Oak barrels. Brass or wooden taps

[Leatherman]

Hello everyone,

I was thinking about buying oak barrel and as I can see most of barrels are with wooden or brass taps. What would be your opinions? Which one you prefer or recommend? Would like to buy 5-6 liters, fill it with neutral and leave it for a year a least.

[Easydrinker]

Just to say that some do not consider brass safe for long term high % alcohol contact.
I would go with wood.

Robert.

[Toper]

I am unsure about any long term effects of the zinc and copper alloy of brass. The zinc content can vary I think.

I have had three wooden taps in the past and, with each, the cork sealing strip inside shifted due to moisture absorption causing the tap to fail.

I personally now use a brass tap in a 30 litre barrel. I feel the amount of metal in constant contact with the contents is rather miniscule.

However, I am not recommending such, just stating where I am at.

[Easydrinker]

Some of us lived a while/still live in homes with what could be a fair length of Lead pipe for a drinking water supply.
This summer I pulled up 30 metres of such a pipe,and replaced it with what is now considered safe.
The scrap value almost paid for the work!
I don't worry unduly about such things, but do try to heed best practise, where such is available.
I would have no problem with brass and alcohol, I am still waiting for some definitive numbers.

Robert.

[Mash]

Perhaps ask yourself if you want a drink dispenser or oak matured spirit. They are two different things imo that use barrels in a different way.

Maturing.
I would stopper it with a quality cork cork for the year (or however long).

Then add the tap (wood or stainless) when done to decant.

Oak barrels work as storage to mature and flavour. You have to keep them wet and topped up. To get the flavour you have to keep buying them and use them in rotation. 40% of the flavour is lost first time.


Dispense.
Get a glass lined barrel with a ss tap. Brilliant. Looks great works great.

Make your spirit with quality oak dominoes, taste it and refine it as you go. Make it in glass. Rotate and mix the dominoes to get complex flavours, that you can control.

This method will get you a far better product, than lob in and hope.

Just my 2 cents ......

[Toper]

Whilst as I mentioned previously, I do now use a brass tap on my barrel, I still find myself largely in agreement with both Mash and Easydrinker on this.

To pay heed to best practise as ED says is I think to be highly recommended. It was the quality of the wooden taps I bought which sent me to brass taps. To be honest, at the time I didn't give stainless steel a thought.

Differentiating between using a barrel for ageing or dispensing as mentioned by Mash is also of significance.

I actually age with dominoes.

For me the barrel is a piece of self indulgence which largely displays and dispenses my whisky, whilst it does I feel add to the finished taste over time. However, because the ready aged whisky is down to 40%abv before being barrelled, there is not such a marked stripping process of the interior.

As a home distiller, would I buy such a barrel again? No, I don't think so. In hindsight ,for the money, there are so many other items I might have made more effective use of.

Dominoes for me every time.

[Mash]

Dominoes for me every time.

Thanks you for that Toper.
I know I bang on about dominoes, but it was getting to be a lonely place!

[gaza the instructor]

I'm with you Mash dominoes yes all the time.
Get mine from SD expensive yes, but they do
a good job.

[Easydrinker]

Without wishing to nay say,I would say that investing in a barrel is a piece of self indulgence, and if that is your way,I wish you well.
I do not believe that it is needed at the scale that we distill.
Little bits of wood do what I want.
But what do I know?

Robert.