What's on the Outside Counts

A few classes back, we briefly discussed barrels, though it seemed like there was less knowledge in the room regarding barrels compared to other topics.

I spent quite a bit of time thinking about barrels back at the distillery. One of the legal requirements for bourbon is that it has to be aged in a new, charred oak barrel. The char levels range from 1-4, with char 4 being the toastiest. At my distillery, like many other craft distilleries, we used various sized barrels, ranging from small 5 gallon barrels at the very beginning all the way up to the standard 53 gallon barrel, and 10’s, 15’s, and 32’s in between.

I was curious to learn more about barrels in the wine industry, so I did a little research. It seems that the now classic use of oak as the predominant wood dates back to the Roman Empire (the Greeks, before them, used palm). Wine barrels are slightly larger than the classic sized whiskey barrels—59 or 60 gallons (Bordeaux//Burgundy) compared to 53 gallons. Similarly to the process of whiskey aging, wine aging in the porous oak wood allows oxygen to interact with the internal liquid.

In the case of wine, this low-level oxygenation can oftentimes soften the liquid’s tannins. In addition, the properties of the wood itself imparts flavor to the wine. Phenols, for example, lend a classic vanilla flavor, while other elements of the wood prevent the processes of oxidation//reduction.

French oak and American oak are the two most prominently used varieties of wood when it comes to wine making. Wine barrels oftentimes have second lives: because Scotch does not have the same parameters as whiskey in regards to first-use barrels, Scotch makers will oftentimes use sherry, port, and other sweeter wine barrels in order to age or finish their whiskeys. The flavor from the wine is then imparted into the spirit, adding body and a unique character.

I’ve never been to a cooperage and would love to go see the process, which is still predominantly done by hand, even in the age of automation. Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage is only a few hours away, so I’ll hopefully make it up there before graduation!