These smaller size American Oak casks are a much sought after product for home enthusiasts who are serious about enhancing their wine, port or spirit with oak enhancing qualities.

These casks are of the highest quality . Each cask is individually hand cooper made and no glues or waxes are used. The oak is adequately seasoned to ensure there will be no warpage of the timber over time. The grain is tight enough for the storage of rums and spirits.

Each barrel comes dressed with a brass tap and positioned on a stand.

American Oak casks are predominantly used for spirits and fortified wines and ports.

These casks can be used for red wines where an oak aroma is desirable. This is achieved after only a SHORT PERIOD, (because unlike larger commercial barrels the wine is in contact with more oak in a smaller barrel) The wine should be removed and bottled and another batch of wine put in the cask.

sizes available: 5 litre, 10 litre, 15 litre and 23 litre

contact for a quote

for information on second hand barrels see below...

Okanagan American Oak Barrels are made of stave wood from the Mid-West region of the United States, specifically the Missouri and Kentucky areas.

Okanagan fully imported American Oak Barrels have arrived in Australia click here for more information

MAGRENNAN AMERICAN
Oak Chips

Oak chips give a barrel aged complexity and flavour to wines, Spirits etc. They can be used in the primary fermentation or at the maturing stage to give oak enhancement.

Magrennan American Oak Chips are renowned for their enhancement of Whiskeys and Bourbons and provide a stronger intensity of flavour than French Oak.

200gm Medium Toasted MAGRENAN American Oak Chips...........$ 7.00. Product of U.S.A.

VICARD FRENCH
Oak Chips

Vicard French Oak Chips, although slightly more toasted than the Amrican Oak, give a milder oak enhancement and are very popular for flavouring some varietal white wines and Red Wines and Ports.

200gms VICARD FRENCH Medium Toasted Oak Chips....$ 8.00
Product of France

Nickel plated tap most suited to spirit or high alcohol storage. Fits barrels up to 25 litre
Length 7cm.. fit hole 10-12mm....$

Also available in BRASS..$

SECOND HAND BARRELS

We believe that new wine barrels become a cherished member of your family while second hand barrels can become unwanted guests.

If you are in the market for a second hand winery barrel you should consider very seriously the implications of putting the wine you have taken great care to make into a barrel of dubious background. Your precious wine could turn out to be a nice vinegar.

New quality oak barrels are an expensive item. To be viable a winery will use the barrel to its maximum life span. The oak enhancing qualities of the barrel are relatively short lived, (squashing the myth that old barrels are better) and over time their ability to enhance a wine in a positive manner is slowly lost. When this occurs they will make their way onto the second hand market. In the best case scenario, you could get a barrel that has been used for only a short period and has been maintained correctly to prevent mould growth (quite rare to get as good viable barrels usually move around within the commercial industry) OR you could get a barrel that is good only for furniture, water features or plant pots. If you want it for maturing wine...buy quality from a reputable source or your wine (or port or spirit) will suffer the consequences.

We do have some good contacts in the industry and occasionally get second hand barrels that we are proud to sell and confident that they will enhance your wine. If we are not absolutely confident of its quality, we do not purchase for resale.

Another thing to consider is how the second hand barrel has been stored after use. When one considers that stale wine can very quickly turn to mould you would be very cautious to the condition of the barrel inside.(take note of what a bit of wine left in a glass wine bottle does over a period of time). Outside appearance is not a guide to what is going on inside the barrel. If mould has infiltrated the pores of the timber you can expect your wine to take on those characteristics.

Garage sales are not generally the source of quality large size winery grade barrels....you could be lucky but more likely than not you won't be... Or you could pick up a small used barrrel that has been used a few times by an amateur winemaker but stored at the back of a garage for a few years unused. If incorrectly maintained it could house a multitude of bacteria. Because a barrel is advertised as 'used only a few times' is not a reliable indication of the condition of the barrel. it could have been used only once but housed a very inferior home made wine that had gone off through poor winemaking technique and handling.

Consider what could have been in it before you get it!

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CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF YOUR OAK CASK

We supply comprehensive care and maintenance instructions when you purchase a barrel from us so you can be informed on the correct procedures for getting the best long term value from your barrel.

Using small Casks for Wine, port or spirit maturation:

Due to their size, the much larger casks used in wineries expose less area of oak to the wine. This means that in a smaller oak barrel, the desired flavour and colour extraction to the wine is much more rapid. The first fill of the cask should therefore be a fairly short period, about one month or less. In new casks this first blend will have strong oak characteristics with subsequent blends becoming less aggressive.

Test the first blend every couple of days and if it develops strong oak flavours, decant half the contents and top up with fresh wine. Keep the decanted wine for drinking or bottling and repeat the process as frequently as necessary, gradually extending the time between decantings.

Amateur winemakers and spirit makers can also take advantage of oak chips. These are also widely used in the commercial industry particularly as new oak barrels are becoming a very expensive commodity and not as vialble for some wineries to use.