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About The Barrel Mill® and The Oak Infusion Spiral®

The Barrel Mill is a cooperage in Central Minnesota specializing in manufacturing premium oak barrels for the craft spirit industry. We are also the patent-holder and world producer of the Infusion Spiral® system. We use only the highest grade oak available to the industry, selected for uniform grain tightness and aged outdoors to achieve tannin reduction, proper moisture content and development of complex wood compounds. Our oak is seasoned for a minimum of 24 months.

Our family has been in the lumber business for more than 100 years. In 2004, we purchased the cooperage and applied our expertise and knowledge gained from nearly a century in wood and woodworking. Combined with extensive investments in new machinery with state-of-the-art technology we have built The Barrel Mill into a leading brand name that represents quality products for the beverage industry.

The Infusion Spiral is our patented system used to add flavor and aroma to fine wine, but also can be applied to whiskey, rum, tequila, and beer. It has been used in thousands of wines since 2005 with outstanding results from every major wine region in North America. The unique spiral-cut design creates unrivaled surface area in a small package, allowing fast extraction of the toasted oak's aroma and flavor compounds with refined integration in the wine.

Feel free to contact us to discuss your needs for quality wood products--for fine wine, beer, and spirits.

Learn more about The Barrel Mill here:

KOVAL Distillery Tours The Barrel Mill facility

Why the Infusion Spiral® system is the smartest oak alternative:

  • Low cost per gallon
  • Easy dosage adjustment
  • Eliminates labor, space, time and cost of new barrels
  • Adds refined new oak in weeks, not months
  • Stays fresh in its original protective plastic packaging in long term storage, if necessary
  • Four toast choices
  • Quickly masks a wine flaw
  • Adds new oak before bottling
  • Maximized cross-grain exposure speeds extraction and submersion into wine, adds layered complexity
  • Available from stock
  • Clean, tight-grained French oak from Vosges and American oak from Minnesota
  • Air-seasoned a minimum of 24 months
  • Choice of single-toast and multi-toast barrel packs
  • Years of proven results from producers at all levels: from fewer than 1000 cases to more than 500,000
  • Tank-size Oak Spiral packs available for Flextanks and stainless tanks

Economical

With the fluctuations in exchange rates and general inefficiencies barrels present to a winery, such as storage and handling of barrels, the Infusion Spiral® system is a much more economical solution to traditional cooperage. You will save real dollars without any compromise of final quality. The Infusion Spiral system is made in the USA.

Environmentally Friendly

The carbon footprint of traditional cooperage is difficult to estimate although it is significant. The storage of barrels requires warehouses which require heat, lighting etc. One French Oak tree produces approximately four barrels worth of hand-split stave wood. In contrast, a single tree produces more than 250 Infusion Spiral systems. Each system is equivalent to one barrel--without compromising quality.

Ease of Use

Whether using the Infusion Spiral system in a neutral barrel or a stainless steel or plastic tank, the process is simple. The system is encased in a food grade mesh and can easily be inserted through the bung of a barrel without having to remove the barrel head. Barrel Packs include six 9-inch lengths. For larger tanks, they are conveniently crafted into five 48-inch lengths encased in the same mesh, which can easily be introduced to the wine through the normal tank access point.

Infusion Spiral® Oak Varieties

French Oak - (Quercus Sessilis)

An ultra premium, fine grain oak void of sapwood, bark and knots and air dried for 24 months. Available in light, medium, medium plus, and heavy toast levels, and multi-toast barrel packs (Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone Blend). Convection toasted for thorough and uniform results.

American Northern White Oak - (Quercus Alba)

Featuring tight grain sourced from Missouri forests. This wood is void of sapwood, bark and knots and air dried for 24 months. This oak is available in light, medium, medium plus, and heavy toast levels with convection toasting used for thorough and uniform results.
The Infusion Spiral hybrid Barrel Pack combines French and American oak in a single package.

LOOKING FOR WOODS OTHER THAN OAK? TRY OUR EXOTIC WOODS.

The Barrel Mill also offers spirals made from Spanish Cedar, Cypress, Sugar Maple and Cherry.

Natural oils and resins in Spanish Cedar (cedrela odorata), a species closer to mahogany than cedar, provide an aromatic wood that contributes primary characteristics of white grapefruit, sandalwood, white pepper and clove. It is a pink to reddish brown wood sourced from Central and South America and popularly known as "cigar box" wood for its distinct cedar scent and natural resistance to termites and decay. 

Cypress (Taxodium distichum), also known as Baldcypress, contributes primary characteristics of yellow cake, vanilla wafer and sponge cake. It is a yellowish brown wood sourced mostly from the Southeastern US Gulf states and commonly used for exterior construction and the boat industry for its durability and resistance to decay. 

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharin) also known as Rock Maple or Hard Maple, ranges in color from cream white to gold, sourced primarily from the Northeastern United States and Canada. This unique wood contributes subtle notes of maple syrup, with a soft sweetness. Additional hints of vanilla, caramel and bourbon pecan can also be detected. 

The Barrel Mill cuts oak and exotic woods into a precise spiral shape to maximize surface area in a small package and expose both the parallel and cross grains of the wood. We heat, or "toast," the Spirals in convection ovens to achieve each wood's full potential in flavor and aroma impact. Exotic wood Infusion Spirals are only available in a "Light" toast in order to best retain its aromatic qualities.