Barrel Life Cycle & Number of Uses

[pope]

I'm curious what the life cycle of a barrel is for you guys. I'm working on filling my first, an 8-gallon traditional med toast & #3 char from Black Swan. My planned cycle would be:

1) Bourbon style 3-grain sour mash whiskey.
2) Single malt (there are some state-specific two-rows out there, so I could go with a WA-, OR-, CO-, or CA-specific 2-row)
3) Rum
4) Imperial Stout (that doesn't exactly follow rum very well, I could try soaking a bourbon back in after the rum, or just skip the rum and follow the single malt with a corn or a rye whiskey before filling it with beer)

Anyway that would be four uses, I'm not sure how many you're all getting out of your own, please let me know how long you've aged and what followed what. I know some of you keep throwing oak cubes and staves in and cycling the barrel many times, I'm also curious if that results in a spirit of the same caliber as one which ages off the barrel itself.

[Deerhunter]

From what I have been reading on here its four uses. You could probably go more, but you would just have to let it sit a little longer. Or pop the top two rings, remove the cover and re-charr it.

[der wo]

Because it's only 8gal, you will get much more fills out. Perhaps at first one ugly much to sweet bourbon or if you remove the spirit after short time sweet but without other wood character. Then a few good bourbons. And after a while when the sweetnes has dropped much you can age malt whisky in it.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Do your stout at 3, and then the rum 4.

From what I have read, rum follows stout very well.

Other than that, I think you have the perfect idea. By four uses, you should have an idea of what the future capabilities are.

I'm reading a whiskey book right now, and you know when Canadian whiskies say a barrel is done? When it starts leaking.

They get their barrel AFTER scotch and rums, and use them indefinitely. So, technically, you can make 'Canadian' whiskey for the life of the integrity of the wood. Those are generally high rye, and need to sit for a while to mellow anyways. The well worn in barrels are perfect for that type of whiskey.

[nerdybrewer]

Do your stout at 3, and then the rum 4.

From what I have read, rum follows stout very well.

Other than that, I think you have the perfect idea. By four uses, you should have an idea of what the future capabilities are.

I'm reading a whiskey book right now, and you know when Canadian whiskies say a barrel is done? When it starts leaking.

They get their barrel AFTER scotch and rums, and use them indefinitely. So, technically, you can make 'Canadian' whiskey for the life of the integrity of the wood. Those are generally high rye, and need to sit for a while to mellow anyways. The well worn in barrels are perfect for that type of whiskey.

LWCTS says a double chocolate stout then a rum makes one very amazing rum.
Is this Black Swan barrel the type with all the micro channels inside?
If yes then I also have one of these and am on my 4th rum in it now.
After only a few months the rum is already awesome, so yes this barrel can be used many times. Maybe it's because of the way it provides much more surface area due to the channels inside.
I suggest turning the barrel often and checking your spirit especially the first couple fills to be sure you don't go past "done" whatever that means for you.
I love my Black Swan barrel, wish there was a reasonably priced place for me to buy more.

[pope]

Rum after stout is gold, that's the info I needed!

My barrel is a traditional, Black Swan's aging times for their grooved barrels seemed to quick, I'm hoping the extra months will benefit the spirit.

I will definitely check the first two batches often, and if the first bourbon comes out very sweet, I may follow it with a second bourbon ahead of a single malt, which would make stout #3 and rum #4.

I also like that bit about the Canadian's using barrels until they leak - maybe I'll age a rye after the rum, as that will be #5 or 6, hopefully it will be able to sit for quite a long time.

[rager]

if you dont mind me asking what did you pay for the barrel? the website doesnt list any prices



SOD good stuff sir

Do your stout at 3, and then the rum 4.

From what I have read, rum follows stout very well.

Other than that, I think you have the perfect idea. By four uses, you should have an idea of what the future capabilities are.

I'm reading a whiskey book right now, and you know when Canadian whiskies say a barrel is done? When it starts leaking.

They get their barrel AFTER scotch and rums, and use them indefinitely. So, technically, you can make 'Canadian' whiskey for the life of the integrity of the wood. Those are generally high rye, and need to sit for a while to mellow anyways. The well worn in barrels are perfect for that type of whiskey.

[pope]

Paid in April 2016, $214 plus s/h ($60 to travel about 2/3 of the country). That price is up about 18% from the 2015 price list they'd sent me when I got on the waiting list.