The golden rule is storing moonshine in oak barrel: the larger the container and the aging period, the higher the strength of the distillate should be. For a small 2-3 liter barrel, a 45-degree drink will be enough, especially if the period does not exceed 3-4 months. For containers of 10–30 liters, it is recommended to fill with moonshine with an alcohol content of 55–60%. This is also true for long infusion drink with a shelf life of more than 2 years.
An oak barrel is not the most airtight storage container. Through its walls occurs alcohol evaporation(called the “angel’s share”), due to which the strength of the drink decreases over time. That is why it is recommended to approach the issue of choosing a barrel extremely responsibly, since not only the taste of the tincture, but also its strength will depend on it.
Exterior of a classic oak barrel with tap.
Exists important nuance, which should be taken into account when choosing such a container: The smaller the oak container, the faster the alcohol matures in it. For home brewing, you won’t find a better 3 or 5 liter barrel. They cost less, are prepared faster, and the infusion time of the drink is shorter.
A good example: How long does it take to infuse decent moonshine in an oak barrel?
- 5 liter barrel - 4 months.
- For 15 liters - 6–8 months.
- For 20 liters - 8 months.
- For 30 liters - 10–12 months.
There is no point in storing distillate in a small container for more than 9 months. During this time, the drink will sufficiently absorb the color, smell and taste of oak, after which the banal evaporation of alcohol will begin.
If your volumes are much larger, then it makes sense to buy a large container and really prepare strong moonshine. It should already be insisted on for years.
The taste of the drink will depend not only on the infusion period, but also on the type of oak.
The issue of ripening speed was raised in a video on the Youtube channel Cooper's Shop.
Which oak barrel is better to choose for home brewing?
If you distill distillate only for your own consumption (we don’t count family members and friends), then 3, 5 or 10 liter barrels are enough for you. Small containers are easier to work with and the drink matures in them much faster.
For large distillation volumes, you should think about purchasing several medium-sized barrels (up to 60 liters inclusive). The manufacturer must think about improving their product, so sooner or later you will want to experiment with taste. It is for this case that you will have several good containers.
Average prices for oak barrels in Russia:
Give preference to good wood from the Caucasus or France, it will last much longer.
- 3 liters - 3500 rub.
- 5 liters - 4200 rub.
- 10 liters - 5000 rub.
- 20 liters - 6200 rub.
- 25 liters - 7000 rub.
- 50 liters - 9000 rub.
- 100 liters - 12,500 rub.
- 225 liters - 23,000 rub.
- 400 liters - 34,000 rub.
The cost will greatly depend on the type of oak. Approximate prices are shown at Caucasian sessile oak.
The shelf life of a good barrel is about 40 years. Since not everything will withstand storage conditions ideally, so feel free to divide this period by two, or even three.
An interesting video can be watched on the channel Sanych's moonshine. The author talks in detail about choosing an oak barrel and considers various varieties wood for these containers. We highly recommend taking a look if you are planning to purchase such containers.
How to properly prepare an oak barrel for use
The procedure is extremely responsible and physically difficult in places, so be patient and strictly follow the step-by-step instructions:
It is normal for water to leak through the cracks during initial flushing. When the container swells, everything will be fine.
- Primary filling of the barrel cold water . First, the container must be cleaned of dust, chips and other foreign bodies. In addition, the wood swells and, as moonshiners say, “falls into place.” The water will drain quickly, so keep adding water to the top. After a few days the container will stop leaking. You will need to wait for this moment, drain the water and you can move on to the second stage.
- Secondary filling of the barrel hot water with soda (about 80 degrees Celsius). Thermal steaming of containers is necessary to wash out harmful substances and unpleasant odor. Fill the container with hot water and soda (5 grams per liter) and wrap it with blankets to equalize the temperature outside and inside. After a day, pour out the water and proceed to the third stage.
- Tertiary hot water rinse. It is necessary to clean the soda, so vigorously rinse the container again, after which it will be almost ready for use.
- Let the barrel dry overnight. This time will be enough for the wood to be fully prepared for pouring moonshine.
Having completed all of the above steps, you can pour absolutely any alcohol into the barrel - moonshine, vodka, wine, and the like.
Not only cognac and whiskey are prepared in oak containers, but also other delicious alcoholic drinks, so this container can be called truly universal.
