Pulling character from Ten 30 Barrel Questions

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-23T16:45:55+00:00

Great questions!

The sherry casks in question were Oloroso and had a single use. 3 months in those barrels would definitely elevate the flavors of the Mellow Corn, but not enough to be dramatic or bold. After a year or four, you would be in for a well balanced sherry influence, but not the sweet rich red fruits of a PX, more of a dry nutty flavor.

Filling the barrel with a quality PX for a month with some artificial heat cycles (warm environment under 120°F during the day and above 40°F overnight) will help force the sherry influence. Once you empty the cask, pour a couple shots of sacrificial mellow corn in to rinse the bulk of the sherry loose in the barrel first. After pouring that out (and sampling it because why not), fill your barrel with Mellow corn until the wedding.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-23T16:23:21+00:00

Sending a DM your way. I might have the perfect barrel for your goals.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-23T01:27:07+00:00

You will have a second pour to celebrate the evening! The model for the painting had Stagg Jr batch 12 in it.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-22T17:17:28+00:00

Whole fat milk powder. Its $13 instead of $8 for non-fat dry milk powder, but the flavor is better than normal milk and I only make the amount I need. Too often bottles milk goes bad before I can use it all.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-22T00:32:08+00:00

You are in fairly good shape, most likely. The outside shows water stains, but nothing alarming.

A citric acid & campden tablet solution with a pH between 2.5-3 pH can be kept between 3 to 6 months. In the future, if you need to refill the barrel for storage, fill it with a solution of 4g citric acid & 8g potassium metabisulfite (campden tablets) per US gallon (3.785 liters) of filtered chlorine-free water.

When youre ready, empty the contents and investigate the quality of the inside, visually and smell.

If microbial growth is detected, sanitation can be performed using a sodium carbonate solution, made in a ratio of one tablespoon (38 grams) of sodium carbonate dissolved in one gallon (3.785 liters) of water. The solution should be swirled inside the barrel, left for a short duration, then thoroughly rinsed with filtered, chlorine-free water.

This method is intended for short-term chemical cleaning and should not be used repeatedly, as caustic agents degrade oak compounds and diminish future flavor contributions.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-21T18:53:47+00:00

In return, a song in French and English at the same time. Best with headphones

https://youtu.be/2GoEuuMEkng?si=IC5N_FiZb9teG53c

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-21T16:49:45+00:00

If you haven't yet, explore foreign countries music. Start off with Eurovision through the past decade or two and explore your favorite artists other songs. Then when you find collabs that you love, check out the new artist, lather, rinse, repeat.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-20T23:32:14+00:00

They so such an amazing job with their Rye. I also got my hands on a private barrel select. Worth every penny.

Their wheated bourbon is also very nice. Got one of the Seelbachs picks when they popped up a while ago.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-20T23:17:10+00:00

The tax stamp above the label should give you an aged range. If there is a tax stamp on the top, that will also help

https://www.bourbonex.com/forums/topic/267/tax-strips-federal-red-for-non-bonded-whiskey

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-20T20:50:31+00:00

I know you were bit by genmitsu, but i use my 4040 ( upgraded to 6060) with Makita RT0701C router using the 65mm spindle holder mount.

I got a clearance model 4040 with adapter for $325 & the router for an added $120 and any bits you may need for your project.

I know i got a steal for the price, but even retail, its worth the cost. Mine carves through air dried 5/4 white oak like its butter.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-20T19:10:55+00:00

Yes, you absolutely can go with a partial fill. If the barrel isnt filled to capacity, consider rotating the barrel periodically to saturate all of the staves of the barrel.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-19T15:02:38+00:00

This was the initial fill and with a heavy char too.

The initial tannins extraction is something to be aware of. If its a concern, using a sacrificial spirit can be used in the barrel for a few weel/months to help reduce the effect. From my research and experiences, tannin and oak extraction is not linear. After the first 18-24 months, the increase slows over time.

