I have purchased both the one and three liter barrels for aging whiskey. Both had to be soaked for quite some time before they would hold liquid. For the three liter one I found it easier just to submerge the full barrel - otherwise it would not hold liquid long enough to cure. The finish of the stand does not quite match the finish of the barrel.

The one liter barrel has worked flawlessly. The three liter barrel eventually started to leak around the spigot due to the head warping. Unfortunately I did not catch this quickly and lost all the contents.

Red Head customer service was great. They were quick to replace the faulty unit even though it was outside the warranty period. The replacement has been working fine.

Just started the aging process. It took about 4 days to stop leaking water.

I bought this with intentions of getting my summer started with a nice batch of Manhattans. Well 1 week into attempting to get the barrel ready it still leaks. Very frustrating and it appears to be a bulge during production. Plan to return for a different one. Emailed the manufacturer and was told they would send me a wax to stop the leak.

have used several of these, always enjoy, but it should be noted these are varnished. For someone trying to age there spirits for more than a novelty that is an issue and it should be noted that this barrel is varnished on the description. I am concerned in the varnish imparting flavor into the spirits. So of well i suppose will have to remember to tell them no varnish again next time.

This is nothing more than a novelty item. I read some of the reviews and should have believed them. Yes. This thing leaks. Badly. I did everything right. I followed the directions. I read up on the internet and watched youtube videos to make sure I did mine just right figuring people were just rinsing these things out, dumping liquor in there and then having issues. Nope- these just aren't sealed well. Weak points are at the spigot (which I later hammered in with a rubber mallet which helped) but mainly all around what would be the round discs (top and bottom if the barrel were standing up). Perhaps the "hecho in Mexico) sticker proudly affixed to the barrel should have been a dead giveaway to the fact you are not getting fine quality American craftsmanship on these but there is also a huge chunk of wood on the inside of mine rattling around that is too big to remove thru the hole up top. All in all this has been a waste of 4 days of my life trying to prep this thing and doing in my sink, has permanently stained my stainless steel sink black in areas where the water leaked down across the rings of the barrel. The company sends you these cutesy emails before and as the barrel has shipped. Just wish they put that much effort into a quality product.