Yes, You Can Barrel Age Your Bourbon At Home With A Mason Jar

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Aging bourbon at home is a fun, easy way to incorporate nuanced flavors into your booze. Bourbon is typically aged in charred oak barrels (for a minimum of two years), which imparts a smoky flavor with notes of vanilla and caramel to the spirit. Some people choose to age young bourbons or unaged whiskies in mini oak barrels at home to enhance the depth of flavor of the lesser-aged spirit. However, if you don't have an oak barrel lying around the house, you can produce similar smoky flavors by aging your bourbon in a Mason jar with charred oak. 

To get started, you'll need a glass jar with a lid, a chunk of charred oak or toasted oak chips, and enough whiskey or bourbon to fill the jar. Whiskey can be aged at home for months or even a year, inside on the counter or outside in a safe place. Some bourbon-aging aficionados say it's better to allow it to age outside because the oak will contract with temperature fluctuations and impart more flavor into the spirit. 

Instead of bourbon, you can also age bourbon cocktails such as a Manhattan (bourbon, vermouth, and bitters), Boulevardier (bourbon, vermouth, and Campari), or simple vanilla bourbon (bourbon and a vanilla bean). It's likely best to age bourbon cocktails for a shorter amount of time, such as a week or two. Follow a few more helpful tips for choosing the best charred oak and bourbon for Mason-jar aging.

If you own a smoker or pellet grill, there's a good chance that a bag of oak wood chunks or chips is in your garage. A few of these can be used for your Mason jar bourbon, or you can purchase them from most hardware stores. Before adding a chunk or handful of chips to the Mason jar, you'll need to char them first. 

Professional distillers will char the oak barrels used to age bourbon in order to create a flavor-enhancing reaction between the wood and the spirit. At home, based on your comfort and skill level, you can char a piece of oak with a blow torch (using proper precautions), or toast it on a grill or over a fire pit. If you don't have the means to char your own oak, charred infusion spirals and oak chips are available for purchase online. Well-reviewed options include Craft A Brew American Oak Infusion Spirals and North Mountain Supply Brewer's Best Whisky Barrel Chips, which are made from decommissioned whisky barrels. 

As far as choosing a bourbon, opt for something young or unaged, such as Buffalo Trace's White Dog. Any white whiskey — the clear, unaged version of bourbon, also known as moonshine — will work. Avoid choosing an expensive bottle since you'll be changing its flavor as it ages. After your clear alcohol has turned into an amber-colored bourbon, make sure to strain it carefully with a fine mesh strainer to remove the wood pieces.