5 Liter Whiskey Oak Barrel for Aging – Golden Oak Barrel with Black Steel Hoops – Aging and Recipes Digital Guide included

I purchased this with the intent to age some whiskey. I'm not much of a bourbon drinker honestly, I rarely drink liquor in general. I almost exclusively stick to craft beers (IPAs and stouts mostly). But on the rare occasion that I do imbibe liquor, I'm quite partial to a well aged single malt scotch, warm and neat. Champagne taste on a beer budget and all that...As for this cask, I must say that it has completely blown my expectations out of the water. I'd give this thing 6 stars if I could! I am honestly astounded at the effect that just a few weeks had on a 750ml bottle of run of the mill Jim Beam bourbon. Completely gone are all of the things that turn me off of off "well" liquors like Jim Beam and other similarly priced liquors. Gone is the ragged burn, the mouth puckering turpentine flavor, the smell like gasoline, the virtually immediate headache. After just a few weeks, a bog standard bottle of Jim Beam that I'd otherwise not have anything to do with has been evolved into a smooth, mellow, flavorful whiskey. It tastes like something you'd pour out of a fine crystal decanter over ice cold scotch stones. If I were to try to compare it, I'd put it a cut above Maker's Mark (which I actually do enjoy on occasion), and at least on par with a bottle of Jack Single Barrel (I was lucky enough to score a bottle many years ago at the PX on base around Christmas time. It was by far the most expensive, as well as the best bottle of bourbon I've ever bought), except maybe just a bit smoother.Using this barrel has elevated a cheap $15 bottle of rotgut into a special occasion worthy sipping whiskey in just a few weeks. I can only imagine what a few months, or a year + would do for it. This cask elevated a bottle of beam into the kind of whiskey you keep in a bottle locked away in a cabinet and only break out for special times with special people. It's got mellow notes of vanilla, caramel, leather, smoke and spice. The oak character is right up front and center without being overpoweringly "woody". The immediate acetone burn of cheap booze has given way to a pleasant warming on the back of the palate. All in all, its just plain great. Keep in mind, this was a bottle of Jim Beam I'm talking about.To put it bluntly, this barrel is nothing short of magic. It has the ability to transform and elevate run of the mill spirits into something special. I'm looking forward to using it more in the future. I'd love to try barrel aging a few liters of my home-brew beer in this cask after I've properly seasoned it with bourbon. I'd also like to see how dramatic an effect it may have on a "white whiskey" like Ole Smokey after a couple months, and turn some nasty moonshine into proper bourbon.I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone looking for a way to improve as well as personalize their booze.

Update: After buying 6 barrels, of different sizes, I did not have a single one that I could get to stop leaking (I thought my small ones were good until I noticed they were all empty. Lost almost everything that I was trying to age in these) I used copious amounts of wax with no success. I did all of the pre-fill instructions as well. They do look really cool though, I had a row of them labeled with contents and date put in the barrel, all lined up on top of my bar mirror. So, the stars are for looks.Original Review: it is slowly leaking still, even though it has been filled for quite some time now. been trying to wax it up. I know it happens some times, and I have never had issues with the smaller ones from Golden Oak Barrel. Cant really complain.

Did not seal, even after multiple attempts conditioning. Very disappointed.

This product is beautiful and delivered in a timely manner but it was not delivered with the 30 page aging guide. In addition I have cured this per the instructions and it has been leaking substantially for over 5 days. Really sad as I was doing to fill it with wine and give it as a wedding gift this weekend and I don't have enough time to replace and cure another one.

**UPDATE: I have been sent a new stand that seems to be put together much better. I very much appreciate the replacement of the first stand. I was treated wonderfully by their customer service for this product, thank you very much.**I bought this as a gift for Xmas for my husband & the barrel seems to look ok but the stand is the cheapest looking stand I have ever seen! It's missing two plastic studs on one side & is barely glued together. If you're buying this just for the barrel (who knows if it's a great product yet because it takes a while for the spirit to sit in the barrel before you can tell as to be expected) but don't get your hopes up about it having a nice stand because it's crap! Now I've got to find something else for it to sit on unless they resend me a better build stand because it looks just awful!

I bought this as a gift for my husband. He unwrapped the box, cheered, & immediately took a picture saying, "I gotta show Dave I got one of these!"Needless to say, it was exactly what he wanted.It arrived quickly, as described, & appears to be of excellent quality.My husband has been distilling whiskey with oak spirals for two yrs, so though he has never had a barrel, he's not new to this. If it appeared to be of lower quality, he would not have hesitated to ask about a return. Instead, he's out in the barn planning recipies.

Excellent product. Very well done. I placed a large order and got it in time. This definitely isn't something off a conveyor belt, well crafted and unique!

no leaks and looks great. adds some oaky flavor too, but not a ton.just follow the instructions. mine had a slow leak for about 30 minutes initially, but once the wood swelled up it was fine.