Whisk(e)y Barrel Taxonomy Print

Oak and Time.

That’s what it takes to transform perfectly clear, new make spirit into the liquid gold we know as whisk(e)y. Once the distiller has done their part, the cellar-master takes over, safeguarding the precious liquid as it matures in wooden barrels, extracting both color and flavor. The barrel selected will have a major influence on the final product, and there are a wide variety of choices to be made in wood: from new, freshly charred American oak (Quercus alba) to reused barrels of European (Quercus robur) or sessile oak (Quercus petraea). Barrels can be refilled again and again, holding first wine, brandy, or bourbon, then reused for beer, rum, tequila ...

And of course, that's just the start! There's a world full of barrels, each with their own history, size, shape, and most important of all – flavor contributions – to the spirit we know and love. 

Whisk(e)y Barrel Taxonomy explains it all in a frameable 9 x 14 inch letterpress print (23 x 36 cm) perfect for hanging in your barrel room or bar. And speaking of frames ...

Barrel-Finished and -Framed

This print is available in a bespoke frame manufactured by yours truly from upcycled whiskey and/or wine barrels. Each one is a bit different, and makes for a great conversation starter in your home bar, cooperage, or woodshop. With this option, prints are matted and secured behind an archival, USA-made mat and backerboard and postman-proof UV-resistant acrylic sheet.

Please note that barrel frames cannot be shipped to Australia or New Zealand due to import restrictions on wood products.

Fresh-Pressed in Portland

This open-edition print was printed by hand, with love, on a gluten-powered, 1909 Chandler & Price letterpress using mostly soy-based inks. 

American-made French Paper

The poster is printed on 100% recycled (30% PCW), acid- and chlorine-free French brand paper, made in Niles, Michigan. If you're as big a paper geek as you are a wine geek, you'll want to know that it's 140# Speckletone Starch White Cover Stock.