Red Head Barrels - 5 L Premium Oak Barrels for Aging Whiskey, Wine, Rum, Scotch, and More, Ideal for Whiskey Barrel or Wine Barrel, American Charred Oak Barrel for Bourbon, Tequila & Brandy

Cooperage is challenging, no mater how skilled the cooper the barrels can still have leaks due to imperfections in the wood. So, I followed all of the preparation instructions for the barrel (soaking, rinsing, etc.). Unfortunately, my first barrel developed leaks shortly after filling with product. I followed the instructions for resolving minor leaks, by warming and waxing the barrel, but the leak persisted. At this point I contacted the manufacturer Red Head Barrels and explained the problem and sent a few pictures of the barrel. They immediately initiated a warranty claim and shipped a new barrel. In less that one week, I am preparing my replacement barrel for ageing.

Great little cask. Filled 4x and emptied with distilled water, then filled and let sit for 10 days to hydrate the staves. No sweating or leaking. Filled this evening, will provide further review in 5 years when the spigot will be used.

We purchased barrels twice from Red Head through Amazon. Neither barrel cured properly and continued to leak for weeks. I went through four containers of barrel wax (2 for each barrel, and which I had to BUY from Red Head) to no avail. The first barrel made such a mess, we finally gave up on it entirely and unfortunately didn't bother to complain or request a refund. Foolishly, we decided to give the product another chance and bought another. I followed all the instructions on curing and waxing to the letter, but the second barrel still leaked. In fact the second barrel was a bigger problem than the first, as it had a leaking crack through the length of the spigot, which was a whole other issue and had nothing to do with curing the barrel.After the bad experience with the second barrel, I called Red Head directly. I talked to Tina there, who clearly had little interest in the problem. Tina said to email her about the issue and attach pictures of the current barrel, which I promptly did. During our discussion, Tina said I didn't let it cure enough, and that it might a take "several weeks" to cure properly. I had let it cure about 7 days, and at that point, it didn't appear any water was leaking. Once I filled it with $300+ of bourbon and vermouth, the leaking restarted. Red Head's own website says about curing: "This may take as little as one minute or as long as a week." Clearly there's a disconnect between what the site says and what Tina claims. If she was in fact correct, why don't their instructions or their website provide accurate information? And if it does take a month or two to cure, why can't they tell people that in their product description - who buys a barrel and doesn't plan to use it for months?Secondly, considering both of our barrels leaked, why isn't barrel wax provided as a matter of course with each order, and why should we have to pay for it, if it's apparently a given you'll need it? Why should a customer have to request it separately and wait even longer to use the barrel (assuming the wax even ends up being effective)?Tina's other brilliant insight into why the leaking restarted was some garbled explanation about the difference in viscosity of water and the liquor. I have zero confidence in her knowledge of fluid dynamics, and if by chance I'm wrong about that, she should learn to explain the issue properly to a customer. And just like the curing time and the wax issues, if this really is a legitimate explanation of new or continued leaking, why the hell are the instructions and website absolutely silent on the possibility that this can be an issue?As for the leaks themselves, they occurred along the barrel rings and also along the stave seams. As already mentioned, the spigot had a crack in it and did not close properly. These were not fixable conditions and I requested a full refund or a replacement barrel from Red Head. Tina said, she'd have someone review my complaint and the pictures I sent, but no one ever replied. I followed up with another email, and again got no reply. During out last conversation, Tina said I should just buy a pre-cured barrel if I was having these problems.Tina's offered solution that maybe I should just buy a pre-cured infused barrel is infuriating and insulting. I wasn't going to argue with her, but how about making my first purchases right before you try and sell me something else? Or maybe she thinks I'm not competent enough to follow the curing instructions, to which I would merely say: maybe I am, maybe I'm not, but it sure would help if any instructions in print or online from their company were complete and accurate to begin with.If you haven't barrel aged before, please understand barrel aging liquor like this is an expensive process. Yes, the barrels were $100 each, but as they're 5 liter barrels, the liquor it takes to fill them can run an additional $300-$400. Having the barrel fail, as these did, jeopardizes a minimum $500 total investment.Ultimately, I contacted Amazon, and obtained a full refund for the second barrel. It is great to know Amazon stands behind their customers even when an individual seller ignores complaints.

Looks beautiful, though have not cured it yet. I plan to age home made meads in this!

This item was a gift for Xmas. I have bought a couple of them in various sizes. I had a worm whole in one of the stays of the first one that I had to drill out and plug with a piece of oat dow rod. In both of them I had major issues with the wooden craft spigot. In the first one, a 5 gallon barrel, I found a suitable 1/4 turn valve at a local hardware store that fit the predrilled whole like a glove. For the second, 5 liter, barrel I was unable to ever get it to not leak with priming it as the included instructions instructed. I had to wax the exterior with beeswax and bake it at low heat in the oven in order to get it to stop leaking. I could not get the barrel to seal after priming it for a couple weeks, only after waxing and baking... It was frustrating. So, nice fun size novelty item, but go into it with a little know how and ingenuity or you will be disappointed. I will buy another, but only because I can't find these sizes locally.

I first purchased this in Singapore during the lockdown, now back in the USA, I bought 3x more 5L, great product. Will continue to buy more over time as I expand my cocktail and liquor aging hobby

This is the best by far of any barrels I have purchased. No leaks right out of the box. Nice and tight. I am impressed.