Smell the difference. Essencia Single Malt Whisky Barrel Chunks are made from wet, freshly-emptied single malt Pokeno Whisky Origin whisky barrels, enabling you to produce whisky in just 7 days. Chunked down from whisky-soaked oak barrels that have aged whisky for 4-10 years, these chunks offer exceptional quality compared to cheaper dry staves or chips. The careful processing retains the charred interior of the barrels, enhancing the oak’s flavour infusion and providing a substantial surface area for your spirit. This ensures rapid and genuine aging. Unlike dry alternatives, Essencia Barrel Chunks impart a rich, authentic single malt whisky flavour without the need for additional flavouring. Essencia Barrel Chunks can be used to rapidly barrel-age neutral spirit, vodka, pot-distilled bourbon, whiskey, rum or even beer.  We recommend a process of soaking, draining and filtering.  You can test along the way, or blend different batches to your own taste.

1. SOAKING: Add 2.5 litres of alcohol per 500g of Essencia Barrel Chunks. Cover and soak for up to 7 days. Test daily after 4 days.  Drain and Filter as below. Character: Flavour – High, Colour – Dark, Oak – Low. Use for: Drinking or blending. Second Soaking: Add a further 2.3 litres of alcohol per 500g to the used Essencia Barrel Chunks. Cover and soak for up to 19 days. Test daily after 10 days.  Drain and Filter as below. Character: Flavour – Medium, Colour – Medium, Oak – Medium. Use for: Drinking or blending. Third Soaking: Add a further 2.3 litres of alcohol per 500g to the used Essencia Bourbon Barrel Chunks. Cover and soak for 5 – 6 weeks.  Character: Flavour – Low, Colour – Light, Oak – Heavy. Use for: Blending, or add 1 x 28ml Essencia Tennessee or Kentucky Bourbon Spirit Flavour for drinking.

2. DRAINING: Putting the Chunks in a straining bag while soaking them makes the draining process easier. It also reduces the amount of sediment carried over to the filtering phase. A small – fine straining bag is ideal. After draining the Chunks, allow the sediment to settle for a few hours before filtering as this sediment clogs the filter and slows down the process a lot. Ideally the sediment is left until the end of filtering.