Oak barrel 20L with crane and stainless steel rings

Before pouring the drink into a new oak barrel, it is necessary to prepare the oak barrel for the first filling, because gaps could have formed between the rivets - it happens that the wood dries out during transportation and storage.

A new barrel with a volume of 5 to 50 liters will take about a month to prepare.

1. Fill the barrel with water and check for leaks, note if there are any. When pouring water out of the barrel, small wood particles may come out, which appeared due to previous burning of the barrel - this is normal.

2. Fill the barrel completely with water at room temperature, then close the hole with a stopper. Change the water every day so that it does not stagnate. If you are using distilled water, you can simply add more as needed until the studs swell. The procedure can last from several days to several weeks.

3. Steaming: If soaking does not help, we recommend placing the middle rings of the barrel around the circumference and steaming the barrel. Before steaming, the barrel needs to be warmed up so that it does not get damaged due to sudden changes in temperature. To do this, pour hot water into the barrel and let it heat up. Drain the water, fill the barrel about 1/3 full with boiling water and close the hole with a stopper. Roll the barrel so that boiling water flows over the entire inner surface of the barrel. In order for the barrel to evaporate well, it can be covered with a film, wrapped in a blanket and left for 30 minutes. If necessary, the procedure can be repeated.

Remember the rule: it is impossible to "over-soak" a barrel, but it is very easy to "under-soak".

The next important stage in the preparation of the oak barrel will be the filling of the first drink. It should be an alcoholic liquid with a strength of 20-40%. It is very effective to pour wine for the first time: sherry, port, Madeira, because they will leave behind noble wine notes in the barrel. The first drink should be kept in the barrel for about two weeks.

After filling the base drink into the barrel, we mark the filling on the barrels - date, name of the drink, strength. The barrel should be stored in a cool and humid place. The optimum temperature for storing hard alcohol in a barrel will be 12-18 degrees Celsius, with a relative humidity of 75-90%. An important parameter is the stability of these two parameters.

The first drink in the barrel should be monitored and tasted once a month.

If the maturation process will proceed normally, then after 3-6 months, depending on the volume of the barrel, we will receive the first aged drink, enriched with all the chemical processes that take place during maturation.

It should be remembered that on the day of emptying the matured drink, a new drink must be ready for filling. The barrel must not remain empty!