🥃 Ex-bourbon barrel
American white oak cask of 180–200 litres used for bourbon: bourbon may only be aged in new charred casks, so used ones go to Scotch, Irish whiskey and rum.
An ex-bourbon barrel is an oak cask in which American bourbon once matured and which now holds another strong spirit: Scotch or Irish whisky, or rum. It is usually a standard American white oak barrel of 180–200 litres, that is 50–53 US gallons. According to Difford's Guide, it is the most common type of cask in the world.
Why there are so many. Under US rules, bourbon and straight bourbon whiskey may be aged only in new charred oak casks. So after their first use the casks are sold on, mainly to Scottish distilleries and rum makers. Corn whiskey, by contrast, may be kept in used or uncharred casks.
Rebuilding. To cut transport costs, casks are often taken apart into staves and reassembled on site: five standard barrels with new heads can yield four 250-litre hogsheads. A larger cask lets a warehouse hold more whisky in the same floor area.
Scotch rules. Scotch whisky must mature for at least three years in oak casks of up to 700 litres, and the law does not require them to be new. That is why used casks, from bourbon, sherry or wine, are the main vessels for Scotch; a note such as “Bourbon Cask” on the label shows where the whisky matured.
Why this matters to you. A mention of an ex-bourbon barrel hints at the style: whisky from such casks is usually paler and has vanilla and oaky notes, unlike whisky from a sherry cask. The type of cask does not change the strength of the drink. WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Cask type | American white oak, 180–200 litres (50–53 US gallons); after bourbon |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | 27 CFR 5.143 (bourbon — new charred casks only); Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (oak up to 700 litres) |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Ex-bourbon barrel → kind of → 🥃 Whisky → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🥃 Bourbon whiskey, 🥃 Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Irish Whiskey, 🥃 Rum
- What is packed
- 🥃 Jameson, 🥃 Tullamore Dew, 🥃 Aberfeldy, 🥃 Auchentoshan, 🥃 Ron Zacapa, 🥃 Don Julio, 🥃 Grant's, 🥃 Aberlour, 🥃 Kilchoman, 🥃 Flor de Caña
and 150 more
🥃 Mount Gay, 🥃 Redbreast, 🥃 House of Angostura, 🥃 Mackmyra, 🥃 Brugal, 🥃 Edradour, 🥃 Tomatin, 🥃 Jameson Black Barrel, 🥃 Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition, 🥃 Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition, 🥃 Jameson Original, 🥃 Laphroaig Lore, 🥃 Laphroaig Triple Wood, 🥃 Ballantine's Hard Fired, 🥃 Lagavulin 11 Year Old Sweet Peat, 🥃 Ardbeg An Oa, 🥃 Ardbeg Wee Beastie, 🥃 The Glenlivet 12 Year Old, 🥃 The Glenlivet 18 Year Old, 🥃 The Glenlivet Founder's Reserve, 🥃 Bushmills 10 Year Old, 🥃 Bushmills 16 Year Old, 🥃 Bushmills 21 Year Old, 🥃 Bushmills Black Bush, 🥃 Bushmills Original, 🥃 Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old Special Reserve, 🥃 Tullamore Dew 14 Year Old Single Malt, 🥃 Tullamore Dew Original, 🥃 Havana Club Añejo 7 Años, 🥃 Cutty Sark 12 Year Old, 🥃 Kilchoman Machir Bay, 🥃 Kilchoman Sanaig, 🥃 Grant's Triple Wood 12, 🥃 Grant's Triple Wood, 🥃 Glen Grant Arboralis, 🥃 Glen Grant 10 Year Old, 🥃 Glen Grant 12 Year Old, 🥃 Glen Grant 15 Year Old, 🥃 Glen Grant 18 Year Old, 🥃 Dalmore 12 Year Old, 🥃 Dalmore 15 Year Old, 🥃 Dalmore 18 Year Old, 🥃 Don Julio Añejo, 🥃 Don Julio Reposado, 🥃 Scapa Glansa, 🥃 Springbank 10 Year Old, 🥃 Springbank 18 Year Old, 🥃 Aberlour 12 Year Old Double Cask, 🥃 Aberlour 18 Year Old, 🥃 Ardmore Port Wood Finish, 🥃 Mount Gay Black Barrel, 🥃 Mount Gay Eclipse, 🥃 Mount Gay XO, 🥃 Glen Moray 18 Year Old, 🥃 Brugal 1888, 🥃 Brugal Añejo, 🥃 Brugal Extra Viejo, 🥃 Brugal XV, 🥃 Cruzan, 🥃 Midleton Very Rare, 🥃 Powers, 🥃 Penderyn, 🥃 Barceló Añejo, 🥃 Barceló Gran Añejo, 🥃 Barceló Imperial, 🥃 Knockando 15 Year Old, 🥃 Knockando 18 Year Old, 🥃 Knockando 21 Year Old, 🥃 Penderyn Madeira Finish, 🥃 Penderyn Peated, 🥃 Penderyn Portwood, 🥃 Penderyn Sherrywood, 🥃 Powers Gold Label, 🥃 Powers John's Lane 12 Year Old, 🥃 Powers Three