Place for questions

[Amoxia]

Hi all,

Just thought it would be good to start a thread for questions if
anyone has any about these great barrels. I've got mine now and
filled up and very happy with the craft work!

I'll start off with a question.

I've got my 20L keg filled up with Bourbon that I have made. T will
be drinking the bourbon from this keg and then re filling it when I
make more. So my question is how low should I let it get and how long
can I leave it before I top it back up to 100% full.

Cheers

[Clay, Johnston]

When the barrel is new I hope you will have time to taste your bourbon
often, a new 20 liter can do in 2 months that a 55 gallon barrel takes
2 years to do. You have to be very careful when the barrel is new it
will give too much oak flavor very quickly and you'll have to bottle
it. Unless you drink more than I do, you won't have to worry about the
barrel getting low, you'll need to bottle your bourbon long before
that, unless of course you are sharing it with a lot of friends and
it's going down fast then if it does don't worry, long as it has a
little bourbon inside the barrel will keep its watertight form. Salud
Clay

[Malted]

I was thinking if I purchased a barrel (or two or three) I would replace the wooden spigot tap with a metal/brass tap. What sized hole is made for the spigot?

Would I be best intsalling a threaded metal spigot or non-threaded?  

Does anyone know a source to purchase metal taps suitable for the barrels?

[Clarence Andrew Johnston Jr]

The spigot hole in a 10 or 20 liter is ¾ inch. The 1, 2, 3 and 5 liter have a ½ inch hole. I have successfully used a threaded spigot but I imagine the unthreaded but tapered brass spigots made for wood barrels would be surer however I have not yet found a supplier where I can buy a lot of spigots so as to make it an option with all the barrels I sell. At your service Clay Johnston   

[Clay, Johnston]

The wooden spigots work fine, one must install them properly, can’t beat them into the barrel with a metal hammer, need to use a wooden mallet or a short piece of 2 x 4 to tap the spigot in, doesn’t need to be driven in completely, just enough to be watertight. Also the spigots are handmade and sometimes don’t turn off in exactly the position you think they should, one needs to keep a cup under the spigot until you are sure you have found the off position.