What Other Spirits and Wines Can Learn From Used Bourbon Barrels

Used bourbon barrels are bringing quite a revolution to the world of wines. A used bourbon cask has always been a staple in the world of spirits, especially whiskey. There is a long-standing tradition in countries such as Ireland, Scotland, and even Japan of aging their whiskeys in used bourbon barrels. Winemakers have recently started incorporating them into the wine-making process, and the results have left everyone happy (and tipsy).  

As we know, American law mandates that bourbon whiskey needs to be aged only in brand-new oak. So what happens to these used bourbon barrels once the whiskey is ready to be moved into the bottle?  

There is a long tradition of distillers from various parts of the world using charred oak barrels. All major players working with bourbon, rum, tequila, and gin have introduced oak-flavored tastes into their ranges, and these have been lapped up and enjoyed by the public. 

How Bourbon Barrels Add a New Dimension to Spirits and Wines 

Don Papa’s rum, Don Julio’s tequila, and Caledonia Spirits’ gin all have oak-aged expressions. Even winemakers are getting in on this new trend. You will find some Bourbon-barrel aged zinfandel is an actual thing now. Leaving purists aside, most customers seem to be very happy with this trend.  

There are many reasons why used bourbon barrels are becoming such a rage in the world of spirits and wines. Some major reasons behind this surge in popularity are: 

1) They are versatile. 

Barrels made of American oak have been traditionally used to age everything from whiskeys and bourbons to sauces. In fact, there is a huge demand out there for barrel bourbon chocolate, the cocoa for which has been aged in used whiskey barrels.  

Bourbon that has been suitably aged in American oak is packed with a lot of sweet compounds and lends itself very well to spirits. It offers the flavor profile of toffee as well as vanilla. The wood is also porous enough for the flavors to mingle and mix well. These barrels also allow for the right amount of oxidation. This is one of the big reasons why wine is the latest to get on the used bourbon cask train. 

2) They are easy to acquire. 

American charred oak barrels are among the most abundant. This makes them a lot easier to acquire as compared to other barrels. It is a lot simpler to acquire these barrels once the bourbon makers are done with them.  

Finding a use for these barrels is also great from an environmental and waste perspective. As we said earlier, according to the law in the US, bourbon can only be aged in brand-new barrels.  

Also, a barrel can be used only once to distill bourbon. However, these beautifully-crafted, sturdy barrels have a lifespan of 60 years. So between the law for distilling bourbon and the barrel’s lifespan, distilleries have a constant supply of solid barrels that have nowhere to go.  

Luckily, other spirit-making industries do not have the same restrictions to adhere to that bourbon makers do. All in all, acquiring a bourbon cask to age gin, wine or tequila in is pretty simple. Just get in touch with the Rocky Mountain Barrel Company. 

3) They are different and familiar at the same time 

Bourbon is a classic drink. It is incredibly popular all over the globe. Straight up, on the rocks, or in a cocktail, barrel bourbon is both vintage and trendy at the same time. And while we are using bourbon barrels to age tequila, rum, and gin, why should wines be left behind? It only makes logical sense that the process that helps bourbon become what it is would work with other spirits as well.  

Winemakers exploring the process of aging wines in charred oak barrels feel the smokey familiarity that these barrels infuse into the wines is what convinces wine lovers to give this trend a chance. It is also this familiarity that lures them in and makes them stay. No wonder sales of these wines have skyrocketed in recent years. 

Finished Bourbons 

We have spoken a lot about different spirits and wines being finished in bourbon barrels. But did you know you could get your hands on some bourbon aged in wine barrels? Interesting, isn’t it?  

Finished bourbons have been steadily gaining popularity over the last few years. More and more popular distilleries have been experimenting with the finishing process of bourbons and playing around with blending and barrel finishing.  

One of the main reasons behind this could be the fact that bourbon is traditionally caramel-y and has strong notes of vanilla. These get more intense with an additional layer of oak in the used wine barrels, which also imbibes more fruitiness and overall flavor to the finished product. 

Bourbon Cask-Aged Rums 

Did you know the longer whiskey and rum are aged, the more they start resembling each other? A reason behind this striking similarity is the fact that rum is usually aged in barrels that once held bourbon.  

Aging helps expand rum’s flavor profile. This, coupled with the fact that rum does not have as many restrictions on its production method as other spirits do, has resulted in rum gaining a lot of popularity, even with whiskey and bourbon enthusiasts. 

Bean to Bar Chocolate 

Another trending use of charred, American-oak bourbon barrels is in making bourbon chocolate! Chocolatiers are now infusing the main ingredient of chocolate — the lovely cocoa nibs — with bourbon. This is done by aging these nibs in used bourbon barrels, and the results have been astonishing!  

What they have succeeded in creating is chocolate with a lovely, subdued flavor and a hint of booze, a nuanced and sophisticated bar of chocolate, if you will.  

The interesting thing about this chocolate is that when the cocoa nibs are aged just right, the resulting chocolate has strong highlights of oak. So flavor-wise, you get the notes of vanilla and a hint of nougat but none of the barrel bourbon flavor. 

Keep Exploring 

There you have it. That was the complete low-down on everything bourbon-barrel aging. The industry is experiencing this beautiful wave of trying to incorporate long-standing traditions in fresh and different ways. As long as the results are boozy and beautiful, we are all here for it!