‘Whiskey Lab,’ Better-Than-A-Barrel Oak Aging Solution Launches on Kickstarter

By Chilled Magazine

BRAIN Labs Innovation Group launches flagship product, ‘Whiskey Lab,’ The BETTER-THAN-A-BARREL OAK AGING SOLUTION. Group seeks to fund manufacturing through current Kickstarter campaign.

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The Story

Portland, Oregon based innovation group, BRAIN Labs, LLC is pleased to announce the launch of their flagship product, Whiskey Lab. The group of longtime friends and engineers describes Whiskey Lab as a “better than a barrel” vessel designed for wood-aging spirits and wine.

Whiskey Lab allows aspiring spirit crafters to enjoy the process of wood-aging and tasting, with the same professional-quality experience of a full-sized whiskey barrel, on a home scale. The unique Barrel Head design provides balanced flavor from the wood. The Barrel Head is replaceable, allowing Whiskey Lab to be used again and again. Whiskey Lab features a viewing bulb to inspect color development and a wide spout for easy pouring. The wood Barrel Heads will be offered in American or French Oak, with four possible toast levels and three different char levels.

Whiskey Lab’s development was inspired by the blossoming craft distilling movement its creators’ experience aging locally available white whiskeys. Looking to develop the complex flavors that they enjoyed in commercial whiskeys, they tried products available on the market such as wood infusion sticks, spirals, and miniature barrels. These products promised quick and transformative results, but the Whiskey Lab team was disappointed by excessive evaporation and overwhelming one-note woody flavors, with none of the complexity that they were looking for. They set out to develop a better solution for wood-aging at home, with the goal of recreating the experience that professional whiskey makers have when aging with full-sized barrels.
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The Product

They realized that the key to successful home-aging was the combination of wood, oxygen, and time needed to create the complex flavors found in aged spirits. Any product promising to create barrel-aged flavor in a matter of days or weeks would be sure to disappoint. This principle of wood+oxygen+time for great flavor was central to the development of Whiskey Lab’s unique Barrel Head design. The proportion of liquid volume to wood surface area is closely matched to that of a full-sized barrel, creating better balance between the flavor of the wood and the spirit, enhancing rather than overpowering. The wood “breathes,” allowing small amounts of oxygen to diffuse into the contents, which promotes the development of complex flavor notes over time. The toasting and charring of the seasoned wood is precisely controlled. Finally, they added their “better-than-a-barrel” features, such as the replaceable Barrel Head, glass viewing bulb, wide-mouth pouring spout, and durable graphics.

BRAIN Labs, LLC, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the next stage of manufacturing development. Backers can order a complete Whiskey Lab with their choice of Barrel Head options or accessories. The campaign will continue until January 8th.

Visit the KickStarter campaign HERE and the Facebook page.

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