Swallow, 🥃 Cruzan Aged Light Rum, 🥃 Cruzan Single Barrel Rum, 🥃 Blair Athol, 🥃 Craigellachie, 🥃 Speyburn, 🥃 Balblair, 🥃 Deanston, 🥃 Balblair 12 Year Old, 🥃 Balblair 15 Year Old, 🥃 Balblair 18 Year Old, 🥃 Balblair 25 Year Old, 🥃 Benromach 10 Year Old, 🥃 Benromach 15 Year Old, 🥃 Benromach 21 Year Old, 🥃 Benromach Contrasts: Peat Smoke, 🥃 Bladnoch Alinta, 🥃 Bladnoch Liora, 🥃 Bladnoch Samsara, 🥃 Bladnoch Vinaya, 🥃 Longmorn 18 Year Old, 🥃 Longmorn 22 Year Old, 🥃 Ledaig 10 Year Old, 🥃 Ledaig 18 Year Old, 🥃 Tobermory 12 Year Old, 🥃 Cragganmore 12 Year Old, 🥃 Fettercairn 12 Year Old, 🥃 Fettercairn 16 Year Old, 🥃 Fettercairn 24 Year Old, 🥃 Dos Hombres Reposado, 🥃 The Deveron 12 Year Old, 🥃 Craigellachie 17 Year Old, 🥃 The Singleton of Dufftown 18 Year Old, 🥃 Speyburn 10 Year Old, 🥃 Speyburn 15 Year Old, 🥃 Speyburn 18 Year Old, 🥃 Speyburn Bourbon Cask, 🥃 Speyburn Rum Cask Finish, 🥃 Deanston 12 Year Old, 🥃 Deanston 18 Year Old, 🥃 Deanston Virgin Oak, 🥃 Auchroisk, 🥃 Glenglassaugh, 🥃 Indri, 🥃 Torabhaig, 🥃 BenRiach The Original Ten, 🥃 BenRiach The Smoky Ten, 🥃 BenRiach The Smoky Twelve, 🥃 BenRiach The Twelve, 🥃 Edradour 10 Year Old, 🥃 Edradour Ballechin 10 Year Old, 🥃 Tomatin 12 Year Old, 🥃 Tomatin 14 Year Old, 🥃 Tomatin 18 Year Old, 🥃 Tomatin Cask Strength, 🥃 Tomatin Legacy, 🥃 Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength, 🥃 Redbreast 12 Year Old, 🥃 Redbreast 15 Year Old, 🥃 Redbreast 18 Year Old, 🥃 Redbreast 21 Year Old, 🥃 Tanduay Double Rum, 🥃 Tanduay Gold, 🥃 Tanduay Silver, 🥃 Haig Club, 🥃 Angostura 1919, 🥃 Angostura 5 Year Old, 🥃 Angostura 7 Year Old, 🥃 Mackmyra Brukswhisky, 🥃 MACK by Mackmyra, 🥃 Mackmyra Svensk Ek, 🥃 Mackmyra Svensk Rök, 🥃 Old Pulteney 15 Year Old, 🥃 Old Pulteney 18 Year Old, 🥃 The Glenturret Triple Wood, 🥃 Sauza Conmemorativo Añejo - What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health
- Part of
- 🥃 Whisky, 🍷 Oak barrel
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Sherry, 🥃 Speyburn Bourbon Cask
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that bourbon can be aged in a used cask?
No. Under US rules bourbon matures only in new charred oak casks; used casks go to other drinks.
How many litres are in a standard ex-bourbon barrel?
Usually 180–200 litres, that is 50–53 US gallons.
What is a hogshead made from ex-bourbon barrels?
A cask of about 250 litres: five standard barrels are dismantled and four hogsheads are assembled from the staves and new heads.
Which drinks mature in ex-bourbon barrels?
Most often Scotch and Irish whiskey, and also rum.
How does it differ from a sherry cask?
By its previous contents and wood: an ex-bourbon barrel is American white oak that held bourbon, a sherry cask held sherry; this affects the taste of the whisky.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Scotch from a single distillery: only malted barley, water and copper pot stills; at least 3 years in oak, 40% vol. or more.
- 🥃 Irish Whiskey — Geographical indication of the island of Ireland since 1989: whiskey distilled and matured for at least 3 years in Ireland or Northern Ireland.
- 🥃 Jameson — A blended Irish whiskey brand tracing its history to 1780; made in Midleton (County Cork); owned by Pernod Ricard; the standard bottling is 40% ABV.
- 🥃 The Glenlivet 18 Year Old — The Glenlivet 18-year-old: Speyside, 43 % vol., American and European oak, more sherry casks.
Similar
🥃 Barley and malt in whisky · 🥃 Angels' share · 🥃 Sour mash · 🥃 Chill filtration · 🥃 Sazerac · 🥃 Rye and corn in whisky
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- 27 CFR 5.143 Whisky (LII Cornell): bourbon, straight bourbon and straight whisky — charred new oak barrels; corn whisky — used or uncharred new oak barrels
- Difford's Guide: Casks — American Standard Barrel 180–200 litres (50–53 US gal), American white oak; sold on to Scotch and rum producers; five barrels rebuilt into four 250-litre hogsheads
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), regulation 3: matured in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 litres for at least three years
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)