Gibbs Bro. Barrels From Micro Distillery

[DFitz]

I found a source of Gibbs Bro. Barrels from a small distillery close to a project I'll be working. These are 5 & 10 Gal. barrels selling for $125 a piece. The aging time they say in these barrels was 2 months. My question is, how long can I expect to age bourbon after the barrel has been used once. I plan to pick up a few 5 gal. barrels and a couple 10 gal. barrels for bourbon, scotch and rum. I'm figuring maybe 6 months but thats just a guess.

[Dnderhead]

its 1 month per gallon..
if used they will be good for scotch/rum/corn/brandy.
by definition not for bourbon witch has to be aged in new barrels..for your own purposes you can but it will take much longer.adding chard oak will help.

[rubber duck]

That is a really hard question to answer and this is why.

The barrels have been used for only 2 months so that through a kink into the question. I can give you the general rule of thumb.

30-40 days per gallon capacity on a new barrel. So on a new 5 gallon barrel 5 or 6 months. On a once used barrel double that time to 60-80 days per gallon. After the second use it's anyone's guess but I find that about 80 days per gallon works most of the time for me on the third use, but it's definitely a lighter product. This only applies to chard barrels, you can go longer on a toasted barrel. Regardless at 4 months on a 5 gallon barrel start tasting it and when it's good dump the barrel. You will get a lot of different opinions on barrel aging but this is what works for me and this is how I do it.

A once used 5 gallon barrel is perfect for a hobby distiller as you don't have to come up with a lot of booze and you can double your aging time. $125 is a really good price for a once used gibbs especially if you don't have to pay shipping. I'd buy a couple but don't get to carried away, you can only drink so much.

Also Bourbon is defined as being aged in a new chard barrel but as long as it tastes like bourbon who cares, it's not like your going to have a labeling issue with the ttb.

[DFitz]

Thanks for the replies. I will only have access to these barrels until late Oct. Then this project will be finished and I'll move on. I plan to do a tour or two of the place and try to get as much info as they are willing to share. I'll probably buy a few 5 gal and couple 10 gallon barrels. While I'm at it I hope to put a small dent in the corn stock as well. They use naturally grown and dried white corn. I could see 150lbs or so coming home with me.

[DFitz]

I picked up my barrels last week. I opted to purchase three 5 gallon barrels. I thought these would go well for rum and single malt whiskey. I did find out that the barrels were used for aging longer than I had previously understood. They were used for 12 mos. for aging bourbon and then two months for another type of whiskey that was made at the distillery. Not a problem, perfect for what I need.

I had a stripped basic rum batch waiting for a spirit run so right away got busy to fill one of the barrels. Out of the 12 gal stripped I yielded about 5-1/2 gallons hearts. I soaked the barrel over night and it sealed up real nice. after cleaning out some of the charred flakes I kegged & sealed the rum at 130 proof. I'll wait about a year or so with a few samples every now & then and see how it fares. I figure maybe 6 mos. on oak should do it, then another 6 bottled.

I also found that Gibbs Brothers Cooperage is only about an hour from the area where I'll be working through till fall so I imagine there will be a trip there before I'm done. I'd like to pick up an un-charred barrel for fine blonde rum as well as a charred barrel for bourbon.

I think they add a bit of character to my little cave.

[Fastill]

I have a friend that opens up his barrels, sands them down and re-chars them. He only uses them for wine but it can be done. So far he says he hasn't had any problems with the barrels resealing. Might give a lot more life for making "bourban" type whiskeys....