He shares his experience of preparing an oak barrel in his video. Georgy Kavkaz. All actions are visual and understandable, so you can use its technology. Just keep in mind that the first filling should still be done with cold water, and not warm or hot.
Sooner or later, distillers think about aging their drinks. The main attribute of this technological process are oak barrels. But how to choose a barrel, prepare it and what conditions are met in order to obtain a noble, aged distillate?
We will deal with these and other questions within the framework of this article. Let's start, perhaps, with the fundamental one - the composition and properties of oak barrels.
Composition and properties of an oak barrel
Different types of trees can serve as materials for making barrels: oak, cedar, chestnut, mahogany, etc. But it is oak, thanks to its unique properties, is the most common and used.
Oak wood has:
- low resin content
- increased density
- high strength
There are many varieties of oak, but not all are suitable for aging drinks. There are mainly 3 types in production:
1. Sessile oak
One of the most common. Most often found in France, Hungary and the Caucasus.
2. White oak
Its most prominent representative is considered to be American oak. Due to its chemical composition, it is mostly used for aging whiskey.
3. English oak
It grows in western Europe, most of all in Spain and Portugal. Used for aging wines.
It is believed that the best barrels for aging strong alcoholic beverages are French and American oak. But time does not stand still and woodworkers from every part of the planet strive to make barrels best quality. Recently, barrels made from Caucasian, Belarusian and Hungarian oak have proven themselves to be excellent.
To understand the significance of using a particular type of oak in the process of aging drinks, you need to have an idea of the chemical composition of the tree itself.
In the table we will consider chemical composition oak wood (in terms of dry matter):
Table No. 1
|
Wood Component |
% by weight of dry oak |
Propertiesadded to the drink |
|
Cellulose |
The main material of the barrel has virtually no role in shaping the taste of the drink. |
|
|
Hemicellulose |
Consists of leftovers simple sugars which are destroyed during firing. Adds sweetness and caramel tones when aged. |
|
|
Reacts with alcohol. When aged, it gives light notes of vanilla and spice. |
||
|
Tannins and phenolics |
Form a bouquet of the drink. During aging, tannins and phenolics oxidize and introduce subtle aromas into the drink. With a high content in taste finished product There is a pronounced woody taste. |
|
|
Resinous substances |
They protect the structure of the barrel and influence the organoleptic properties of the drink. Gives a woody taste and aroma. At large quantities negative tones appear in the organoleptics of the drink. |
The composition of the wood will depend on the location and age of the tree used.
For example, American oak contains: up to 50% cellulose and about 32% lignin. While its counterpart French oak contains: 40-45% cellulose and about 25% lignin. Belarusian and Caucasian oaks: about 50% cellulose and 12-20 lignin.
In addition, the substances contained in oak are divided into easily and sparingly soluble in alcohol. Moreover, the number of easily soluble compounds increases with the age of the oak. It is for this reason that it is recommended to use oak that is at least 40 years old to create barrels.
Processes that occur during aging in a barrel
After the young distillate enters the barrel, its composition begins to change rapidly. Physical and chemical processes occur.
Physical changes:
1. Shrinkage or volume reduction
Alcohols evaporate through the pores of the wood. The rate of their evaporation will depend on:
- properties of wood
- evaporation surfaces
- external conditions (temperature and humidity)
2. Lowering the strength
It is not difficult to guess that evaporation causes a change in the strength of the drink. On average, the loss of alcohol per year ranges from 0.7 to 5.5% vol. Evaporation will mainly depend on the properties of the barrels, but environmental humidity is also an important factor.
The physical laws of diffusion describe the process of transferring matter or energy from an area of high concentration of components to an area of low concentration. According to these laws, in very humid rooms, alcohol evaporates much faster than water. Consequently, the strength decreases more significantly than in dry rooms. The reduction in alcohol content of a drink in a barrel is directly proportional to the degree of humidity. Therefore, the higher the humidity in the room, the more alcohol evaporates through the pores of the barrel.
3. Extraction
Alcohol, as a good solvent, pulls various compounds out of the barrel. They then undergo chemical changes and give rise to the taste of the aged drink.
Chemical Changes:
1. Oxidation
Thanks to the pores of the barrel, oxygen actively contacts the chemical compounds of the distillate. This creates new compounds that improve the profile of the drink. For example, acetal and ethyl acetate.
