A reusable and refurbishable composite bottle for the aging of beverages and other liquids for human consumption.

Inventors: 1) Luke Stanley Upfold

Description

The invention relates to a composite bottle for the containing and aging of smaller volumes of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages and liquids, and more particularly, a bottle formed of stainless steel, with a replaceable wooden base. The base, being formed from wood of a type suitable for the aging of beverages, and being an essential part facilitating the aging process, is designed to be replaced once the aging process is complete or the wood is depleted of the flavours and colourings extracted by the liquid. The main body of the bottle, which is formed of stainless steel, is open at the bottom, where the wooden base is received by inserting tightly into the opening to form a closure and being held in place by a friction fit. Contact with the liquid causes the wood to expand against the steel wall of the bottle body, resulting in a leak-proof seal. Another embodiment has a plurality of pins or screws driven through holes located radially around the bottom of the body, into the wooden base to hold it in position. In another embodiment, structure is added to the wooden base to increase the available surface area of wood in contact with the liquid by cutting grooves or ridges into the wood on the inside of the base. Treatment of the wood to aid in the aging process can be done in the usual method, by toasting or charring. Removal of the depleted base for replacement is done by drying out the wood to cause the base to shrink, removing the pins if present, and pushing the base out with a rod via the neck.

Object of the invention

The object of the invention is to provide a bottle which allows for 1) the continued long term aging of beverages once they have passed from the manufacturer on through storage and distribution into the supply chain and into the possession of the end consumer, 2) a way to replenish the wood for re-use of the bottle for aging a new beverage by a simple method of removing the old and re-fixing the new wood components that are treated or untreated, 3) the ability to interchangeably use different types of wood as may be desired and 4), the ability to manipulate the ratio of the surface area of wood to the volume of liquid to more effectively control the desired effect of wood extraction products on the beverage.

Disclosure of the invention (refer to Figure 1)

The invention relates to a composite bottle for the containing and aging or maturation of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages and liquids, and more particularly, a reusable bottle for the continued aging of beverages post bottling, designed to enable easy refurbishment of the wooden components which are essential for the aging process, and to allow for the manipulation of the wood surface area to liquid volume ratio. The main body of the bottle, which is formed from stainless steel, is open at the bottom, where the wooden base (ref. 001) is received by inserting tightly into the opening to form an enclosure and being held in place by a friction fit (ref 002). Contact with the liquid causes the wood to expand against the wall of the bottle body, resulting in a leak-proof seal. In some embodiments, a flare (ref. 003) is created on the circumference of the bottom opening to facilitate insertion of the wooden base. Another embodiment has a plurality of pins or screws (ref. 004) driven through holes located radially around the bottom of the body, into the wooden base to assist in holding it in position. In another embodiment (ref. 007), structure is added to the wooden base by forming grooves or ridges in various configurations, thereby increasing, or manipulating the available surface area of wood which is in contact with the liquid.

The main body (ref. 005) formed of stainless steel may be constructed in various sizes, by increasing or decreasing the height or girth or both, depending on the desired volume and the required wood surface to liquid volume ratio.

The base shall be formed from various types of wood such as Quercus robur, Q. petraea and Q. alba, Microberlinia brazzavillensis or Tectona grandis, among many others that are found suitable for the aging of beverages and may be treated by toasting or charring.

Refurbishment of the bottle is done by drying out the wooden base to cause it to shrink, removing the pins or screws if present, removing the wooden base by pushing it out with a rod inserted via the mouth of the bottle and replacing it by inserting, with a tight fit, a reconditioned or new base, and re-fixing with pins or screws if present. Pre-soaking the new base by filling the bottle with warm water prior to filling with new product will cause the wood to expand, creating a leak-proof seal which will enable safe bottling of the new product.

The mouth of the neck (ref.006), being formed from stainless steel, is formed to receive a closure of the type commonly used to close beverage bottles, like cork, wood or similar.

