Solving Storage and Ageing

[Almanac]

Once you move to a big-ish still, where to store and age your product can be a problem.

Oak Barrels, both new and used, can be had at a price but the quality may not always be as described or exactly what you want. The other drawback to Oak Barrels is that their useful life for aging spirits is relatively short.

My solution is not to put the spirits into the Oak but put the Oak into the spirits inside Stainless Steel kegs or to be precise, Cornielius Kegs like these...



These kegs are fairly readily available and hold 20lt. You can add any mix of woods you like and unlike Oak Barrels the wood can be replaced with freshly toasted stock for each 20lt batch and stored with an airtight seal.

I got mine as part of a group buy with the Brewers Association I'm a member of. They're all completely refurbished with new seals and valves and they cost me about 32 Euros each and well worth the money.

The results are first class and the kegs are super easy to clean and maintain, plus, if you want you can use them for draught beer or cider when not ageing your spirits.

I thought my 1000th post should contain a little useful and practical information.

AM

[Capt-Cudellez]

I also use those kegs, but mainly for low wines storage. great bit of kit and easy to move about even when full.

I sometimes see them for £80 odd quid on ebay, so its worth biding your time and getting them when a bargain pops up. I think I got mine for sub £30 each delivered as someone had a container load they where shifting.