How is the Oak Barrel Engraved?
We engraved the oak barrel using pyrograply tools, these burn the name / logo or image you desire for personalizing your oak wine barrel.
In order to have your oak barrel engrave please add image and any special instructions when adding the oak wine barrel to the shopping cart. You can also send engraving logo and image to:[email protected] . As well as solicit an example picture of how your final barrel engraving would look like before for your approval.
Preparing Your New Oak Barrel for Use
Before using the barrel, empty completely and use any of the following two cleaning techniques:
- Fill the barrel half way with hot water and add half a cup of barolkleen or one ounce of soda mix per gallon of barrel capacity. Allow the barrel to rest for 24 hours. Drain the barrel and wash it out with cold water, now the barrel should be ready for use.
- Fill the barrel with hot water, rotate it and empty until the color of the water that comes out is transparent.
How to Age Liquor or Wine in your Oak Barrel
To age wines or liquors, simple fill the barrel with your favorite wine or liquor and store in a humid place where it is not expose to sun light or heat.
The time required to age a wine or liquor depends on your choice of taste, this can be anywhere from a few months to a maximum of three years. Aging a wine or liquor in a barrel has the effect of transmitting the taste of the wood (white oak) to your wine or liquor. The longer you store a wine or liquor in a barrel the stronger the taste it will acquire of the oak wood and it will also acquire a darker color.
How to Seal a Leaking Oak Barrel
Before using the barrel please check your barrel for leaks. It is normal for the oak wood to dry and shrink during shipment. You can seal the barrel by filling it with cold water and allowing the barrel to sit a couple of days. When filled with water the oak wood should expand in a time period of 2-4 days sealing all leaks.
Tip: To faster seal the barrel fill it to ¼ its capacity with water and place the barrel in an upright position with the spigot (faucet) pointing upward, allowing the bottom panel to leak and start sealing first. After 12 hours rotate the barrel so the faucet panel is at the bottom and so on until the barrel stops leaking.
– Keep refilling the barrel if water level lowers.
– If one side seals off before the other stop rotating the barrel keeping the leaking side at the bottom until it also seals.
Note: If you are going to store the barrel for prolong periods of time, fill the barrel with ¼ of its capacity with water. This will avoid shrinking which causes leaks and hoops to fall off.
