Cask Strength: The Story of the Barrel, the Secret Ingredient in Your Drink

by Mike Gerrard

Overview

The story of the unsung hero of the world of spirits, wine, and beer and an invention as ancient and important as the wheel—the humble barrel.

Without the barrel, we would have no bourbon, no oak-aged chardonnay, no barrel-aged stouts . . . and no tabasco sauce, either. From its first use by the Ancient Egyptians, the barrel has left an unmistakable imprint on human history. The Romans used it in all corners of their vast empire, and explorers could not have charted the globe or opened up trade routes without them to store their food and water. And in all its thousands of years of use, the barrel’s basic design has barely changed at all—a testament to its sheer and simple perfection.

Cask Strength is more than a history book. In it, Mike Gerrard, an award-winning travel and drinks writer, investigates the making, buying, and selling of barrels and details how drinks like wine, tequila, rum, cognac, and others are enhanced by specific kinds of barrel production. Modern distillers, brewers, and wine-makers continue to use them in new, creative ways—with the barrel providing up to 60-70% of their flavors.

Gerrard’s expertise and palpable passion for beverages will ignite the curiosities of booze fans and history buffs alike as Cask Strength traces the simple splendor of the barrel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781637742976
Publisher:	BenBella Books, Inc.
Publication date:	07/11/2023
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	1,041,683
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Mike Gerrard is an award-winning travel and drinks writer who publishes the Travel Distilled website and who has visited distilleries around the world. He divides his time between Cambridgeshire in his native England and Arizona in the USA, where he is proud to be described as a ‘resident alien.’

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This is one of those books where you think, ‘I’ll just dip in,’ and hours later you emerge stocked with new knowledge and, above all, entertained. It is simply packed with fascinating facts—so much knowledge lightly worn.”
—Joanna Simon, Wine Journalist and Author of Discovering Wine
 
“In Cask Strength, Mike Gerrard takes us down the rabbit hole of barrel-making and barrel-using, straight back to biblical times and far beyond its use in the whiskey world. His book effectively achieves the impossible: Making you care more about the barrel than what’s actually inside of it.”
—Christopher Null, Editor-in-Chief at Drinkhacker
 
“A fascinating read! Mike has managed to cover every aspect of the life span of a barrel and the many ways it can improve wines and spirits. I enjoyed the way he weaves in stories from the past to explain the history and the importance of a barrel.”
—Inka Larissa, Blogger at On the Sauce Again
 
“With Cask Strength, Mike Gerrard has provided a rare beauty: a scholarly book that reads like a dream, constantly revealing unexpected joys about the unlikeliest of topics. Barrels are not only the secret ingredient to many of your favorite drinks, they also possess a sprawling history that captures the ins and outs of human invention.”
—Reid Mitenbuler, Author of Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America's Whiskey
 
“If you think you know all there is about barrel aging and casks, guess again. Mike Gerrard delves deep into the history of barrels and casks with an incredible amount of detail.”
—Paula Lukas, National Mixologist and Beverage Consultant
 
“Gerrard takes us on a global romp through history, from antiquity into the future, with the unassuming—yet perfect—wooden barrel . . . Ancient ingenuity combines with modern science, stories of people who honed the surprise craft, and Gerrard’s fresh perspective to reveal long-held secrets of the wood.”
—Brian Haara, Author of Bourbon Justice: How Whiskey Law Shaped America

“There's lots here on the debt owed by drinkers to the wooden cask for making their favourite tipple so tasty, but Gerrard doesn't stop at that. He transforms us into globe-hopping time travellers to show the barrel's reach into many different corners of human society. His book drips with juicy details delivered in snappy, engaging prose. What a feat to take the humdrum wooden barrel and use it as a key to unlock all sorts of knowledge about the wider world.”
—Anthony Gladman, award-wining Drinks Writer
 
“The barrel is the true soul of countless spirits and products, as the author takes you down a fascinating historical and technical journey of a craft all its own . . . A testament and tribute to the respected heritage of cooperages, while balancing the artful innovations we appreciate today.”
—Peggy Noe Stevens, Master Taster, Bourbon and Whiskey Magazine HOF, Author of Which Fork do I use with my Bourbon
 
“In Cask Strength, Mike Gerrard offers the results of a grand survey of the many uses and reuses of barrels in the production of wine, beer, and especially spirits, along with a peek into the history of the barrel and the science of barrel aging.”
—Camper English, Author of Doctors and Distillers
 
“A fantastic and fascinating read for anyone that categorizes themselves as an enthusiast. Cask Strength combines history, science, economics, and real-world scenarios to create the perfect blend of entertaining education.”
—Kenny Coleman, Host & Producer of Bourbon Pursuit