Tag: barrel

While bourbon barrels are made of white oak, the bung, or stopper, is typically made of poplar. That’s because poplar is a soft wood that swells when it gets wet, which makes for a nice tight seal.  

The term “brand name” arose from the practice of branding a distillery’s name on the head of a barrel of whiskey. SOURCE: Filson Bourbon Academy

This month marks the 75th anniversary of the date (March 1, 1938) on which all whiskey that was to be designated “straight whiskey” had to be aged in unused charred oak barrels, according to regulations set up by the government after Prohibition….