2. Complex reactions of the formation of substances under the influence of temperature and oxygen
As a result of all the complex transformations during the aging process, the transparent product poured into the barrel acquires the color, taste and aroma of a noble drink.
We looked at what barrels are made of and what processes take place during aging, now it’s important to talk about the creation the right conditions for maturing the distillate.
The quality of the finished product will largely depend on the occurrence of physical and chemical processes during aging. They, in turn, depend on the external conditions we create.
Impact of external factors
There are 3 main parameters that influence the aged drink:
- temperature regime
- humidity
- air circulation
Their meaning will vary depending on the drink being poured into the barrel.
Table No. 2 presents the indicators of the main parameters.
Table No. 2
Regarding air, it must flow and circulate freely into the room.
Barrel selection
The preliminary stage of aging the drink is the selection of the same barrel. A correctly selected barrel, of course, does not guarantee the distiller a 100% guarantee of success, but a significant step towards creating a high-quality noble drink will definitely be taken.
Let's move on to the choice. For structure and clarity, we will outline the steps to choosing a barrel with points:
1. Determining the type of oak
The first step is to find out what kind of oak the barrel is made of. Most often on Russian market barrels made of Belarusian and Caucasian sessile oak are presented. These barrels are quite good and durable. You can, of course, complicate your task and look for barrels made of American or French oak, but the game is not worth the candle. Their cost is higher and usually such barrels are made with a volume of 10 liters or more. But the choice naturally remains yours.
2. Barrel firing
Small-volume barrels are often not fired; such barrels are suitable for maturing wines. For exposure strong drinks Needs medium to high heat.
3. Availability of shut-off valves
It is advisable that the barrel has a tap for easy draining of the contents. The faucet material should be made of stainless steel or oak. Any other material is not suitable for long-term contact with the distillate and will add negative touches to the organoleptics.
4. Waxing the barrel
The barrel must be waxed, i.e. treated with wax. This stage of barrel production protects it from drying out and external factors and extends its service life. At the same time, waxing does not interfere with gas exchange during aging.
5. Barrel size
The volume of barrels for aging drinks varies from 2 to 5000 liters. The larger the volume, the longer the ripening process takes.
For home use barrels with a volume of 2 to 50 liters are used. The optimal size is considered to be 5-10 liters. They are easiest to fill with distillate, and they don’t take up much space. For commercial purposes, the volume of barrels varies from 50 liters.
These simple rules will help you choose a high-quality and reliable barrel for your drink. Depending on the barrel chosen, the aged drink will reveal indescribable aromas. Basically, it is nutmeg, vanilla, flowers and fruits. Depending on the degree of aging, the taste will acquire a pleasant, enveloping, woody viscosity and piquancy.
Preparing the barrel for aging
The organoleptic characteristics (taste, color, aroma) of an aged drink are influenced not only by the tannins and resins contained in the wood of the barrel, but also by the firing process used after assembly.
If you do not prepare the barrel before aging, the drink acquires:
- unpleasant harshness
- overly woody and even earthy aftertaste
- dark color
- colloid opacities
As you already understand, you cannot do without preparing the barrel before aging.
Barrel preparation algorithm
- Fill the purchased barrel warm water(t=20-25℃) by 80-90% of the volume. The water must be clean and potable.
- Leave for 2-3 hours.
- The operation of filling for a day and draining is repeated until the water stops changing color when drained. The speed of this process will depend on the degree of firing of the barrel.
- After the water stops changing color when drained, the barrel must be steamed. This operation is carried out to get rid of foreign microflora from the wood. Steaming is carried out with hot water (t=80-90℃) at the rate of 20% of the barrel volume. After pouring hot water for steaming, the barrel begins to be rolled to distribute hot water over the entire surface of the barrel.
- At the end of the completed procedures, the barrel is ready for use.
Check for cracks. If there is no damage or obvious leaks on the barrel, then leave it for a day.
During this time, the water will begin to draw tannins from the wood and prepare the barrel for aging the drink. Don't be alarmed, as long as the barrel hasn't absorbed water into the wood, it can dig in. Therefore, it is necessary to bring water to the required volume (80-90%). At the same time, the barrel should under no circumstances leak. This indicates its poor quality production. This barrel is not suitable for use.
Despite its simplicity, the barrel preparation algorithm is a very important step before aging. Compliance with it will certainly bear fruit and significantly improve the organoleptic properties of the drink.
