This is the Charred American White Oak Mini Aging Barrel from Marcellin, it has a one liter capacity and it’s designed to allow you to age your own spirits at home, then drink them via the tap on the side when they’re ready.
Each barrel is handmade in Mexico from first-use American White Oak that’s been charred on the inside to help it impart flavor to the whiskey. You can also use other spirits like white whiskey (better known as moonshine), rum, tequila, and gin.
The barrel has three black steel bands at either end to keep it firmly secured, and there’s a wooden bung in the top with a wooden tap on the side for when you’re ready to taste test or otherwise imbibe your newly aged tipple.
If you’ve ever wanted to try out hand at aging your own whiskey this is the perfect way to get into it, and thankfully due to the barrel’s size its effect on the spirit is amplified, meaning you only have to age it for two or three weeks to taste the difference.
The instructions for use are nice and easy, when you get your barrel the first thing you do is boil some water and then pour it in using a funnel, after removing the bung of course. You then leave the water in the barrel for 3-5 days, this helps clean the inside but it also ensures that the wood swells and seals any potential leaks.
Once this is done you drain the water via the tap on the side, and fill it with the spirit of your choice. You can choose to further age whiskies and bourbons off the shelf, or you can get your hands on some un-aged white whiskey and start from scratch.
Each barrel can hold up to a liter of fluid and it measures in at 8″ long x 5.5″ wide x 7.5″ high. They retail for $55 USD apiece, which seems like a reasonable asking price given how much they could potentially improve that rocket fuel bourbon that’s in the bargain bin down at the liquor store.
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