The Hunt For Beer Barrel Bourbon: Where To Buy?

If you're looking to buy beer barrel bourbon, there are several online retailers that can help. For those interested in purchasing a full barrel, Barrel Global offers the opportunity to buy full barrels of bourbon from distilleries around the world, with a minimum order of just one barrel. Alternatively, Midwest Barrel Co. offers a range of freshly dumped, once-used bourbon barrels, including the 1792 Bourbon Barrel and the Willett Bourbon Barrel. Barrels Direct also provides a large inventory of used bourbon barrels, although it is not clear whether these are sold full. For those looking to buy beer barrel bourbon by the bottle, The Barrel Tap offers a range of bourbon options, including the Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon 750mL and the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon Whiskey 750mL, which can be delivered straight to your door.

Online retailers selling bourbon

There are several online retailers that sell bourbon, including:

The Barrel Tap

The Barrel Tap offers a wide range of bourbons, including Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Blanton's Single Barrel, W.L. Weller, Willett Pot Still Reserve, and Woodford Reserve, among others. The website also offers sales and discounts on select bourbon brands.

Barrell Craft Spirits

Barrell Craft Spirits is an online retailer that sells unique blends of bourbon, such as the 19-year Gray Label Seagrass, the 13-year Gray Label Bourbon, and the Barrell Foundation Bourbon. They also have limited-time offers like the Barrell Armida.

In addition to these specialised retailers, many large online stores, such as Amazon, Walmart and Target, also offer a wide range of bourbons for purchase. These stores often provide convenient delivery options and competitive pricing.

Bourbon barrel uses

Bourbon barrels are typically made from American white oak and are used to give bourbon its distinct flavour, colour, and aroma. However, once they've served their purpose, these barrels can be used for a variety of other things.

Food and Beverage

The most common use for ex-bourbon barrels is to use them for ageing other beverages and foodstuffs. While American distillers cannot reuse these barrels for bourbon, they can be used to add unique flavours to other spirits, such as Scotch, rum, tequila, and beer. Liquors like syrup, tea, honey, and jam can also benefit from being preserved in used bourbon barrels, taking on new rich flavours and colours.

Smoking Meat and Vegetables

The pieces of used barrels can be used as firestarters or to smoke meat and vegetables, infusing them with a smokey, bourbon-tinged flavour.

Home Decor and Crafts

The aged oak barrels and hammered metal barrel hoops can be used for gardening, building furniture, creating personalised household items, and other crafts and decorations. The rustic aesthetic of these barrels fits in well with today's popular rustic farmhouse decor.

Education

Barrel Direct offers a series of educational cooperage classes to teach customers how to maintain, repair, and build custom barrels, ensuring they get the most out of their purchase.

Bourbon barrel maintenance

Maintaining your bourbon barrel is essential to ensure the quality of your bourbon and to get the most out of your barrel. Here are some detailed instructions on how to care for your bourbon barrel:

Curing Your Barrel:

Before using your barrel for the first time, you must "cure" it. This process is necessary because the barrels are held together without glue or nails, relying on the moisture from the spirit to expand the wood and seal the staves tightly to prevent leaks. To cure your barrel, follow these steps:

• Place the spigot in the face of the barrel.
• Fill the barrel with hot (not scalding) water and let it sit for at least 48 hours with the bung in place. The barrel will leak during this process, so ensure it is stored in a sink or bathtub.
• Monitor the water level and refill as needed until the barrel stops leaking, which should take about 2-3 days.
• Once the barrel is no longer leaking, clean it by draining the water, refilling it halfway, and swishing the water for about 1 minute. Repeat this process until the water coming out of the barrel is clear, not cloudy.

Storage:

Proper storage is crucial for maintaining the health of your barrel. Store your barrel in a shaded area with a constant temperature to minimise temperature variations that can cause the wood to expand and contract. Keep the barrel off the ground to prevent spoilage organisms from growing.

