Still Spirits Sweet Vanillin, what it does in a spirit

Where the vanilla in a whiskey comes from

That soft vanilla note in an aged spirit isn't something anybody adds. It comes out of the charred oak while the spirit sits in the barrel, and it's one of the reasons a whiskey that has had time in wood tastes rounder than one that hasn't.

Still Spirits Sweet Vanillin puts that note in directly. It's a smoothing agent more than a flavour in its own right, and that's the useful way to think about it, because a spirit with a rough edge on it is exactly what this bottle is for.

How much to use

Work to the rate on the pack. Vanillin is potent and a little of it goes a very long way, so this is another one where going under the rate and working up beats going in at the rate and hoping.

Give it time as well. It settles into the spirit over a week or so, and a batch that tastes faintly sweet on the night usually reads as rounded rather than sweet by the time you come back to it.

Where it belongs, and where it does not

It suits a whiskey or a bourbon, and a dark rum takes it too. It works particularly well alongside an oak flavouring, because between them they do most of what a barrel would have done.

Keep it away from a gin. The botanicals are the whole point of a gin and vanilla sits on top of them rather than under them, which muddles the thing you paid for. A vodka has the same problem for the same reason.

Use it to fix, not to cover

A spirit that is harsh because it's young will take vanillin well. A spirit that is harsh because something went wrong upstream will still be wrong, only sweeter. If a batch has an off flavour in it, find out what caused it rather than reaching for this bottle, because covering a fault is a temporary answer and it never lasts as long as the bottle does.

Shop related products

• Still Spirits Sweet Vanillin 50ml. This is the bottle the post is about.
• Still Spirits Mellow Oak Spirit Flavouring 50ml. This is the gentle oak that pairs with it.
• Still Spirits Oak Cask 50ml. Use this when you want more cask character than the Mellow Oak gives.
• Still Spirits Top Shelf Distillers Caramel 50ml. This adds colour once the flavour is where you want it.

Did you know we also hold the oak soakers and bourbon barrel chips in the shop, and neither makes it onto the website. Give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.

Where to go next

The homebrew range has the rest of them, and Brewhilder will talk you through what suits the spirit you are making.

Worth reading next: Still Spirits Mellow Oak, what it does and how to use it and How to store and age a spirit you made at home.

Vanillin is the one I always add a second time before the first lot has finished doing anything, which isn't a method I recommend.