Before concluding this article, I would like to give you a few more recommendations:
Remember that the secret to success in obtaining a noble drink depends only on you. It lies in the correct selection of barrels and compliance with all maturation conditions.
Try, experiment and then a decent result will always be on your side!
Alcoholic drinks aged in oak barrels acquire amazing taste properties. These products can literally breathe. Air penetrates the drink without obstacles, and alcohol vapor does not escape from the container. Oxygen reacts, increased oxidation of the contents and saturation with a pleasant smell occurs. Tanning oils on the inner surface give a new color to the moonshine and improve the taste characteristics. This article provides a description of how to prepare and ensure proper placement in a keg. A recipe for making whiskey is given.
Steaming the barrel
The process of treating the internal surface with steam is carried out for reasons of hygiene to remove bacteria from the wood and enhance its aroma. Heated stones are placed at the bottom of the barrel, and then water is poured onto them to a third of the volume. The barrel is sealed to preserve steam and kept that way throughout the steam generation process. After reducing the intensity of steam generation, the barrel is opened, poured with hot water and whipped with a fragrant broom. The remaining warm water poured from the barrel. After drying, the barrel is ready to be filled with alcohol.
Elimination of defects
New barrels may have very large gaps. A leak occurs as a result of improper preparation of an oak barrel. If the containers for 
strong alcoholic drink began to leak after transfusion, you should not wait until the gaps decrease naturally. Needs to be poured valuable product into another barrel so as not to lose it. The defective area should be dried. An ordinary household hair dryer is perfect for this. During processing, the device should be kept at a distance of 30-40 cm so that the temperature effect is not too hot and the oak barrels for moonshine do not deteriorate.
Barrel soaking
The container must be soaked before use. To follow the recipe correctly, you will need to pour boiling water into the barrel to 30% of the volume, and then close it tightly and hold the high temperature inside for half an hour. Then you need to rock the keg in order to wash the inside of the keg. After this, you need to carefully fill the tank with warm water and change it once a day for two weeks.
How to store an empty oak barrel?
To prepare the container for storage, you need to correctly perform 
a few basic steps. Oak barrels emptied of alcoholic beverages should be immediately filled with cognac alcohol. Such tanks should be left full to prevent depletion. Alcohols suck a lot of substances out of barrels. This contributes to their exhaustion. It is not recommended to keep barrels empty for more than a day. They need to be used again.
What you need to know about barrel depletion?
Crafting Recipe good moonshine in an oak barrel depends on how many times the device has been used before. After the second, third and subsequent pours of young alcohol, due to the decrease in wood components, the rate of their extraction gradually slows down. This happens until the wood is completely depleted. After this, the tank can only serve as a vessel, and not as a source of useful components for alcohol.
How to age moonshine in an oak barrel?
When aging alcohol in barrels, all conditions must be observed. From this 
The process of development of taste properties depends. The alcohol obtained by distillation has a sharp taste and almost no color. With long-term aging, the components of the alcoholic drink change, a golden color appears, the taste softens and a pleasant aroma appears. The taste improves over time if you continue to infuse the drink. The alcohol becomes softer, and a subtle, pleasant flavor bouquet with a hint of vanilla, characteristic of well-aged drinks, harmoniously develops. You need to leave a little emptiness inside. This will promote the development of oxidative processes.
How to make whiskey from moonshine at home?
What ingredients are needed to create whiskey? How many do you need? 
A simple recipe is given as an example.
Required ingredients:
- 3 liters of moonshine 45%
- 3 tbsp. l. oak bark
- 50 g charcoal
- 6-8 dried apricots
Oak bark is sold in pharmacies. Coal is created by the elementary method of burning birch, oak logs or fruit trees. Choose wood that does not contain resins.
Recipe:
- The strength of moonshine should be increased to 45%.
- Charcoal is ground into powder.
- Oak bark, dried apricots and coal are added to the jar. One and a half liters of alcohol is poured into a jar and everything is thoroughly mixed. After this, the jar is filled. The container must be filled to the brim with moonshine.
- Good aging will be achieved if you place the workpiece in a cold room without light for two weeks, having previously closed it tightly.
- To get rid of wood residues, the resulting whiskey is filtered.
