The new, U.S. based business Barrel Global recently announced its new barrel ownership service, which offers consumers a piece of the whiskey industry action.
As demand continues to soar for American whiskey, with private barrels driving the big gains for distilleries, Barrel Global seeks out smaller, start-up bourbon brands to give whiskey enthusiasts and collectors a personal stake in barrel ownership.
A statement from Barrel Global noted that with an initial focus in the U.S. and Asia, they will allow those bourbon enthusiasts with a bit of patience to purchase a younger spirit at a lower price point, oversee its maturation and bottle design, then bring it to market or resell the barrel.
Barrel Global was founded by whiskey entrepreneur George Koutsakis, a spirits veteran with connections across Scotch, Japanese, Irish, and American whiskey. The new business recently partnered with a host of up-and-coming distilleries in the U.S. and will offer a range of price points to make ownership more accessible to everyone.
“American whiskey is on an unprecedented hot streak both domestically and globally,” Koutsakis said. “With that said, barrel ownership feels like the natural evolution for bourbon, as we’ve seen an absolute frenzy among aficionados both in the U.S., and in markets like Europe and Asia, to amass an unrivaled collection of beautifully aged spirits.”
He said that Barrel Global has a built-in infrastructure, from distilling and distribution partners, warehousing and bottling facilities, and legal compliance, and can be a “one-stop-shop for the ultimate in bourbon bragging rights, owning your own barrel.”
Barrel Global Works through its online portal, www.barrelglobal.com, where consumers schedule an intake call with a representative from the company’s bourbon experts to request a barrel reservation from the many American whiskey-producing regions in the U.S.
As with other private barrel programs, Koutsakis explained, consumers can request samples from various barrels and distilleries to truly personalize their selection. Upon payment, legal certification is issued to the buyer conveying full barrel rights to the purchaser.
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And during the maturation process, barrels are stored in a secure warehouse, either at the distillery of origin or Barrel Global’s bonded warehouse in Kentucky.
Koutsakis said that owning a barrel puts the consumer in complete control of when it’s reached peak maturation. However, he noted, Barrel Global adheres to a two-year minimum aging to meet legal bourbon requirements with four years and older being the industry standard.
And during this journey, barrel owners can schedule visits to the distillery or warehouse to check on their barrel, and pull samples to check on its taste profile and color.
When it comes to the bottling stage, Koutsakis explained that Barrel Global facilitates the design, packaging, and legally compliant shipping of bottles. They further customize the experience by allowing consumers to create personalized labels.
For those buyers looking to sell bottles commercially, Barrel Global helps with obtaining a COLA (certification/exemption of label/bottle approval) and complying with the three-tier system – both legal requirements of buying and selling spirits in the U.S. market.
At any point of barrel ownership, the customer can resell the barrel to another interested party.
Barrel Global’s current distilling partners include: Revelton Distillery in Osceola, Iowa; Dueling Grounds Distillery in Franklin, Kentucky; Coal Pick Distillery in Drakesboro, Kentucky; and a host of others.
For hotels and retail outlets, Barrel Global also offers an immediate inventory of aged stock from Kentucky-based Green River Distilling Co.
The bourbon barrel prices vary, but will start at around $1,750 for a slightly-aged whiskey, with costs going up to about $6,000-plus for a more mature spirit.
To find out more information, check out www.barrelglobal.com.
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