Different Barrel Formats and Their Names

Barrels, casks, hogsheads… The vocabulary used to describe the various wooden containers is extensive.
It becomes even more complex when we look into the Anglo-Saxon terminology used in the whisky industry.
Reoaked invites you to learn more about the names used to describe the different types of wooden containers, so you can recognize and distinguish them.

The wooden container used for aging and storing wines and spirits is, in general terms, called a cask.

The two most common formats in the wine world differ by only a few liters:

The Bordeaux Barrique (225 Liters) and the Burgundy Piece (228 Liters).

Historically, each wine region used formats specific to its area. Bordeaux and Burgundy wines gained the greatest recognition and therefore, in the interest of standardization, imposed their respective models.

Producers from both Bordeaux and Burgundy estimate that their casks each produce around 300 bottles, despite a 3-liter difference.

Another common term, the “Tonneau,” often mistakenly used to refer to a 225- or 228-liter barrel, actually corresponds to a capacity of 900 liters.

Brokers still use it today as a standard unit of measurement to estimate and negotiate bulk wine prices.

Note: In the Cognac region, wooden vats used for storing eaux-de-vie (and not for winemaking) are also referred to as Tonneaux.

Below the Tonneau, barrels are mainly available in 300, 400, 500, and 600-liter formats. The 600-liter size is generally the largest barrel marketed by coopers.

There are also intermediate sizes such as the 456-liter barrel—equivalent to two Burgundy pièces—or the 350-liter barrel, traditionally used for aging Cognac.

The generic term Demi-Muid, still in use today, refers to large-capacity barrels of 500 liters or more. It is most often associated with the 600-liter size.

Above 900 liters, we no longer refer to barrels or “Tonneaux,” but rather to Foudres or wooden vats.

A wooden vat, like a stainless steel tank, has heads positioned on a vertical axis: one facing the ground and the other facing the sky. The vat therefore rests on one head, supported by staves and a base structure.

Foudres, on the other hand, are positioned on their bilge and are supported by cradles that match their curved shape. Their heads are therefore aligned on a horizontal axis.

Foudres come in various shapes, often round or oval. Vats may be straight-sided or conical (truncated cone-shaped).

These are specific characteristics of the French model, which has become a global benchmark in the field of cooperage.

However, this influence is mostly limited to the aging of wines and French spirits such as Cognac, Armagnac, and Calvados (among others).

Whisky, a spirit that requires at least three years of barrel aging, has historically been produced by Anglo-Saxon cultures. As such, these communities have developed their own specific vocabulary for the various casks and containers used.

The range of these terms is even broader due to the widespread use of second-hand barrels in the whisky industry.

Spanish Sherry (Xérès) barrels and American Bourbon barrels have been—and still are—the primary types used for aging Scotch and Irish whiskies. Globally recognized, these two whisky giants have popularized the use of such barrels among new producing countries like Japan, other European countries, and certain Asian countries like India or China.

These barrels are typically made from American or European oak, which are preferred over French oak, the latter being more expensive and better suited to wine aging due to its unique aromatic contribution.

Thus, the terminology used for whisky barrels has been built on the basis of American and Spanish cooperage practices, and follows an Anglo-Saxon model.

The cask comes in several formats :

The Barrel or American Standard Barrel (ASB), basic format of 53 Gallons or 200 Liters. It is mainly used to age Bourbon whisky. In fact, it is often It is often referred to as a Bourbon Barrel.

The Butt, with a capacity of 500 Liters, is the cask mainly used for aging Sherry wine in Spain. It is highly sought after subsequently for aging whiskies.

The Hogshead, with a capacity of 250 liters, is made from the staves of repurposed casks—typically from Bourbon Barrels or Butts. Both ends (heads) are replaced with new ones during the reconstruction process.

The Puncheon, also with a capacity of 500 Liters, differs in shape from the Butt. It is wider and shorter and is also primarily used for aging Sherry wines.

The Port Pipe is a cask originating from Portugal. It typically holds 500 Liters and is used for aging Port wine. Its distinctive cigar-like shape is recognizable. This type of cask is also highly sought after by Whisky producers.

Finally, the Madeira Drum, which can hold between 600 and 650 Liters, is used for aging Madeira wine on island of the same name. They are also highly prized by whisky producers.

The whisky and spirits industry encompasses a wide variety of casks of different sizes, shapes, and origins.

Bordeaux barrels, for instance—particularly those that have previously held sweet white wines such as Sauternes—are highly sought after by distillers to finish the aging of their spirits. It is not uncommon to find this format in Scottish distilleries.

The worlds of spirits and wine converge in the use of second-hand casks.

Volumes below 200 liters, which have not been explored in the article, do exist, but are much less common. An example of this is the 125-liter Vino Santo cask from Italy.

Below 125 liters, the usefulness of such a small volume for aging wine or spirits becomes questionable. However, some coopers continue to produce these casks, but in very limited quantities. They are often the work of apprentices, who are learning the craft of barrel-making by hand, without the aid of automated machinery.