My Dad would be a hundred this year. In the 30's his Dad used to run a small copper still.

I found that old, copper still in the barn back in the 1970's. We did some repair and in the winter we would run a few batches out in the Barn. (Very happy memories for me)

Eventually my Dad bought a few 2 or 3 or maybe 5 gallon barrels. He did the same as a few here mentioned, soaked them in other liquors first, before adding the moonshine.

We would both "turn" the barrels occasionally. I was never a drinker but my Dad and my Uncles liked it.

What about hooking a thumbless tumbler to it? (Or hardwood lump charcoal, inside a sealed vessel...)

quote:

Originally posted by berto:
Fill with water and empty it first. The small barrels are best used for aging cocktails or finishing an already good spirit. They impart a lot of wood quickly and suffer from evaporation quickly. A barrel aged Old Fashioned sounds good. So does rum or wine finished bourbon or rye.

Pretty much what I was going to say, the barrels seal themselves when wet and shrink when dry.