Diagram of a Barrel
Speyside Barrels
There are over 50 species of oak growing throughout the world but only a few types of oak are suitable for making barrels. It can take 100 – 150 years before the oak required to make a barrel is ready for harvesting, at which time it is specially selected for our casks. Speyside casks can last up to 50 years.
At Speyside Cooperage, we use American oak because it prevents spirits from seepage and allows the contents to breathe without spoiling the flavor. We carry three different types of barrels and our selections and combinations of wood offer one or more solutions for every distilling need. The Speyside sales team will help you determine which type of cask is the best fit to meet your distilling needs.
Different Types of Barrels | Casks
End Fills
Our end fills barrels have had its bung stave removed and its head (or end) bored.
Bourbon
Our bourbon barrels are 53 gallons, once-used bourbon barrels sourced from most of the major distilleries in Kentucky. Barrels used for maturing bourbon are required by American law to be made from American white oak which has been charred prior to usage. As these casks cannot be re-used to make bourbon, they often reused by breweries and distilleries to for maturing other spirits.
