Home Distiller

I've been on the look out for a little wine cask for a while that I can put my whisky in when I start stilling. I came across this cask yesterday it was getting thrown out from a bar, it looks in ok condition but I don't really know. I've spent a bit of time looking around but can't find if the cask will he ok to use.
What do you guys think, dose it look ok? If the cask is no good for aging my product once I start I was thinking I could make a cool little drinks cabinet out of it, paint it up real nice and have a few shelves inside and a bottle or two of something nice, a few glasses. It'll be a fun project.

Oh just to add, I looked inside the hole, theirs spider webs inside, but it don't smell too bad in their.

Usable? Not in its current condition.

You are missing some of the banding that is integral to getting a water tight barrel. However it can be modified.

You can bring it to a welder and see if he can weld a few bands on tight and then quench them to shrink it.

Otherwise it would make a beautiful display piece for storing bottles though I would keep the rustic look personally over paint any day.

Nice find. Without the original bands or access to a local cooper, I'd break it down and recondition the staves into sticks for aging in another vessel. Or put it above my home bar as a display piece.

Ok sounds good, I may go with the idea of turning it into a tiny drinks cabinet and oil up the wood so it looks fresh. When I eventually get my still built and produce something I would love to take a trip to Jerez which is about 3 hours away by car and visit some of the bodegas where they produce Sherry. I might be able to get a fresh Cask there. But for now I need to focus on the still, lol