Pressurized Wood-Chip Aging for Distilled Spirits
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for imparting the sensory characteristics of aged distilled spirits, such as smoothness and flavor, are costly and time-consuming due to the use of expensive wood barrels and lengthy aging processes, and there is a need for a more efficient and cost-effective method to achieve these characteristics in a significantly shorter time.
Innovation Solution
A method involving introducing wood chips to a container with distilled spirit, sealing it, and applying pressures between 5 psi to 50 psi, followed by releasing and reducing pressure, with multiple cycles to enhance interaction between the spirit and wood chips, thereby imparting the desired sensory characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional wood barrel aging is used, then the spirit develops desired sensory characteristics (smoothness, flavor, color), but the process takes 3 to 50 or more years and incurs high costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-treating wood chips through charring and/or toasting before contact with the spirit. This pre-processing concentrates the flavor-imparting properties of the wood, allowing the spirit to achieve aged characteristics much faster than traditional barrel aging, thereby reducing the aging time from years to days or weeks while maintaining sensory quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by altering physical conditions such as temperature, pressure, and contact time between the spirit and wood chips. By controlling these parameters (e.g., heating to specific temperatures, applying vacuum pressure, extending contact duration), the spirit rapidly absorbs wood-derived compounds, achieving matured sensory characteristics in a fraction of the traditional aging time
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional wood barrel aging is used, then the spirit develops desired sensory characteristics, but wood barrels are expensive and experience significant evaporation loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes porous materials by employing wood chips instead of solid wood barrels. The porous structure of wood chips provides extensive surface area for spirit contact, enhancing flavor extraction efficiency. This approach maintains the beneficial interaction between spirit and wood while eliminating the evaporation losses associated with traditional barrel porosity, and reduces material costs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies this principle by using wood chips that can be readily replaced rather than expensive, durable wood barrels. The wood chips serve their purpose of imparting flavor characteristics and can be discarded after use, eliminating the need for costly barrel maintenance, replacement, and the evaporation losses inherent in traditional barrel aging processes
3Loss of time
If high pressure (200-5000 psi) is applied to accelerate aging, then the process time is reduced, but the equipment cost becomes highly expensive and is not achievable in most production facilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by using moderate pressure levels (vacuum pressure or pressures up to 50 psi) rather than the extreme high pressures (200-5000 psi) mentioned in prior art. This partial application of pressure, combined with extended contact time and pre-treated wood chips, achieves sufficient flavor extraction without requiring expensive high-pressure equipment, making the process accessible to typical production facilities while still dramatically reducing aging time
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method effectively imparts the sensory characteristics of aged spirits to younger spirits in a day or less, appealing to a younger demographic by enhancing flavor, texture, and smoothness, while reducing production costs and time.
Implementation Method 1
Forcing the spirit into the wood chips via pressurization
Implementation Method 2
When a maximum predetermined pressure is achieved within the container, the pressure is then released and the internal pressure is reduced
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is an alcoholic beverage having the sensory characteristics of a traditionally aged, distilled spirit. The method for making the alcoholic beverage includes introducing a ratio of wood chips to a distilled spirit and applying pressure to create interaction between the wood chips and distilled spirit.