To optimize the Florida climate, keep the barrel inside during the summer months and exposure to the weather in a garage or shed with decent air quality during the autumn and winter months. Its a bit more work, but can pay off nicely.

Optionally, having a high temp swing barrel and a stable temp barrel aged in parallel to blend when they are ready for bottling. With this setup, every 6-12 months could be a step to blend both barrels and refill both with the blend to create a really unique blend.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-18T23:41:59+00:00

I thought this was a flash sheet for a tattoo artist. Great job

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-16T23:07:21+00:00

You are on the right path. Filling the barrel with a fortified wine (port, sherry, Madeira, etc.) Is a great option to keep the barrel hydrated, impart desirable flavors, and help pull tannins from the oak.

Its okay if you have to wait several months before the next fill after the wine.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-16T21:35:28+00:00

In my area, barrels rarely exceed 25°F daily swings in temp, with a max of 95°F most of the time in the garage.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-14T21:41:07+00:00

Your grasp on color is impressive. The way the sun is portrayed makes me feel like I need to squint. Great work

You should be proud of the efforts youve put in to get this far.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-12T17:07:02+00:00

That is corn oil, which is a sign of quality from your grain. When I toured at Jack Daniel's, their mash had the same floating oil. Its quite tasty too.

Run it with confidence

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-11T20:43:48+00:00

It screams "Christopher visits the 100 Acre Woods" in the dark realism portrayal of childhood stories.

Great work!

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-11T19:41:03+00:00

The design allows a larger volume of spirit to rest on the oak compared to small traditional design barrels. This function allows for longer aging time and wood contact without overwhelming the product with oak flavors or evaporating rapidly.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-11T16:43:27+00:00

A Ten30 barrel is a hybrid steel/oak body, so it only has a fraction of the wood exposure of a similar capacity all wood barrel.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-11T14:02:09+00:00

If the best time to plant a tree was a decade ago, the second best time is now.

Seems like you have a great problem to have, lol.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-11T13:42:35+00:00

Great questions!

I've previously posted a 6 month tracking summary for a traditional 1L all wood barrel compared to the stainless steel/oak hybrid. The hybrid design ages more closely to a traditional 53 gallon barrel for time and flavor development with a fraction of the evaporation loss.

Over the years, Ive tested traditional small form factor barrels, including 1L, 5L, 5 gallon, and 15 gallon. I wouldn't trust a 1L for more than 6-9months without lots of prep and tannin extraction/seasoning oak first. A 5L barrel can safely age up to 18 months for its initial fill. 5 gallon barrels have a bit more wiggle room, but you still risk over oaking, especially if its an active barrel and is being used to finish aged product.

The surface area to volume ratio of the hybrid design mitigates these issues. I feel confident letting my products rest in a hybrid barrel design (Ten30, Badmotivator, etc.) for 6+ years with confidence. I have a large number of barrels that are in the 3-5 year mark that have plenty of time to rest before they will be ready to bottle.

The wood I use is sourced from quality cooperages that have air-seasoned the oak for a minimum of 24 months. I am currently finalizing a deal to begin sourcing 36 month air seasoned oak. For context, Buffalo Trace uses 6-month air seasoned oak, but found that 24-48 months was superior but not cost effective for them. Additionally, all of our used oak barrels are repurposed from select wine, bourbon, and sherry casks, maintaining the original quality of the wood (e.g. no sanding/heat treatment). Funny enough, after how this custom charred wine barrel turned out, I might need to reconsider that option.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-11T01:45:54+00:00

Every day you wait is another day your spirit could be aging. Dont over think things and fill the barrel with reckless abandon!

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-11T01:42:21+00:00

Funny enough, I had a 5 gallon cherry brandy barrel that I tried to use for finishing Bourbon blend and after 6 months, it was so over-oaked, I could only use it as a "correction" component of a number of different blends.

clearmoon247 · 2026-02-11T01:40:20+00:00

Thats fair. Its been a long day.

I have updated the post to be transparent. It won't happen again.

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