I bought it in 2015 for 70 euros for my first attempt at aging my distillate. The result was excellent, and I continued with a 50-liter barrel that has some better quality characteristics.

The price of the 30-liter barrel includes its base and spigot. It is made of oak from Slovakia/Slovenia, which has characteristics similar to American oak, making it ideal for aging distillates at a very good price. The stave thickness on the lids is 2cm, while it is 1.8cm on the body. The 22-liter double-distilled tsipouro exhausted the barrel in 12-14 months.

Please note that in the case of distillates, barrels only give us one filling. The tsipouro "extracts" the wood substances, and it can no longer perform for a second time. If someone tells you to put the tsipouro for 6 months, take it out, and reuse the barrel the following year, it is not true! If you do it, you will have a "green-unripe" product the first year and a "washout" the second year. All you have to do is fill it, add a little supplement for the first 2 weeks, and forget about it for 12 months.

*Before filling it with distillate or wine, we fill it with plain water, which I recommend to be filtered to avoid any odors from chlorine, etc., from tap water.

**I have created a very useful article with many photos, tips, observations, and tests on this specific barrel:

https://krasodad.blogspot.com/2015/10/chips-sticks.html