The History and Science of the Barrel - Lesson 2: Why Oak?

Contributions of Properly Weathered and Toasted Oak

To properly age rum, having wooden barrels is not enough. Great and consistent aging can only be achieved through the careful selection and care of oak barrels. But, what makes a great barrel?

• Great barrels are the correct size for the desired goal.

• Great barrels are made from mature oak trees that have achieved the ideal physiological properties. Lesson 3 will cover this topic in more detail.

• The wood from the trees must be properly weathered in order to allow for the correct and complete metamorphosis to take place within the wood prior to milling. Lesson 6 will be devoted to this topic.

• Perfectly cured wood from the tree is then milled (Lesson 7) and accurately toasted (Lesson 8), only then is the barrel ready for aging spirits.

• Old barrels must be emptied, the charred surface scraped and the inner surface retoasted in order to extend their useful life.

When aged in properly built and maintained oak barrels, the rum is able to extract chemical components from within the wood staves and react with them.

Some of these aromas are:

• Raw nuts, specifically almonds (from Furfural)

• Toasted nuts, specifically almonds (from Mehtyl-furfural)

• Caramel (from Maltol)

• Toasted bread or grains (from Isomaltol)

• Unsweetened chocolate or cocoa (from Pyridine)

• Fresh bread or grains (from Pyrazine)

• Smoked or pipe tobacco (from Guaiacol)

• Spices, like nutmeg and cinnamon (from Eugenol)

• Vanilla (from Vanillin)

• Oak and coconut (from Methyl Octolactone)

Important note: the presence of these aromas in a rum does not guarantee that the rum was aged in an oak barrel.