tonyhibbett
Landlord.
I now have 4. 1 is too big (50 litres), 1 is too small (5 litres) and 2 are about right (20 litres).
At £95 (including delivery) the 20 litre version is expensive, but does come with a stand, a cork bung and a wooden tap. The only instructions supplied are 'Fill with water and leave for 24-48 hours before use.'
Are they worth having? If you are making good quality 30 bottle kits, probably not, but if you are following Acton & Duncan recipes and/or use fresh grapes and other fresh ingredients in bulk, then I would say yes if you seek high quality results.
What are the advantages? Although you can simulate the effect using a polypin and oak chips, you don't the effect of slow breathing. In a cask, water slowly evaporates and air is drawn in through the pores of the wood, slowly oxidising the wine and improving the flavour. This works best with red wine. A new cask imparts a slight 'vanilla' flavour and other complex processes take place to make the wine smoother and more interesting.
Larger casks represent far better value for money but are less efficient, as the surface contact with the wine is significantly less, requiring far longer maturation periods and periodic racking to introduce more exposure to air. Whiskey makers are now starting to use these smaller casks for that reason, I am told, by the supplier, which is why they are now far more easily available to punters like me, due to increased production to meet demand.
They should be regarded purely as maturation vessels, not for dispensing, which is where the polypin is far more suitable, and the supplied wooden tap is more of a liability than an asset and is best replaced with a suitable bung. The flow rate is pathetic and they invariably drip. Plastic and metal alternatives are available at extra cost.
The evaporation of water actually enriches the wine and draws in air, but over a long period of time, the bulk will decrease significantly. For the time being, I am topping up with very small amounts of red wine, but as I am not intending to mature the wine in cask for more than 3 months, this is probably not really required.
To extract the wine, a standard sludge guard, as supplied with most wine siphons, is essential. You can't see the sediment, but it will be there. Ideally, the wine should be siphoned into bottles, in which further maturation should take place for a few more months.
Once rinsed, the cask should be refilled with liquid, preferably wine, to prevent drying out. In time, the flavour imparted will diminish, but this can be maintained by adding fresh oak chips.
At £95 (including delivery) the 20 litre version is expensive, but does come with a stand, a cork bung and a wooden tap. The only instructions supplied are 'Fill with water and leave for 24-48 hours before use.'
Are they worth having? If you are making good quality 30 bottle kits, probably not, but if you are following Acton & Duncan recipes and/or use fresh grapes and other fresh ingredients in bulk, then I would say yes if you seek high quality results.
What are the advantages? Although you can simulate the effect using a polypin and oak chips, you don't the effect of slow breathing. In a cask, water slowly evaporates and air is drawn in through the pores of the wood, slowly oxidising the wine and improving the flavour. This works best with red wine. A new cask imparts a slight 'vanilla' flavour and other complex processes take place to make the wine smoother and more interesting.
Larger casks represent far better value for money but are less efficient, as the surface contact with the wine is significantly less, requiring far longer maturation periods and periodic racking to introduce more exposure to air. Whiskey makers are now starting to use these smaller casks for that reason, I am told, by the supplier, which is why they are now far more easily available to punters like me, due to increased production to meet demand.
They should be regarded purely as maturation vessels, not for dispensing, which is where the polypin is far more suitable, and the supplied wooden tap is more of a liability than an asset and is best replaced with a suitable bung. The flow rate is pathetic and they invariably drip. Plastic and metal alternatives are available at extra cost.
The evaporation of water actually enriches the wine and draws in air, but over a long period of time, the bulk will decrease significantly. For the time being, I am topping up with very small amounts of red wine, but as I am not intending to mature the wine in cask for more than 3 months, this is probably not really required.
To extract the wine, a standard sludge guard, as supplied with most wine siphons, is essential. You can't see the sediment, but it will be there. Ideally, the wine should be siphoned into bottles, in which further maturation should take place for a few more months.
Once rinsed, the cask should be refilled with liquid, preferably wine, to prevent drying out. In time, the flavour imparted will diminish, but this can be maintained by adding fresh oak chips.
