Engineering:Whiskey thief
A whiskey thief is a tool that master distillers use to extract small portions of whiskey from an aging barrel for sampling or quality control.[1] The old-fashioned ones are made typically of copper and resemble a drinking straw in design.[2] It has a coned narrow hole at the bottom and a vent hole at the top in which a distiller can cover with the thumb once the device is inserted in the barrel to trap and lift the whiskey out.[3] By removing the thumb from the upper vent hole, the whiskey is released to drain into drinking glasses for tasting.[3]
This same tool can be used for sampling other distilled spirits or wine from large vessels, hence it can also be used as a wine thief.[2] Newer models may be made of clear plastic or glass with the larger models having the capability of accepting a hydrometer for testing purposes.[4]
See also
- Wine thief
- Aging barrel
- Winemaking
References
- ↑ Scott, Berkeley; Scott, Jeanine (2009) (in en). The Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-6626-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=5rc6PPtHiNoC&dq=%22Whiskey+thief%22&pg=PA6.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Trail, Distillery (2015-09-25). "What is a Whiskey Thief?" (in en-US). https://www.distillerytrail.com/blog/what-is-a-whiskey-thief/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Introducing The Stave & Thief Society" (in en). 2020-07-08. https://www.moonshineuniversity.com/media/introducing-the-stave-thief-society.
- ↑ "It Takes A Thief, Copper Whiskey Thieves, Copper Dipping Dogs" (in en). https://www.ittakesawhiskeythief.com/.
External links
- Capital Living - Resurrecting George Washington's booze, website article by Albert Eisele with a photo of a whiskey thief being used.
 |  |
