Authors.

Meet the authors of the Oak Age Experiment. A book that is a culmination of Joel and Christine’s combined 20 years of experience in creative engineering and food science.

Engineer, Inventor, Entrepreneur

Joel Paglione

Joel Paglione

Author

Joel is an experienced Engineer, successful entrepreneur and author responsible for consumer goods brands Oak Bottle, Magnetie, LevitatingX and many others. His passion and experience in solving real-world problems, whether big or small, is rooted in who he is and what he believes in. As creator of the world’s fastest oak aging vessel, the Oak Bottle, Joel takes pride in making the aging process simple, fast and cost effective for everyone. His mission in 2013 with the launch of Oak Bottle was to lead a movement towards custom-aged wine, spirits, beer and cocktails. The Oak Bottle exists so everyone everywhere is able to experience the excitement of taking something usual and transforming or tweaking it into the extraordinary, in a way never been done before, accessible in their home bar—evoking the creator in all of us.

 

Fast-forward to today and hundreds of thousands have enjoyed the opportunity to experiment with what is becoming known as “speed aging” in ways never imagined before with the Oak Bottle companies expanding range of products and recipe books. Oak Age Experiment is Joel’s third book and is also the largest at 200 pages and 45 recipes, three times larger than both his previous books “aged” and “aged California” combined. This encyclopedia-like book serves as his lifework and manifesto on his experiences reimagining barrel aging.

 

“It has been so exciting to see the Oak Bottle being embraced by restaurants and bars throughout the world- we have been blown away by the ingenuity and experimentation we have seen the “Oak Bottle” inspire. We are putting the power of experimentation and customization into the hands of lovers of food and drink, giving them the ability to customize their favorite wine, cocktail, spirit, or culinary treats with our take on a modern oak barrel that is easy to use, and that works extremely fast. Christine and I are proud to present this collection to all of our newcomers and seasoned pros in the name of experimentation.” – Joel Paglione.

Food Scientist, Entrepreneur

Christine Dionese

Christine Dionese

Co-Author

When it comes to food and drink, the only way to describe Christine Dionese’s work is experimental. The result of decades in food and science research, her private integrative health practice and a life well-spent in the kitchen with her Italian family can be experienced through her high-vibration drinks and lively, fresh dishes. Christine’s love to playfully and creatively entertain comes to life through Oak Bottle’s latest collection of barrel aged recipes, Oak Age experiment.

 

Christine is the cofounder of flavorID and is the author of the book, The Best Craft Cocktails. She lives, works and plays with her daughter and husband in southern California.

 

“I’ve been asked to participate in many projects offering my personal endorsement, yet few products have satisfied my personal ethos of sustainability, timelessness and possessing the potential to create solutions from perceived problems. Oak Bottle was given to me as a gift several years ago- from the first cocktail experiment I executed with it, I saw the potential to create drink and culinary experiences that could not otherwise be done without the Oak Bottle. Each successful food science experiment has led to the joy of another person’s experience, and, for that reason, I’m beyond excited that the culmination of pushing the Oak Bottle beyond limits has allowed us to share this collection with you.” – Christine Dionese

Where science, art and design intersect.

Team.

This book and website would absolutely not have been possible without the team of creatives below. We are grateful to have such an amazing talented team to work alongside.

Projects Graphics/Editor

Radu Nicolae

Web Development

Nikola Zistakis

Photography & Styling

Hannah Betts

Print & Publishing

Carol Wang

Story.

Unlike the larger barrels you’d find wine aging in say, California, many wineries in Northern USA and Canada (where Paglione Estate Winery is situated) use much smaller barrels about half their size to combat vine freeze impacts on production yields. The smaller barrels allow wineries in cold climates to offer the estate wines we are known for with the same oak aged taste but in a shorter amount of time than usually required during regrowth and recovery periods. Expanding on this principle and through surface area to volume ratio optimization, the Oak Bottle breaks the mold that “all good things take time” and was born out of the idea that good things can come to us now!

 

Fast-forward to today and we have enjoyed the opportunity to experiment with speed aging in ways we never imagined with the Oak Bottles aging range. It has been so exciting to see the Oak Bottle being embraced by restaurants and bars throughout the world- we have been blown away by the ingenuity and experimentation we have seen the Oak Bottle inspire. Christine and I are proud to present this collection to all of our newcomers and seasoned pros in the name of experimentation.

A modern take on the traditional oak barrel.

Oak Bottle.

Brought to market in 2013, the Oak Bottle has become an unprecedented modern bar essential that’s changed the way we enhance the flavor profiles of our favorite beverages in the best globally recognized bars and restaurants and in the comfort of homes around the world.

 

Some of the best restaurants and bars in the world are using the Oak Bottle to create one-of-a-kind barrel aged cocktails quickly and easily. “It can help you create new and unique ingredients, add layers of flavors and gives your guests a unique experience.”- Claudiu Mnerau, Coya Dubai. This is what Oak Bottle strives for- to tell stories through the creations that are aged within its walls. With each aging recipe, there is a new story- this is how signature recipes are born and carried on. Our aging methods reflect this sentiment.

 

With aging, the questions that always arise- how long a particular spirit, syrup, herb or food should be aged and, what if you’d like to enjoy some right now? The Oak Bottle range answers those questions. Aging improves or alters the character of ingredients for the sake of flavor- given all the right variables, most importantly, the quality of the aging vessel- tastemakers and enthusiasts alike are always eager to taste a well-aged spirit or array of ingredients.

 

There is no room for compromise when creating aging vessels- the conditions must be just right- how the air, liquid and vessel interact is key for chemical reactions to occur. The science behind the Oak Bottle is quite simple. Because more surface area touches less volume of liquid, the result is rapid oak infusion. What makes speed-aging in the Oak Bottle a success is its ability to micro-oxygenate spirits, wines and culinary ingredients. You will notice the slender height of the bottles- creating a bottle taller than it is wide was no mistake. The sizing proportions allow liquids to precisely contact the inside walls to the center of the bottle ensuring a fast maturation.

 

With spirits and liquids making surface area contact in the small space of the Oak Bottle, not only will speed-aging occur, but, because it is as fast as it is, the Oak Bottle can be used over and over again. This rate of aging means that the Oak Bottle never becomes fully saturated with liquid allowing it to be reused many times over.

 

If the old adages “patience is a virtue” and “all good things take time” apply to anything, it aptly describes makers of whiskey, bourbon, scotch and wine. While it seems a rumor that spirits makers can’t seem to keep up with demand of their premier, long-aged spirits, Oak Bottle speed aging transforms what usually requires years into as little as 2-48 hours. Size and surface area of the Oak Bottle range allows us to taste now and save our patience for other matters! The Oak Bottle essentially serves to offer superb taste almost on-demand and to reduce all of the timing variables restaurateurs, mixologists, distillers and bar-keepers are up against.