The preparation of alcohol is like painting. Before the first strokes are applied, the artist prepares the canvas, like a barrel carefully cleans the distillate of the heavy impurities of liquor. The next step is to work on perception. The adjusted strokes create a masterpiece, and the use of oak barrels for moonshine enriches the aroma and taste of alcohol aged in them.
Oakwood combines aromatic components: tannins, lignin, carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids. They get into the liquid and start interacting with each other. As a result, the drink changes color becomes aromatic and tart.
There are many different forms and materials for barrels, and if you want to buy oak barrels online as a present to a loved one, you will need to choose a barrel carefully. Different sorts of oak give different tastes and even the growing conditions of the tree matter. And, there are small, large, and very large barrels. It is important to understand that the smaller the barrel, the more area of wood per liter of the drink, which means that the aging process will be more intensive and, therefore, will require less time. For a home it is recommended to take not less than 10-15 liter barrel, it’s important because with the lapse of time a part of the volume is lost.
What about aging in oak barrels?
Aging in an oak barrel is an evolution of alcoholic beverages. Without aging, we would be left alone with nothing more than quality and delicious distillate. However, accidental coincidence, the method of trial and error in the preparation of barrels gave the world whiskey, rum, tequila, bourbon, and cognac It’s time for us to turn to the experience of our ancestors, so to speak, and create, enriching our distillate with aromas of vanilla, coffee, coconut, cloves, and smoke, in a word everything that an oak wood barrel can give.
Thoughtfully choose a wooden barrel, properly prepare it, fill it with quality distillate from the appropriate ingredients and your drink will be not just an “imitation”, but quite an authentic product. Oak barrel by a conservative estimate is the same age as the ancient Romans, but now about something else.
As mentioned before, in a small barrel the contact area of alcohol and wood is larger, so the aging process takes less time. At the same time, the losses due to evaporation are higher in such a barrel. And after a year of storage in a barrel like this, you can give almost all the alcohol to the angels. Therefore, the volume of 5-liter oak casks will be suitable for aging white and light red wine or beer, as they do not require long aging.
For grain and fruit distillates, as well as red wines the barrel volume is from 10 to 30 liters. You can keep alcohol in them for a year or longer. And they take up not so much space for storage. Although the observance of special conditions is obligatory. This, too, should be taken into account.
Also, do not forget that when you buy oak barrels online, it must be completely filled at home, and this will require the appropriate amount of alcohol. Not everyone, for example, is ready to distill 20-30 liters of grain distillate at home. At the same time, the wine barrel needs to be topped up with wine over time. Otherwise, it can oxidize due to increased contact with oxygen. But it is not recommended to refill the distillate.
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