Charred, toasted, fired … it’s all pretty much the same. In the wine industry, as well as the distilled beverage industry, heat-treated wooden barrels and kegs are used as storage vessels in which wines and liquors are left for a certain amount of time to age. In the process of making brandy or whiskey, the distillate that comes out of the still is entirely colorless. It is actually the toasted — or charred — aging barrel that imparts a golden brown color to the beverage. Likewise, toasting methods are chosen so that the finished product will benefit from the natural aromatic compounds present in the wood. The insides of barrels to be used for distilled spirits, bourbon especially, are usually exposed to a very hot flame and will be entirely black on the inside, what some folks call a very “high toast” level. Barrels used in winemaking can be ordered from coopers at “low,” “medium” or “high” toast, and sometimes only the heads (the flat ends) of the barrels will be toasted. In your case, I would use the “charred”
Already a member? Log In