Oak Bottle 100% American Oak Whiskey Barrel, Original Fast Oak Barrel Aged Taste (24 hrs or less), 750 ml

The Oak Bottle pleased me both with its handsome charm and functionality. It looks pleasing enough to be put on display, and will certainly attract some attention, if not questions from admirers. It not only adds an entire new dimension of quality to the spirits you put inside (also beer or wine, according to the company), but also gives one a sense of personal engagement in the crafting of one's own custom creations. It is simply a must-have for liquor connoisseurs and enthusiasts. My Oak Bottle unexpectedly arrived within just a couple days, even with the standard shipping option. Even upon extracting it, I was impressed with its weight and solid construction. From the pictures, I expected the metal bands to be more polished and chrome-like, although the machined metal bands do still have a nice shine to them; they have a slightly more rugged look: less elegant showpiece than it is rugged maritime or old distillery charm (and charming it is). The metal rings of mine were a tiny bit dinged and marred (obviously before assembly, since my oak wood is unmarked), but this doesn't detract from the look at all (and will likely go unnoticed by the average viewer). However, let's be honest - the real demand for this treasure isn't how it looks on the outside, but what it does on the inside. Following the provided instructions, I let my Oak Bottle soak for hours to let the wood settle and to identify leaks, and my Oak Bottle proved watertight. (I did note that the cork stopper leaked if completely inverted. I attempted to seal the grooves inside the mouth of the bottle to no avail. Mine does not drip at all if lying sideways, however, so this is truly not an issue, since I don't intend to season my spirits upside-down. Just a warning for travelers and zero-gravity enthusiasts.) Heed the company's advice and periodically test your spirit as it infuses. My first trial run with rye was a great success, perhaps a little too successful. At 5 hours, a mild but noticeable change of character had occurred. At 9 hours, the change was distinct - a slightly darker colour, considerably mellowed, and definitely oaken. At 12 hours, the rye was (to all tasters' agreement) perfectly infused - the oak was distinct and warm, but not overwhelming, was mellower still and tasted less spicy and dry; the colour was discernibly richer and darker. At 15 hours, we decided the infusion was a bit too long - the rye was so mellow and smooth it lacked its original character. Fortunately, we have more bottles and can simply blend it back to perfection. It can only be restated, then, that the Oak Bottle works fast and works well. The Oak Bottle currently only offers custom engraving on the 375ml versions, but I await a 750ml offering with great anticipation. One of these bottles simply isn't enough.

After reading some reviews I was a little hesitant to purchase the product because people were complaining that their bottles were cracking during the swelling process. I am happy to say my bottle did not crack during the process. I did have very small leaks on the bottom of the bottle but the oak bottle wax stopped the leaks instantly. It is currently drying out so that I can put my first bottle of whiskey to age. I'll update the review after I have had my first sip of whiskey after it has been aged. Update 9/26/2016 I put a bottle of Johnnie Walker double black in the oak bottle on Thursday night and on Saturday night I couldn't believe the difference. I had a new bottle of double black to do a side by side comparison and was amazed at how it improved the taste. I would definitely recommend you buying this. I was hesitant to buy because of some of the reviews that included the bottle cracking during the swelling process but I only had small leaks. I would hope that if yours cracks you can get your money back.

Turn your VS or VSOP Brandies into XO's and EXTRAS with this ! I usually get basic VS Cognacs or Armagnacs at my local Total Wine store and I leave them in the Oak Bottle for around 3 and a half weeks or an entire month. What comes out is a dark spririt that is equivalent to a Hors D'age (Beyond Age) or 50 year aged spirit. Some crybabies and Debbie Downers will cry that some of the spirit evaporates after so much time. WELL DUH !! It's called the ANGELS SHARE. Thats how Barrel Aging works you retarded sissies !! I experience around 25% evaporation. I am totally fine with that. Would you rather have 100% of 750ml of a crappy VS Cognac or VS Armagnac ?? Or 75% of 750ml of some of the finest aged spirit that the big spirit houses will charge you $250 or even $600 and up for ?? I think the choice is clear. Thank you Oak Bottle from saving me from the oppressive tyranny of Diabolical Cognac and Armagnac houses. I am HAPPY to spend $25 and wait a month for an amazing Brandy that I would have paid HUNDREDS of DOLLARS for in the PAST !! I have had Great luck with KELT VSOP and CAMUS BORDERIES VSOP also with REVE BLEU VS and bargain basement VS Armagnacs. Buy this with confidence. Especially if you demand a smooth, fine aged spirit, and are allergic to drinking young, crappy VS brandies.

I use this to age clear distillate of corn. At first it worked super great, and pretty fast. I have aged about 9 bottles full at this point, and now it takes months and months for much color and flavor, and even then it's weak and pale, and lots of the peoduct gets absorbed. I do love the flavor, but saying this will age 50 bottles is embellishement at best. I would not be so hard on it, but for $100 this should last lots longer. So, something be be aware of: the longer you age, the more the bottle absorbs the contents. So on average if you put in 750ml, you can expect about 500ml back out, if that. I'm not sure this is worth it, since I can get very simular results by selecting choice oak, splitting, drying and char/toasting it and putting it in a Ball jar like a pickle, and it works as well. Probably won't spend another $100.

Bottle cracked after a year or so. worked well previous to that