverage;
- wherein said beverage-aging wood product is prepared by the process of:
- (i) comminuting raw, untreated wood into granules;
- (ii) heating said granules to a temperature of from about 100° C. to about 240° C. for a period of at least one hour;
- (iii) contacting the granules with a solution of aqueous ethanol containing from about 50% to about 95% ethanol at a temperature of up to about 55° C.;
- (iv) separating the granules from the solution;
- and
- (v) heating the granules to a temperature of up to about 220° C. for a period of at least about 15 minutes.
A beverage flavor transfer cartridge configured to fluidly connect into a beverage maturation processing system, wherein said cartridge contains a beverage aging wood product in an amount effective to mature a predetermined amount of unaged, or partially aged beverage.
A method of maturing an ethanolic beverage to achieve a desired organoleptic character comprising:
- (a) combining
- (i) a quantity of a raw distillate for maturation;
- (ii) an amount of a beverage-aging wood product sufficient to effect the maturation;
- and
- (iii) from about 2 to about 100 grams of ethyl acetate per 100° proof liter of the raw distillate;
- and
- (b) processing said beverage under conditions effective to produce the maturation of the ethanolic beverage.
In a maturation process for producing an aged ethanolic beverage, the improvement which comprises
- adding ethyl acetate prior to or during the maturation process in a quantity sufficient to accelerate the maturation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.