Wine Barrels
Wine barrels are usually retired when cellar masters notice signs of leakage and this seems to be after 6 to 8 years of use. The barrels when new can cost upwards of $1400 each! Our refurbished barrels are sold to you for only $295 each – what a savings!
Imagine how beautiful they are when those first drops of grape juice are placed inside to create a stunning Grande Reserve.They are typically designed around two classic French styles;
Bordeaux – this is the shape that most of us imagine a wine barrel to look like. At 37″ tall and slender the Bordeaux barrel finishes with a barrel lid width normally around 22″ wide. This barrel easily supports a glass top up to 36″ wide before becoming a bit “tippy”
Burgundy – this shape is a bit more stout (nick named fat boy) at 35″ tall, yet still holding 59 gallons, the loss of 2″ in height was displaced into the belly ( or Bilge) providing a much wider base and barrel lid width of closer to 24″ wide. This barrel shape (although not as common and a bit harder to source) allows one to use and enjoy a glass top up to 44″ wide before showing signs of cantilever or “tippiness”.
Whiskey Barrels
Whiskey Barrels are an interesting lot. Ours primarily arrive from the states where Bourbon is produced. When new, Distilleries actually start a campfire inside to assist with that smokey rich flavour famous in Bourbon. Then the barrels are re-used over and over again until leakage. This can prove to be 12 to 20 years later. Now the fun part…. imagine how all that alcohol has pushed carbon through the rich Oak wood. When we receive the barrels, one can see that the Oak will become either brown or produce a grayish hue once refurbished. *(the really rustic looking ones, we reserve for our “Jack Sparrow line”)
Underneath the white-washed paint on the lids we often find a trace of history. Each batch has had what we refer to as a working label stamped on them. A quick search online reveals the history of distilleries and location of origin.