Method for conditioning wood barrels

A process for conditioning a wood barrel, the process consisting of:

• (a) subjecting the wood barrel to heat to increase the temperature of the wood;
• contacting the heated internal surface of the wood barrel with a fluid additive (b) wherein the fluid additive either:
• is a liquid selected from the group consisting of:
• an alcoholic liquid;
• a wine or a fortified wine or an alcoholic distillate;
• or a flavour, wherein the liquid is optionally heated to from 60° C. to 75° C. prior to contacting the heated internal surface of the wood barrel;
• or
• comprises a gas, selected from peat smoke and wood smoke;
• (c) subjecting the interior of the wood barrel to a pressurised environment to facilitate absorbing the fluid additive into the wood;
• (d) optionally subjecting the wood barrel to further heating;
• (e) optionally repeating at least one of (b), (c) and (d);
• and
• (f) allowing the wood barrel to cool, or cooling the wood barrel, to provide a conditioned wood barrel,
• wherein a vacuum is not used before or during (c) and optionally the process further consists of any one or more of the following, in any order, prior to (a):
• contacting the internal surface of the wood barrel with hot water or steam;
• shaving the internal surface of the wood barrel;
• re-shaping or re-sizing the wood barrel;
• and
• toasting or charring the internal surface of the wood barrel.