Curing The Barrel

First, we would like to thank you for choosing Deep South Barrels for your spirit and wine-aging needs.

Before using your barrel, you will need to cure it. Your oak aging barrel is made of wood and stored empty so your barrel may need to swell back up before use. This is the same concept as a wooden boat being used for the first time after being stored all winter.  

• Start by rinsing out your barrel three or four times to get any wood debris out.
• Now insert the spigot on the front of the barrel and tighten by hand to secure the spigot.
• Then fill your barrel full of HOT water keeping it full until any leaking ceases. This may take as little as one minute or as long as a week. 
• If you plan on aging different kinds of spirits or wine in the same barrel, you should cure the barrel for three to five days so the wood absorbs as much water as possible and not your alcohol when you start using the barrel.

• Sometimes the barrel can leak where the face or barrel head meets the staves- this leak can be resolved with barrel wax.  

  Using your fingers, take the 1/4oz container of barrel wax and put some on one of your fingertips (it will not take the whole container).  Rub your fingertip along the crease where the leak is coming from. You may have to go back for a second helping of barrel wax.  Clean up the excess and make sure to wash your hands thoroughly (barrel wax is very sticky).  This should stop the leak and seal the barrel.   Check every 3-4 months to see if you need to reapply a coating of barrel wax.