Putting The Barrels To Use

The REALOregon group got to see the details of barrel making from the beginning staves to the charring stage. With a productive day being only one completed barrel a day, the operation is only a fraction of the supply needed for the Rogue Nation Distillery. The augmented supply is another innovation to use wood purchased in the State and to be able to try out different species of wood to flavor the spirits.

The stills themselves come in a variety of shapes, sizes from gallon to 550 gallon, and also come from locations from all over the world. Some were purchased new, some WWII era, while others were cobbled together out of bits and pieces. New recipes and specialty batches can be distilled one gallon at a time to test the viability of the mix before using the monster still for large batches.

The stills are busy in an attempt to keep the warehouse stocked with full barrels as the spirits age and mature with the flavors. The mild coastal weather of the Newport area is a comfortable climate for the varieties to rest during the months and years needed for the process as their website describes:

Our World Class gins and whiskeys are crafted from ingredients grown on Rogue Farms in Tygh Valley and Independence, Oregon. Fresh picked, Rogue Farms-grown cucumbers and botanicals are found in our gins and Rogue Farms-grown barley and rye in our whiskeys. Distilled in a 550-gallon copper Vendome still, our whiskeys are aged in oak barrels that breathe the cool, moist Pacific air.

During our tour, the question came up about the barrels and how Rogue kept them from leaking if one happened to have a small flaw in the stave. There are two answers. The first answer is to leave it be, a very small leak will cause the wood to swell as the moisture soaks into the wood and the natural sugar in the spirits dry and seal the leak from the inside. Most small leaks seal themselves with only a few dried drops staining the outside of the barrel to show the process. For those leaks that do not seal themselves a smearing of warmed bee wax is the ticket. Rogue does not use polymers in the barrel itself or in the sealing of leaks.

Walking into the barrel house where the filled barrels are  warehoused, the rows and rows of stacked spirits is an astounding site. While the warehouse looks full at this moment, the stills are churning out more product each day as the public demand looks for new and innovative tastes to tickle the pallet.

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