Barrel Thieving 101

Have you ever witnessed a mom sneaking a little bit of pop to their toddler with a straw in a restaurant? I remember doing this with my kids and I remember my mom doing it with me.

With the straw in the can, I cover the top of it with my finger, pull it out and…voilá! A few sugary tastes remain in the straw thanks to (nerd alert) differences in atmospheric pressure.

Why am I possibly describing this little mom trick? Well, it’s the easiest way to illustrate the hidden world of barrel thieving. For centuries, wine and whiskey makers have used the same techniques to access their potions mid-production…just on a different scale. Their ‘can’ was a 60-gallon barrel, and their ‘straw’ was 18” long, made of metal, and called a thief. The idea though was the same. Stick it in…cover the end…take a taste!`

From as far back as the 3rd century CE until the late 20th century, this was 100% a behind the-scenes practice. As wine and spirits fermented and/or took on the characteristics of the barrel, it was important for the distillers to taste and test along the way. (It’s a challenging part of the job, but someone’s gotta do it!)

Okay, okay. The booze goes in the barrel to age, but how did the booze get made in the first place?

I’m glad you asked!

Just like wine and beer, spirits begin as a sugar-rich foodstuff (fruits, grains) fermented with a bit of yeast. The very-much-alive yeast ‘eats’ the sugar and extracts alcohol. In the biz, we call that boozy liquid a ‘wash’. And really, at this point, it’s closer to beer than liquor.

In order to upgrade wash to whiskey, we turn to our still for distillation. In short, a still boils the wash to create a steam, which is captured, cooled, and collected in its reconstituted (and more refined) liquid form.

It is, of course, more nuanced than that. All that steam is not created equal. The true test of a distiller’s talent is knowing the sweet spot at which to capture and keep the purest and most desirable steam for spirit-ing.

Now, back to the thieving…what are we tasting for?

First off, we don’t just taste. We smell! Barrels can give dessert-y nose notes like vanilla or caramel, or fire-y notes like toast and smoke. The scents can also provide early clues of any challenges: oxidation, sulfur, sourness. On the palate, we’ll again see how the barrels are influencing the wine or spirit. We can get a sense of the mouthfeel or texture of the wine. When done right, the ‘heat’ you feel in subpar, over-proofed spirits is massaged into submission by proper craftsmanship. (This differentiation is one of my pride-and-joys in Legacy spirits.)

We’ve been tasting a lot of the finished product too! Our proprietary spirits have to age for a minimum of 6 years. So, in the meantime, we’ve made our way through a lot of other craft whiskeys, hand selecting 20 barrels of Bourbon to feature in our tasting room. (It’s a challenging part of the job, but someone’s gotta do it!) Our curated list showcases one-of-akind, cask strength, uncut, unfiltered, small batch whiskeys from Kentucky and other select locations. These are barreled spirits ripe for your thievery!

At Legacy Winery and Spirits, you can be at the forefront of the tasting revolution. We’re one of only five winery distillers in the state and the first and only thief-friendly, Michigan tasting room. As always, you’ll find Lance or me usually both at the tasting room. We’re the owners, the hosts, the bartenders, and the makers. And we’d love to give you a sneak peek (er, taste) into our process. See you soon, my thieving friend.