FREQUENT QUESTIONS & TASTING EVENT FORMS

WELCOME TO THE BARREL FAMILY, A VERY DISTINGUISHED, PROUD AND ELITE FAMILY.

Congratulations on your new barrel. The first rule of being a member of the Barrel Family; have fun aging and blending your liquor.

It always helps to name your barrel to create a connection and use the name for reference in conversation; "I need to go home and empty Buttercup tonight", or "I can't wait to taste what Knuckles has for me in a few weeks..."

WHAT IS IMPORTANT?

HYDRATE - HYDRATE - HYDRATE!

ALWAYS KEEP YOUR BARREL FULL OF LIQUID!

Fill your barrel with distilled water while not is use. We can't imagine you won't be aging or blending, but if that occurs, fill with distilled water and rinse out before next batch.

You will get the most out of your barrel if you keep it hydrated. Wrap your barrel in a wet wash cloth every once in a while, if you are watering your plants; squirt it with a mister, keep your barrel in a climate controlled area. Do not keep your barrel in a dry area.

HOW DO I CLEAN OUT MY BARREL?

Dissolve "Oxy San" (popular barrel cleanser) into 1 gallon (3.8 L) of warm water. Fill the barrel with that cleaning solution and soak for approx. 24 hours. Empty the barrel and rinse 3-4 times with hot water. Dissolve neutralizing citric acid into 1 gallon of warm water. Fill the barrel with that neutralizing solution and soak for 15 minutes. Empty and rinse 3-4 times with hot water. - see my video on the video section

MY BLEND TURNED OUT TOO "OAKY" .. NOW WHAT?

If your blend turned out too "oaky" in flavor, or to much of a wood flavor. You can leave the blend in an open bottle for a couple days, preferably in a cool dry cabinet. That should lower the wood flavor, if not you can dilute the blend with the original liquor your started with.

CAN I SWITCH DIFFERENT LIQUORS IN MY BARREL?

Whiskey, bourbon, tequila, scotch, rum can be used in the same barrel. We recommend rinsing out the barrel thoroughly between batches. The alcohol content is high enough to kill the flavor and germs. Have fun with it and try different brands until you find your favorite.. Good Luck!

If using wine, we recommend using the same vintage in the barrels. The barrel will soak in that flavor of the wine and allow that vintage to marry with that barrel.

Beer - Wash thoroughly between batches. There are cleaning tablets available on line that can clean the barrel between beer batches.

MY BARREL DRIED OUT .. NOW WHAT?

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate... fill with warm water and if you must, you can soak your barrel in a sink until it swells.

I WANT TO HOST A BOURBON TASTING EVENT, DO YOU HAVE CARDS?

Yes, I do have Bourbon Tasting Event Cards - help yourself; HERE.

MY BARREL IS AWESOME AND I LOVE IT, HOW CAN I THANK YOU?

We love it if you share pics with me so I can post and share. You can like my my Instagram, like my Facebook page -- be silly in life and cheers!

ANY UNKNOWN MYTHS ABOUT AGING BARRELS?

Rumor has it that during a zombie attack, drinking out of Old Dog Barrels (even just a shot) will make you invisible to zombies ... or maybe it was for vampires, or dragons ... it's whatever monster, or creature that is trending or popular right now, as you read this... is what the barrels help with. So for the sake of humanity -- start aging a liquor, so you have a defense mechanism for whatever is trending. Stay silly and Cheers!