Care of New Barrel
Brand new barrels are about as sanitary as they can be as the oak has been heated over direct fire in the process of making the barrel.  This is done in order to bend the staves into place and to enhance various flavour accents.

Important: Be sure to store your barrel in a cool/humid place out of direct sunlight to avoid issues with your barrel. Warmer temperatures and direct sunlight can lead to weeping of your barrel through expansion of your liquor and faster evaporation rates. If you are concerned about pressure build up you can simply do a 1/4 turn back on the screw in stopper to allow pressure to escape (IF YOUR BARREL HAS A SCREW IN STOPPER).

How to seal the barrel
Like any new oak barrel, they must be filled with water so the oak can swell and eliminate leaks.  These leaks often seal themselves in only a few hours to a couple of days depending on how dry the barrel is, but it is recommended to have the barrel filled with water for a minimum of 48 hours and a maximum of 5 days before rotating the water (after 5 days you risk the water stagnating and allowing bacterial growths forming). To ensure that the leak stops the barrel must be kept full until it stops. Using fresh water, rain water or filtered water free of chlorine is always preferred when doing this.

Cleaning the barrel of loose sediment/char/oak shavings
There may be loose bits of oak or sediment in the barrel (this is normal but must be flushed out).
Once the barrel has swelled and is free of leaks, roughly 10% fill the barrel with hot or boiling water which is chlorine free, briskly shake it for 1-2 minutes and empty, generally repeat 2-3 times until water coming out is free of sediment. The barrel is now ready for use and is highly recommended to fill with your liquor within 5 days as bacterial growths can form if the barrel is left empty for too long after this process

Be sure to fill your barrel to between 75%-95% full with your favourite drop for good barrel health. If you fill your barrel with less than this amount ensure that you tighten the filler cap and turn the barrel upside down for a couple of hours once a week to soak the top portion of the barrel with your favourite drop, so it does not dry out. Remember to never let your barrel go completely dry as it may lose its ability to reseal.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why isn't my tap working?

Please note that to operate the tap the stopper on top of the barrel must be slightly opened to stop air lock from occurring.

What to do if there is weeping?

This is rare but can occur as your favourite drop has worked its way through the staves taking on the flavours and nuances of the oak/char. Dont worry thou, it typically sorts itself over time as the oak swells more and the exterior drys to form a natural seal. Weeping is typically a result of previously mentioned factors which draw your liquor out the barrel, emphasising the importance of storing your barrel in a proper location. Knocking back your screw in stopper back 1/8 turn can also alleviate pressure build up inside your barrel which contributes to liquor being pushed out through the staves.

What is this block of wax for?

If you have weeping or leaks that persist you can seal them by applying the barrel wax (beeswax) we supply with every keg and placing the wax over the areas that leak, then using a hair dryer to melt the wax so it can work its way into the leak to block it up.  The oak must be dry in order for the wax to adhere and seal the barrel.  Never place wax on the inside of the barrel as it will spoil the contents of the barrel.

My barrel contents is less each month but I haven't drank any?

No, it is not your adolescent children skimming your precious barrel contents, but in fact "the angels share". which is the rate of evaporation. This can vary based on several factors including the size of the barrel, environmental conditions, and the specific properties of the liquor being aged. However, a commonly cited estimate for wine or spirits in a 225l barrel is around 2-4% a year.

For a smaller oak barrels, the evaporation rate will be higher due to the increased surface area-to-volume ratio. So it is important to store and care for your barrel correctly to minimise this!

How to age wines and liquors
To age wines or liquors, simply fill the barrel with your favourite product and store in a humid place where it is not exposed to sunlight or heat, as this will slow the rate of evaporation.  The time required depends on your choice and taste. Smaller oak barrels can age your liquor roughly 10x faster than traditional sized 225l-300l oak barrels, due to higher surface area to volume ratio they have. So it is recommended that you taste test your ageing wine, port or spirit once a month. Ageing wine or liquor in a barrel has the effect of transmitting the taste of the oak and char to your product inside the barrel.  The longer you store a wine or liquor the stronger the oak taste that you will get from the oak and also the darker the colour will become. Be aware there will be evaporation over time so it is recommended to regularly check the inside if your barrel and top up as needed, its best to keep your barrel 95% full at all times.

*May be slight variants in actual dimensions as each barrel is hand made*

1.5L (1.5kg)

Head: 130mm

Middle: 160mm

Length: 200mm

3L (2.5kg)

Head width: 160mm

Middle width: 200mm

Length: 240mm

5L (3KG)

Head width: 190mm

Middle width: 220mm

Length: 270mm

10L (4KG)

Head width: 240mm

Middle width: 280mm

Length: 330mm

15L (8KG)

Head width: 280mm

Middle width: 320mm

Length: 390mm

25L (12KG)

Head width: 310mm

Middle width: 380mm

Length: 460mm

50L (20KG)

Head width: 415mm

Middle width: 440mm

Length: 520mm

100L (32KG)

Head width: 415mm

Middle width: 500mm

Length: 800mm

A "recoopered barrel" refers to a barrel that has been refurbished. The term "cooper" comes from "cooperage," which is the craft of making barrels. These recoopered barrels have been reconstructed from larger 200-300L barrels, the process involves breaking them down into smaller staves, assembling new steel bands, shaving back the oak to expose fresh oak and re charring. Resulting in essentially a brand new barrel, but still able to pass on the flavours from the previous liqour held. Resulting in a very unique flavour profile.

Our American Oak range is recoopered from ex Bourbon or Sherry barrels, whereas our French Oak range is recoopered from red wine barrels.