The American White Oak
No wood species is as talked about when it comes to mouthfeel or “drinkability” as American Oak, produced as a barrel or wine barrel for winemakers and distillers. In the typical 190 liter bourbon barrel new, the Bourbon Small Batch or the Cooper’s Reserve Barrel, American Oak is the number one barrel worldwide for whiskey, distillates, craft beers, vinegars as well as fruit brandies.
Toasting
Toasting
In various special profile toastings, the 225 liter barrique barrels, made of American oak by Cooperage 1912, can be used in the aging of delicate white wines as well as strongly structured red wines.
These barrels are produced in different profiles toasting, so the barrique barrels of American oak of Cooperage 1912 can give aromas such as crème brulée, brioche, chocolate, nut, red berries, etc., just to name a few nuances of flavor.
Origin Quercus Alba
Origin
Most of the Quercus Alba that goes into barrel production comes from the Midwestern United States, Missouri and the Ozark Mountains.
American oak is used to produce the American Standard Barrel (ASB), which holds about 200 liters, as well as the commercial, sophisticated 225-liter barrique barrel for winemakers. It is a legal requirement in the U.S. that U.S. bourbon must be aged in a barrel for at least 3 years. Therefore, these barrels are available in large quantities and Scottish whisky distilleries as well as rum producers from the Caribbean and sherry bodegas from Spain help themselves to these freshly emptied American oak bourbon barrels.
Origin of the barrels
A big part in this success train is the Boswell family, owners of the Independant Stave Group, with their daughters World Cooperage, Tonnellerie Quintessence, Tonnellerie Tremeaux, whose portfolios are offered to us in www.faesser-shop.de , the www.barrel-shop.com or the www.tonneau-boutique.fr.
Why American oak barrels?
The use of Quercus Alba has primarily financial aspects. The drying of the relatively thin staves (about 20 mm) is done in huge drying kilns, which dry the wood down to the desired residual moisture within 6 months. The manufacturing process of these barrels, compared to the European barrels, is simple in terms of craftsmanship and cannot be compared.
The dried staves are brought into the barrel shape via steam. Gas charring is then applied to the inside of the barrel for a few seconds. This results in the popular activated charcoal layer inside these barrels – although this used to be applied to filter the fusel oils from the distillate.
Vanilla
While European woods offer distinguished tannins and spice, the American white mellow provides a great deal of sweetness. The vanillin content is many times higher than that found in European oaks. The modern consumer (we know this from tastings and blind tastings) likes these sweet and catchy notes. Everything that holds sweetness attracts people. Thus, almost every whiskey connoisseur will have discovered his passion with US bourbon and its vanilla and nutty notes. Rarely does one start with Islay or European whiskey, these are too complex for the entry.
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