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Looking into buying a small oak barrel. Any ideas on where to buy one?

http://www.deepsouthbarrels.com/?gclid= ... Ogod4VYAmg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://blueridgemountainspirits.com/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://www.1000oaksbarrel.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://www.coppermoonshinestills.com/id32.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://www.gibbsbrothers.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://www.barrelsonline.com/default.as ... eSupport=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://www.rockymountainbarrelcompany.c ... OgodxEEAYA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/barrels/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://oakbarrelsltd.com/?gclid=CN_vuP6 ... OgodxEEAYA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://tuthilltown.gostorego.com/whiske ... arrel.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

ect, ect, ect, ect...

a lot of these and others have been reviewed here by many members, look it up.

Wow, thanks buddy

go with gibbs.

seriously...

some on that list should be avoided...

I just purchased a 2L barrel from http://oakbarrelsltd.com. I just filled it up today and will let you know how it turns out.

yeah, uhm...

thats one i would avoid.

gibbs is all american, family owned, and you can rest assured that you are getting a purpose built likker aging machine built with the finest american oak.

Lots of those companies sell mexican made barrels... While i love our brothers in the south, thats not where i would look to for a barrel. the only guarantee with those is that they are made as cheaply as possible out of whatever works... old pallet lumber... scraps from a torn down house... who knows what.

gibbs is ... well Ya'll check 'em out.

My advice would be to avoid the sellers that focus on monogramming your initials on the barrel and decorative stands and go with the company that builds thousands of barrels for American distilleries every year. even mexican distilleries buy used gibbs barrels... if the barrel company you are looking at also sells essences... run away!

Thanks for the input. I will definitely check gibbs out. I like to buy American as often as I can. I already bought a five gallon one a few days ago. I bought it from North American barrel. Which I believe is from Mexico From what I could see they got a lot of good reviews. It also comes with a wooden spout which will make things easier. The companies that monogram their barrels with you initial and what not all got bad reviews. The reviews said that they were nice for display. But were not practical or sufficient when it came to actual use.

Go with the Gibbs. One hell of an American made barrel.

If your not opposed to purchasing a used barrel there's a place called Rock Town Distillery in Little Rock AR that uses Gibbs Bros. barrels. I think they sell a 5 gal barrel for $125. They are only about 45 minutes from Gibbs so shipping would probably be about the same. Then again, for another $25 you can get a new barrel. Just a thought.

Thank you, not a bad idea. I have been thinking of the advantages of using a used barrel. Besides the cost benefits I know that many distilleries find it advantageous to use used barrels. Scotch whiskey is often aged in used bourbon barrels. As well as used sherry barrels.

What is a difference between charred and toasted barrels?
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From my understanding charred means just that. The inside of the barrel is charred black. Whereas toasted is only lightly burned for a longer time at a lower heat. Charred barrels give a more smokey and intense flavor. Whereas toasted barrels give a less intense more sweat flavor. Perhaps with a hint of almond. The type of oak you use also effect the flavor. American oak in renowned for giving a more intense flavor. Well suited if you want to age you whiskey faster i.e. more flavor in less time. French and Hungarian oak give of less intense flavor. This is attributed to the fact that they are less porous than American oak. I have tried all three and prefer charred American oak. At first it gives of an intense smokey flavor . So you don't want to over do it. However, the smokey flavor will dissipate over time. I haven't tried the other two when they are charred. Only when they have been toasted. They give off more oak flavor with less of a smokey essences. They give the whiskey a lighter color. As opposed to charred American oak which gives darker color. In short, the more the oak has been charred, the more flavor it will give off in a shorter amount of time.

sambedded wrote:What is a difference between charred and toasted barrels?
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A charred barrel can be straight charred (no toasting of the wood save what happens when charred) or toasted and charred. Charring does two things to the contents, it filters as the liquid moves in and out of the wood and it adds the smokey flavor. Toasting will bring more vanillin into play as well as other flavors from the wood. AS others have said, Gibbs is the place to buy your new barrels, they are a great cooperage (trust me ). Used casks will 1. take a little longer to age. 2. add flavors and color from the previous contents. Check out where you buy a used barrel, most will tell you the cooperage that made it, before making a purchase, Any other questions?