Why Are Barrels Charred?

First off, charring essentially opens the wood up, making it easier for bourbon to extract flavors. It also catalyzes key chemical changes that are essential to bourbon. ... Higher charred barrels allow less interaction between the wood's tannins and the spirit.

What does charring a barrel do?

Rather, charring is done to change the nature of the oak itself, to yield the best possible reaction between wood and whiskey. ... When exposed to high levels of heat (284°F and above), hemicellulose will break down into wood sugars, allowing for some caramelization on the interior surface of the barrel.

What alcohol uses charred barrels?

By the end of the 19th century the processes of making bourbon and the use of oak, particularly charred oak barrels, were inseparable. The “bourbon barrel” was a known part of the distillation process with even cooperages making barrels expressly for the use of bourbon as indicated in an article in The Wood-Worker.