Used 5 Gallon Whiskey Barrel

I'm a total novice when it comes to barrel stuff. I purchased a 5 gallon used barrel from homebrewing as a gift for my dad who's learning to make wine. It arrived quickly, well packaged, and the price couldn't be beat. When we first tried the barrel out though, water leaked from every crevice. I was very upset and contacted the site to see what I should do. They answered my emails within 2-10 minutes every time! Apparently I should've been soaking the barrel so the wood could swell to seal the cracks on its own. My ignorance speaks for itself here. After letting it sit in water for about 4 days, the barrel did indeed seal completely. I can't express how pleased I am with this purchase, and my dad is excitedly planning to make his wine this weekend. Thank you for being so patient with me, homebrewing!

Barrels were shipped right away and the quality is excellent. Was better that I expected and we are currently aging our first batch of wine in them now. Expecting a great wine. Will definitely be purchasing more.

Nice tight barrel. The wood bung is tight so you may have to drill another bung hole for a rubber bung. No leaks ready to go!

Great Barrel, no leaks. AIH should offer a stand for this size barrel.

Really nice barrel, Great price! I ordered this when it went on sale for $99... had a double batch of stout in the fermenters so I aged one in a carboy and one in the whiskey barrel and it really improved the stout! Mellowed it out nicely with a nice hint of bourbon! Could have left it a little longer but had a party I was hosting so kegged both batches and though both were great but the bourbon stout was a huge hit!

No leaks...smells great....perfect size 6 gallon.

Great barrel. Very fresh and tight. I went back and bought a second one. Just waiting for the maple syrup to finish aging so I can put in the first batch of beer.

It was PU in Ann Arbor by my son. When I received it from him I noticed a crack where the wooden bung is I filled with maple syrup turned 45*. It is not leaking so now waiting to age. So far so good. I will do it again.

I am a home brewer and have used two Balcones used barrels for imperial stout and they worked great. These are the perfect size for the home brewer I have seen 10 gallon but they are very hard to find freshly dumped.

Barrel arrived promptly and seemed to be in good condition. I put some whiskey into the barrel and rotated daily until it could be filled with wort (about 4-5days). When I filled it, it had a few small leaks which worried me as it was filled with 5 gallons of Belgian Strong Ale. By the next morning the barrel had expanded and the leaks were sealed. This is normal from what I hear. Would love some more ideas of barrel care in general. Very happy with this purchase and I hope to buy more soon ! Brew On, Cheers !

Got the barrel, opened the bung and got a huge bourbon aroma. Promptly transferred 5 gallons of an Imperial Stout into it. One week in and the Stout has a huge bourbon nose and flavor. Pretty straight forward, used bourbon barrel.

For the first use, I put a KBS style stout into one of these and it turned out amazing. This was by far the best beer that I have ever made and now I am addicted to barrel aging my beer. This barrel will top off around 5.5 gallons of beer so it is the perfect size for the 5 gallon home brew scale. The stand that it comes with seems sturdy so that is a nice addition. The condition of the barrel seemed new (besides the whiskey) so it was in great shape. I will probably be getting another one since the first one worked out so well.

These barrels are terrific!! I've produced two batches of Ginger mead and two Batches of Barley Wine in two different barrels of course and my friends and family love it. Definitely worth the money.

Got mine and was just emptied 2 weeks before, put in 750ml of bourbon to keep it wet and it had no leaks , the wood did soak up 1/2 of the bottle of bourbon, should make for a nice aging barrel.

Keg arrived in a cold day here and all the hoops had fallen off. I tapped them all back into place and as it warmed up the hoops stayed securely. Its a neat little keg and only has one "bung" hole in the side of the ribs / staves. There is no hole bored in the face for a tapper or spigot. I will have to drill one with a hole drill, but that's easy enough to do. I haven't decided what to put in it yet but I might age some old bourbon or maybe some Apple pie moonshine my family makes on the holidays. Who knows, the options are endless.

Barrel arrived as promised. Opened the barrel up and smelled like a bottle of whisky! Still wet inside, and no leaks after testing it. Currently aging a Russian Imperial stout. Would recommend to anyone looking to take the plunge!

Both barrels arrived clean and most probably uncontaminated as they had fresh product recently (within 2 months) dumped. As they are sometimes hit or miss with availability, I filled this one with water and added a little Sodium Metabisulfite and good to go when I am ready to start aging a batch again. Well worth the wait.

Quick delivery and in good condition. The stand is a good extra.

Pull the cork, inhale deeply ... this is going to make a great barrel aged beer! Perfect size for us 5 gallon batch brewers!

Excellent quality barrel. I have ordered two and both arrived in great condition. Very good price, I hope AIH continues to carry these barrels. I know I will want to purchase more in the future. I am about to age a brown ale in one of them.

Shipped very fast and arrived perfectly. Really nice stand for it too. Just about ready to put an imperial stout in it. Looking forward to it!!

Excellent condition! Professionally marked by Balcones with first/last use (used once). No leaks. Superior craftsmanship.

Balcones have been nice, solid barrels wherever I have purchased them. On my 3rd one. They are rotated through fast enough that you can usually get them within 1 to 3 weeks of being dumped, so they smell amazing and are tight. Present barrel is filled with 5+ gallons (usually about 5 1/4 gallon volume) of dark amber maple syrup, to be followed with a bourbon county stout clone.

Couldn't have been more helpful with this. The barrel was perfect, mint condition for a used barrel. Should be on display not in my fermentation chamber. Already has variation on a brett farmhouse ale churning away. Time for a 10 gallon version.

I received one of these barrels last year as a Christmas present from my children. Somehow one of the steel bands was lost. AIH went way beyond what I could have expected and found a band for me, sent detailed recovery instructions and the band at no charge. I just racked off the merlot I aged in the barrel and it is FANTASTIC. Went online to purchase more and missed this years supply. I will be keeping track in 2014. I need several more.

I am very pleased with my latest purchase from Adventures in Homebrewing, the used 5 gallon Bourbon barrel is better than I expected the quality and appearance is awesome and all my family and friends love it too. I can''t wait to try the Strong Ale I brewed just for that barrel. Thanks for the great deal on this purchase.

The Whisky Barrel is great. It is in great shape, smells amazing and is the perfect size for home brewers. Quick delivery and safely packed too. Thank you.

Just to let you know. My Wheat Wine that was aged in one of these barrels for 3 weeks won Best of Show in the Colorado State Fair! 475 entries. Cheers.

I am very impressed with this barrel as was my brew partner. My girlfriend was enthralled with the aroma inside the cask. She wants our Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter to start the party. We may need a few more of these barrels.

I received my barrel just fine and in perfect condition. I have an imperial stout that I plan on racking into the barrel this weekend. Can''t wait to taste it! Thanks again for the great deal. Cheers!