Leak Prevention:

Over time, the top portion of the barrel may dry out and cause slight leaks. To address this, simply pick up the barrel, twist it around (with the bung firmly in place), and ensure all the liquid touches the surface of the top portion. This will expand the wood and seal the barrel tight. If this does not stop the leaking, check that the hoops are tight.

Cleaning:

To clean your barrel, fill it halfway with hot water, swish the water around, and then drain it. Repeat this process approximately three times or until the water is clear. Do not switch between different types of spirits in the same barrel, as the flavours can remain and affect subsequent batches.

Long-Term Storage:

If your barrel will be sitting for an extended period, fill it halfway with water and a small amount of the same spirit it was previously filled with (bourbon, whiskey, rum, etc.). Seal the bung tightly to prevent the barrel from drying out.

Maintenance During Use:

Perform a taste test every couple of weeks to monitor the ageing process. Once your spirit reaches the desired taste, empty the barrel and restart the process. Generally, bourbon barrels can be reused about four times before the impact of the oak diminishes.

Bourbon barrel retailers

There are several retailers that sell bourbon barrels, both online and in-store. Here are some options:

Online Retailers:

• Barrel Global: This retailer allows customers to purchase full barrels of bourbon, scotch, and rye whiskey from distilleries worldwide. They offer a unique opportunity to buy barrels that have not yet reached maturity, store them in a secure warehouse, and then resell or bottle the whiskey at a future date.
• Barrels Direct: A one-stop shop for used spirit barrels, including bourbon, whiskey, wine, tequila, scotch, gin, rum, and exotic barrels. They offer various services such as barrel maintenance, repair, and custom barrel design.
• The Barrel Tap: An online store that offers a wide range of bourbons, including rare and hard-to-find options, with delivery to your door.
• Caskers: An online retailer that delivers a variety of alcoholic beverages, including the New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon, directly to your doorstep. They offer rewards and seasonal discounts to their customers.

Physical Retailers:

• Kentucky Bourbon Barrel: Located in Louisville, Kentucky, and Newbridge, Co. Kildare, this retailer provides high-quality, ready-for-filling used barrels for distilleries, wineries, and breweries worldwide. They source their barrels directly from nearby bourbon and whiskey distilleries, ensuring quick and efficient delivery.
• Midwest Barrel Co.: A family-owned business offering freshly dumped, once-used bourbon barrels from various renowned brands, including 1792, Willett, Wild Turkey, and Buffalo Trace. They also provide BBQ smoking wood chunks and chips made from authentic, freshly emptied bourbon and whiskey barrels.

Bourbon barrel types

There are a variety of bourbon barrel types, each imparting unique characteristics to the whiskey. The most common type is the ex-bourbon barrel, widely used due to its affordability and availability. These barrels are typically made from American white oak, with a capacity of around 200 litres. American oak is valued for its ability to prevent seepage and is charred prior to use, as required by American law. The natural sugars and chemical compounds in the wood impart honey and vanilla characteristics to the whiskey.

Another type of bourbon barrel is the hogshead, which is made from the staves of a bourbon cask with new oak ends. Hogsheads are larger than standard barrels, with a capacity of 225-250 litres, and are commonly used for ageing Scotch whisky. Sherry casks, often made from American or European oak, are also used for ageing bourbon and are known for imparting rich flavours of dried fruit and spice.

Japanese Oak barrels are a unique and expensive option, as the trees take approximately 200 years to grow to a suitable size. The porous nature of Japanese Oak allows the whiskey to borrow the rare traits of this oak variety. Cognac barrels, made from Limousin Oak, add intense depth of flavour to the whiskey and are required by law to be used for a minimum of two years in the maturation of Cognac.

Other types of barrels used for ageing whiskey include ex-wine barrels, ex-rum barrels, ex-port barrels, and ex-stout barrels, each imparting distinct flavour profiles to the whiskey.

Frequently asked questions