Background

The use of wooden vessels in the process of aging alcoholic beverages and other liquids destined for human consumption is well known since ancient times. Indeed, aging in wood is an essential part of the production of many beverages such as sauces, wine, beer, liquors, and spirits. The goal of aging is to eliminate the harsh taste and aroma associated with new make spirits and other beverages while also imparting desirable colour, aroma and flavour derived from the wood used for the container. The process of aging can be described thus: When stored in wooden vessels like vats or barrels for a prolonged period, the liquid extracts some of the many compounds present in the wood, such as tannins, lignin, hemicellulose, cellulose, vanillin, and others besides. Often, the inside of the vessel is charred or toasted to varying degrees to facilitate differing levels of extraction, both in type and degree. Due to the porous nature of wood, gas exchange between the inside of the container and the outside can take place. Micro-oxygenation occurs when oxygen from the atmosphere outside the container passes through the wood into the liquid. This oxygen enables various chemical reactions between the compounds extracted from the wood themselves, and between those from the wood and those already present in the liquid. The result of these extractions and complex chemical reactions is often a profound alteration and improvement in the maturity, aroma, flavour, colour, and overall quality profile of the liquid, resulting in a more enjoyable consumer experience. The essential components in the process of the aging of these various beverages are 1) the wood, 2) the liquid itself, especially acids and alcohols, 3) micro-oxygenation and 4) time. Over time, as the extraction continues, wooden vessels become less able to liberate the various substances desirable for improving the aroma, colour and taste of the beverage contained. While second-hand barrels are often used to impart some of the character of the previously held beverage, such as ex-bourbon barrels being used to age new rum or whisky, eventually the wood is depleted of the desired compounds and needs to be replaced.

The ratio of wood surface area to liquid volume is of major importance when deciding how much influence the wood extractions should have on the beverage. This would vary according to each type of wood used, but in all cases, too much effect of the wood on the beverage is difficult if not impossible to correct, so correct surface area for liquid volume is essential to prevent the wood character from becoming too dominant. Smaller wooden containers have higher wood surface to liquid volume ratios, resulting in the wood exerting a greater influence on the beverage, often to the detriment of the beverage.

The aging process stops when the product is packaged into the normal glass bottles, plastic bottles and metal cans typically used to for distribution into the supply chain for public consumption because there is no longer exposure to the wood surface. The potential for extended aging and increase in quality from the time of bottling to the time of actual consumption by the end user is therefore lost.

A bottle with a well-proportioned wood component which allows for gas exchange and limited but sufficient extraction of the desirable compounds would allow the product to increase in quality by continued aging while passing time in storage or transit and provide for the possibility of continued aging when in possession of the end user without running the risk of the product being overwhelmed by too much wood extract.

Small wood-only casks and the wooden bottles currently commercially available run the risk of imparting too much influence from the wood due to their large surface to volume ratios if left in storage for too long before use and cannot be refurbished for subsequent use once the wood is depleted. Wooden bottles now commonly in use are designed to be used for short term infusion rather than long term aging. Bottles with pieces of wood of various shapes submerged in the beverage are also common, where again infusion is the correct term to what results from this, since true aging requires microoxygenation to facilitate the necessary chemical reactions associated with it.

A reference to prior art

US659318A Spirits Aging Container. Advantage of our invention over this: Improved simple design, eliminates threaded body and neck with associated threaded rings. No need for seals, gaskets, using the wood base itself as the closure and seal by insertion into the body and expansion. Risk of bottle breakage eliminated by virtue of the strength of the stainless steel.

DE202004001841U1 Bottle for e.g. alcoholic drinks is sealed at top by cork and at bottom by wooden plate which dispenses substances into contents of the bottle and is held in place by bolts fastened to collar around neck of bottle. Advantage of our invention over this: Elimination of the complex system for providing a sealed base.

WO2016174047A1 Whiskey Bottle. Advantage of our invention over this: The means of connection of the wood to the body is greatly simplified. No connecting elements, no seal, no expansion compensation necessary to prevent bottle damage. Risk of bottle breakage eliminated by virtue of the strength of the stainless steel.

GB2188902A Wine maturing vessel. Advantage of our invention over this: The means of connection of the wood to the body is greatly simplified. No connecting elements, no seal, no need of compensation for expansion necessary to prevent bottle damage. Risk of bottle breakage eliminated by virtue of the strength of the stainless steel.

WO1997049795A1 Container and method for ageing whiskey. Advantage of our invention over this: The means of connection of the wood to the body is greatly simplified. No connecting elements, no seal, no need of compensation for expansion necessary to prevent bottle damage. Risk of bottle breakage eliminated by virtue of the strength of the stainless steel.

W02013108055A1 Wooden bottle and US20090183638 Wooden bottle for ageing liquids. Advantage of our invention over this: Wooden bottles in their various forms cannot be refurbished once the wood is depleted but must be wholly replaced. Wooden bottles are typically used for short term infusion of wood character into beverages, and not for long term aging due to the high wood surface area to liquid volume ratio. This invention allows for continued use of the bottle after being refurbished and provides for a wood surface area to liquid volume ration that can be adjusted to be made comparable to those of larger traditional aging barrels used for long term aging.

US3942423A Device for aging wine or the like Advantage of our invention over this: Alternative design where the wood component forms part of the bottle body and does not displace any of the volume of the liquid.