When it comes to the alchemy of whiskey-making, the conversation often revolves around the quality of water, the selection of grains, and the precision of yeast. While these foundational ingredients play pivotal roles in shaping the character of the final product, there’s a silent hero that stands as the linchpin of whiskey’s complexity and depth: the barrel. It’s the barrel’s transformative magic that elevates whiskey from a mere concoction to an artful symphony of flavors . 100% of its color and ~70% to 80%of the final flavor comes from the barrel and its aging process.

Let’s take a closer look at what makes these barrels so special and why they’re the real MVPs in the world of whiskey.

First, let’s talk about the barrel…

• 35” in Height 26” in the belly that makes it easily rolled by one individual
• Made from American White Oak, chosen for its liquid holding capabilities and abundant inventory
• Holds 53 gallons.
• 100 pounds empty
• Closer to 500 pounds when full
• Comprised of 31-34 1”-4” Staves
• After the wood is cut the wood air dries outside for 6-12 months
• This gets the green out and the sun helps to bleach the wood of unpleasant compounds.
• Held together with 6 steel hoops Driven to make airtight to hold the liquid.
• Important to know that no nails or glue are used, just rivets that hold the bands.

Next step- Barrels are either Toasted or Charred. That is, burning the inside of the barrel.

• Charring is a higher temp for a shorter period. Usually just short of 1 minute.
• Toasting is Heating the inside of the barrel at a lower temperature for a longer period. 

This helps to release the sugars in the wood and assists the liquid in penetrating the barrel wood picking up its natural flavors.  It also acts as a natural filter removing unwanted impurities. While a barrel is being aged for multiple years, the liquid interacts with the wood, pushing the distillate into the wood during cold temperatures and releasing it during warmer weather.  This repeating process, season after season, contributes to the whiskey’s unique flavor profile, getting deeper into the wood over time and turning the clear distilate into the finished product.

The location where a barrel is aged in a Rickhouse, as well as the duration of aging makes a significant impact on the final product:

• 0-4 years-Majority of its amber color, as well as picking up some wood, vanilla and sweet flavors.
• 5-10 years-Color will darken. Flavors will deepen, some of the fruit and candied flavors develop.

So while the barrel is ageing all of this chemical reaction is taking place shaping your whiskey and bourbon into a final product.  NO added coloring!  NO flavor additives!!  Just a fascinating natural final process.

You’ve all heard of Angels Share…this is the evaporation of the whiskey through pores in the wood over time.  So even though the barrels are constructed to be liquid-tight they are not 100% airtight and molecules escape over time.  

Experts say ~10% of the liquid is lost in the first year in a barrel, soaking into the wood.  Each year after that, about 3% is lost to the angels for each year of aging. So, a normal 53-gallon barrel can hold approximately, 250 750 ml bottles. However, the final yield depends on how long and where it is aged in a warehouse.

An interesting fact… there are over 10 million barrels of whiskey aging in Kentucky alone, so the product is plentiful.  If anything, we’re experiencing a glut right now.

Another interesting fact… there are enough barrels that if you lined the barrels up laying on their sides, they would stretch from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon…and probably 2-3 miles into the ocean. 

So now that you are informed more about the process, enjoy that next pour & live it up!