Storage conditions for finished alcohol
To the recipe strong alcohol performed perfectly, will the optimal storage temperature range be required? from 14C° to 20C°. Suitable temperature is 16C°. If the specified temperature is violated, the loss of alcohol due to evaporation increases, and if 
decreasing, the aging process stops. Containers should be stored in dark basements without exposure to light and in the complete absence of vibration and any unnecessary odors. The humidity level should be at least 75%-85%.
Compliance with the above standards is mandatory. This is the only way to store moonshine in an oak barrel. To raise the humidity level, just place a basin or bucket of water in the room. You can cover the reservoir with something and place a small container of liquid under it. An easy recipe and the technology for preparing oak barrels is understandable even to beginners.
The wood of a new barrel contains too many tannins - tannins, the concentration of which needs to be reduced. If in an oak barrel without preliminary preparation pour wine or distillate, the alcohol will quickly become cloudy, then an unpleasant tart aftertaste will appear, which is popularly called “plinth”. Soaking a keg takes time, patience and a lot of water.
In home distilling, it is better to use barrels with a volume of 2 to 10 liters. The smaller the volume, the faster the wood releases tannins, which reduces the aging time. The reason is the area of contact with alcohol. For example, in a five-liter barrel, 1 liter of drink comes into contact with 400 square meters. cm of wood, and in a fifty-liter one - only 152 sq. cm. Accordingly, the ripening period of moonshine, cognac or wine in a large container increases significantly.
Barrels with a volume of 10 to 50 liters are only suitable for long-term aging of strong drinks. During the ripening process, part of the contents evaporates through the pores of the wood. Regardless of the volume of the barrel, losses amount to up to 1 liter per year; in cognac production technology, this evaporation is called the “angels' share.” If you pour the distillate into a small barrel, after 5 years there will be almost nothing left inside.
I advise you to buy already waxed oak barrels. Waxing protects the wood from external factors, extending its service life, preventing leaks and making the barrel more beautiful. At the same time, the wax does not affect gas exchange, the drink continues to “breathe” normally through the pores. It is also desirable that the barrel be without a tap, since this is the most vulnerable element of the structure, which often gives a strong leak. At one point, all the contents may end up on the floor. For a beautiful presentation, it is better to buy a small barrel of 1-3 liters and pour the drink into it before guests arrive.
Crane - convenient, but dangerous! Barrel preparation technology
1. Fill new barrel fill 90% of the volume with clean, filtered water at room temperature, close with a stopper and leave for 3-4 hours.
2. Check the barrel for leaks by carefully inspecting the wood around the perimeter of the rings, then the bottom from the front and back. A slight leak is not critical; this problem will correct itself at the next stage, when the wood swells. The main thing is that there is no jet, since such a barrel is considered leaky and needs repair.
3. Fill the barrel to the top with water, close tightly and transfer to a room with room temperature. If leakage is observed, add water every 12 hours until the leak stops. After 3 days, drain the water (it will be a dirty brown or yellow color), then add a new batch of clean water.
The first water is the dirtiest 4. After a day, drain the water, add boiling water to the barrel (1 liter per 10 liters of volume), close tightly and rock the product from side to side several times so that the boiling water washes the entire inner surface of the barrel. After 45 minutes, fill to the top with water and close tightly.
5. After 24 hours, change the water again. The process of soaking the barrel (daily replacement cold water) repeat until the last water becomes clear, tasteless and odorless. This usually takes three to six weeks.
6. Boil water (50% of the volume of the barrel), then cool to 70-75°C, add soda (20 grams per 1 liter), mix and pour into the barrel. Shake vigorously for 8-10 minutes, then drain the soda solution.
7. Fill the entire barrel with hot water, hold for 15 minutes, drain, and fill again with clean cold water, which should be poured out after 8-10 hours.
8. If the barrel is intended for strong drinks (moonshine, cognac, whiskey, bourbon), the container is ready for use. In the case of wine, I recommend first keeping the distillate diluted to 18-20 degrees for 30-45 days double distillation without smell.
In addition to the volume of the barrel, the aging result is influenced by: air humidity (optimal 80-85%), temperature (10-12°C for wine, 14-16°C for strong alcohol) and infusion time. The process is monitored through periodic sampling. When the taste is satisfactory, the drink is poured into glass containers for long-term storage.
Professional winemakers know how ordinary moonshine in a barrel turns into a noble drink. The reason is the chemical and physical processes that occur during aging of alcohols.
