How Many Whiskey Bottles Are Made From A Single Barrel
Some of the most memorable sights you'll see on a distillery tour are the rickhouses stacked from floor to ceiling with huge oak barrels. Within each cask is whiskey in the making, slowly taking up the essences of the wood and the charcoal within to eventually emerge as the intricate, amber-hued liquor that it's famously known as. Surely, though, as you look at those barrels, a question must've crossed your mind: "Just how many bottles can you make from just one of these gigantic barrels?"
You'll be happy to know you're not alone in wondering about this! Interestingly, while there are no regulations in the U.S. specifying the size of oak barrels distilleries must use, most distillers choose to use just a standardized barrel form factor called the American Standard Barrel (ASB.) ASB barrels can typically hold around 53 gallons of freshly-distilled whiskey.
If you were to bottle the contents of one of these barrels immediately, you'd end up with approximately 267 bottles of unaged whiskey, often referred to as "white dog," "moonshine," or "white whiskey." When it comes to properly aged whiskey, however, the answer's a bit more complicated.
Other factors that impact the amount of whiskey
As whiskey ages in an oak barrel, several things happen — some of which will ultimately impact the barrel's yield once it's fully matured. One important element is the "angels' share," a charming term for the whiskey that evaporates during aging. The longer whiskey ages, the more it loses to the angels (aka evaporation.) The extent of this loss depends on factors such as geographical location, climate, and conditions like temperature and humidity within the warehouses where the barrels are stored.
Another thing to consider is how whiskey is prepared for bottling. Unless it's labeled as "cask strength" (meaning it's not diluted), some bottles have whiskey mixed with water to lower the alcohol content (from 52-66% ABV in cask strength down to 40-46% ABV.) In such bottles, even if the label says it holds the standard 750 milliliters (about 25.3 fluid ounces), not all of it comes directly from the barrel. Barrels used for making cask-strength will yield fewer bottles than those that go toward making diluted whiskeys.
Because of these factors, it's tough to predict the exact number of bottles a barrel will produce. Estimates vary, with some distillers suggesting an average of 200 to 300 standard 750-milliliter bottles per barrel. Depending on the actual yield, distillers will adjust their pricing accordingly. Older barrels that lose more liquid to evaporation are usually more expensive to recoup the loss.