Personal oak barrels offer anyone the ability to be a home-winemaker, brewer, or distiller. These barrels are hand crafted with premium quality American White Oak, without the use of glues or nails. They are air dried for two years and once formed, the inside of the cask is set on fire, typically for less than a minute, which creates a medium charred layer. This charring process caramelizes the wood sugars, and the carbon from the char removes sulfur compounds and smooths out immaturity from new spirits.
Oak barrels are widely known for aging whiskey, however, there are many types of spirits that age really well in barrels. In addition to whiskey, we recommend trying rum, tequila, brandy, bourbon, wine and even cocktails! Over several weeks you’ll notice the bite from immature or more economical spirits smooth out, and subtle oaky and even smokey flavors immerse. You won’t even want to add mixers to mask its character.
Try going a step further and create your own signature blend. Bootleg Kits come with everything you need to get started, or you can purchase a variety of essences separately. You just need 1 bottle of essence per liter of alcohol and can turn grain alcohol, neutral vodka or swish alcohol into Tennessee Whiskey, Spiced Rum, Honey Scotch Bourbon and more!
How long should you let your batch age? That all depends on your personal taste. These small batches age much quicker than the industrial barrels, with the greater surface area ratio, one month in a small barrel can compare to 1-1 ½ years in a large 55 gallon barrel. It’s best to sample it each week (just a sip, the more surface area covered by alcohol the better). When you’re satisfied, bottle up that batch and start a new one!