Physical processes occurring during refining in a barrel:
1. Extraction. Various substances pass from the wood of the barrel into alcohol: acids, protein and nitrogenous substances, carbohydrates, flavonoids, tannids, lignin. In addition, wood contains minerals such as potassium and sodium. All these components create an alcohol extract. To make the extraction process more active, you need to increase the storage temperature and lower the pH of the distillate. Once in solution, all of the listed substances begin to enter into I'm waiting for myself in chemical reactions. So, the drink is purchased at oak barrel color, taste and aroma.
2. Evaporation. Any high-quality barrel has pores, crevices and other microscopic holes. Volatile substances evaporate through them, leaving less volatile ones. Alcohol evaporates easily, so as a result of evaporation, the strength of the drink decreases. Important The main factor is the humidity in the storage. Interestingly, at 70% humidity, alcohol and water evaporate at the same rate. The drink decreases in volume, but retains the same strength. If the humidity is above 70%, the alcohol evaporates faster than water, the strength decreases. At humidity below 70% the reverse process occurs.
3. Absorption. An oak barrel not only refines spirits useful substances, is not only responsible for evaporation, it also absorbs alcohol. The intensity of this process depends on the porosity of the wood, storage temperature, volume, ethanol concentration and air speed (ventilation, drafts, etc.). There are two more important characteristics that affect absorption - the viscosity of the distillate and the pressure inside the barrel. Pressure is formed in a tightly closed container due to thermal expansion. And viscosity increases over time as a result of extraction. The higher the pressure, the more alcohol is absorbed by the wood; the higher the viscosity, the less absorption.
Chemical processes in barrels for aging alcohol
1. Redox reactions. Oxygen penetrates inside through chimneys, joints and rivets. Part of it, dissolving, forms peroxides. Both oxygen and peroxides are unevenly distributed throughout the distillate. Their maximum concentration is formed in the upper layers, the minimum – in the lower ones. The longer the infusion in the barrel lasts, the more peroxides accumulate in the drink. Redox reactions are accelerated by catalysts. In alcohol it is copper and iron. These elements precipitate and accumulate over time on the inner walls of the barrel.
2. Formation of aldehydes. Under the influence of oxygen, not only peroxides are formed. This gas combines with all alcohols, turning them into aldehydes. Another source of aldehydes are amino acids, which undergo oxidation and decarboxylation. In addition, lignin that enters the drink through extraction, under the influence of acids and alcohol, breaks down into substances that can be oxidized. As a result, aromatic aldehydes such as vanillin and syringaldehyde are formed. This is how the bouquet of the future drink is formed, which it is no coincidence that experts placed it in an oak barrel.
3. Hydrolysis to monosaccharides. The hemicelluloses contained in oak wood have a huge impact on the taste of the drink. Under the influence of acids and as a result of other factors, they undergo hydrolysis. Monosaccharides are formed that give the alcohol softness: glucose, arabinose, xylose, xylan, galactan. At the first stage of aging in a barrel, xylose and arabinose predominate, and in 10-15-year-old alcohol, levulose and glucose predominate.
4. Tannins. In the first 3-4 years, due to tannins, the drink acquires a rough taste, but becomes rich and beautifully colored. With longer aging, tannins oxidize. The alcohol becomes “soft”.
In other words, after a few years of infusion, moonshine in a barrel completely loses its original properties and turns into an alcohol extract infused with oak wood. Every year the drink becomes more and more expensive. After all, it not only evaporates, but also takes up barrels, for the storage of which you have to pay
Barrels for aging alcohol
New or used? IN different countries barrels are used according to different principles. For example, in America, whiskey is aged exclusively in new barrels. In Ireland and Scotland, whiskey is made from bourbon, sherry, port, etc. barrels.
Different in shape: in Spain, narrow elongated barrels similar to cigars are highly valued. It is in them that port wines are traditionally aged in Oporto, Portugal.
Different in size: for each type of noble drink, a barrel of a specific size is used. Particularly in production scotch whiskey 6 types of barrels are used. The largest is called “butt”, its volume is about 500 liters (110 gallons). The smallest is the "octave" at 45-68 l (10 gallons).
Only real masters can create oak barrels, whose work is highly valued. Oak wood is difficult to process. In addition to skills, you need to be patient. For example, each stave is kept outdoors for 5 years. The cooper determines its readiness by taste.
