How we do it

1. We choose the timber

We do work extended hours in order to make everything better and smoother, but unfortunately, it is really challenging at the moment. We are forced to work with reduced staff.

The quality of the barrel depends on the material used.

The wood we use is carefully selected and properly proceed.

RealOakBarrels works with selected timber from South Balkans Mountain where the soil is moist. Moisture of the soil determines the speed of growth of the tree and hence its structure. This is very important factor for the characteristic of the oak

The oak grows there is known as Quercus petraea 

This kind of oak is growing slowly which is the reason for its finest structure.

This affects the content of tannin and vanillin and imparting them during the process of wine maturing in the barrels. In terms of spices, age and height of the tree are also very important.

 2. - Natural dehydration

Natural dehydration is one of the most important stage defying the timber quality .It completely changes the chemical and physical properties of the wooden staves. When the staves are raw they are extremely rich with tannins and flavours. After the Natural dehydration the future staves are purged of undesirable fragrance and harsher tannins and the flavor of the barrel reaches maturity and softness.

The Natural dehydration is a long period – 26-36 months.

3. We hand craft

The tradition   of hand making barrels in the village is more than 350 years old and is being passed from generation to generation, from father to son. We are still using the old technologies and techniques of handcrafting creating every single detail.

4. We toast the Barrel

We toast the barrels by making a small real fire in a container placed in the middle of the barrel. We control the fire in order to toast the barrel deep inside without caching fire for a long period of time. The level of toasting is heavier towards both ends of the barrel as the centre of the barrel (the barrel belly) is further away from the fire. The timber gets a deep heavy toast that lasts for a long period of time and the barrel can be used a few times without having to recondition it.

Every oak barrel is produced after the order has been placed because every type of alcohol requires different level of toasting.
The barrels are toasted from the inside as follows:
Low toast, Medium toast, Medium toast +, High  toast.( LT, MT, MT+, HT ) .

Toast Levels

 LT     - white wines
 MT    - red wines
 MT+  - red wines and spirits
 HT     - will give you stronger whiskey effect, scotch, bourbon ,brandy

Instructions: 

 Before filling the barrel with any kind of alcohol drinks fill it with lukewarm water for about 24 hours until soaked and all eventual leaks have stopped.

Then drain the water and it is ready for use.

When filling with water for the first time leaks are likely to appear and should not worry you.
This is normal as no glue has been used during the assembly.

About Us

We are based in Bulgaria, in a small village named Vrachesh.

We start making every barrel immediately after the order has been placed.