Many of us may know about wooden barrels used in wine and whiskey making. Only particular type of wood is used for the construction of wine barrels like the oak, cherry, nutmeg etc. the oaky flavor of the beverages matured in them is only due to the use of wooden barrels. If neutral barrels like steel and aluminum is used, then these wood chips, or powdered from of wood is used to impart that flavor in the wine. Apart from these wine and whiskey barrels we have some other type of wood barrels which are used in other beverage preparation.
The construction of an barrel is an art from the hands of proficient coopers. Even though different machinery is used in their construction these days, an ideal cask is a cylindrical container made up of perpendicular staves, tied up with wood or metal loops from a cooper’s hand. Let us see different kinds of wooden barrels.
- Charred wooden Barrel: These barrels are hand made with good quality wood. These are generally used for aging stronger spirits. These barrels are shipped with plastic bungs.
- Paraffin Lined Wooden Barrel: Paraffin lined wooden barrels are also hand made with American Oak. Regular seasoning given to all the wood types by firing them is not given to these type. And hence the spirit in these barrels don’t have that smoky effect.
- Storage Barrels: These barrels are strong and durable since they are used for different storage purposes and for transportation of different liquids. They are made up of good wood and fabricated by finest quality woods.
- Maturation Barrels: These barrels are used for maturation process of wine, whiskey, beer, and other non alcoholic beverages. The commonly used wood in these types of barrels is the American and the French.
Still there are different kinds in these wooden barrels, but above are the most commonly used barrels for different purposes.