I have been making maturation barrels for my own use over the past year. So far the spirits include rum, peated whiskey, gin, aurora whiskey and rye.
The barrel dimensions are: 210mm deep, 230mm round. Dry weight is 1.470kg. They hold 6 liters of your spirit with some space at the top called ullage.
Made from second use French oak which I source from the Hawkes Bay. The oak has been used to age mainly Pinot Noir for 2-4 years. The inside of the head which does all the work to bring out tannins and vanillans is carefully planed by hand to clean up and expose fresh oak. All heads are then toasted and charred to medium.
The oak barrels originally come from France or from the USA. The USA ones are harder to obtain and require much more 'work' to get them into shape.
The bung is hand made from the same oak source and the tap is stainless just like the barrel body.
The combination and ratio of stainless steel and French oak head mimicks the ratio of a Bordeaux barrique of 225 litres. This means no "over oaking" of the spirit.
All barrels go through a complete 2 day 'wetting' process prior to delivery. This ensures the oak expands and seals correctly. They are delivered empty but still retain some moisture. You can rinse out the barrel with clean fresh water on arrival and then fill with your spirit.
If you plan to fill it later, then store it full of water with the addition of 5mls citric acid and 5mls potassium metabisulphite.
Also included is a simple wooden stand made from recycled timber.
