Make Your Own Barrel-Aged XO Brandy at Home
Craft a rich, smooth XO-style Brandy at home with the Swish Barrel Bootleg Kit™ from Thousand Oaks Barrel Co. This complete XO Brandy making and barrel aging kit combines premium XO Brandy Essence with a charred American white oak barrel, giving you everything you need to create and age your own small-batch brandy-style spirit at home.
Inspired by the deep, refined character associated with traditionally aged brandies, our XO Brandy profile features rich fruit, caramel, vanilla, toasted oak, warm spice and a smooth, lingering finish. Aging your spirit in a real oak barrel adds another layer of character as the spirit interacts directly with the wood.
Whether you're a brandy enthusiast, home bartender or simply interested in learning about small-barrel aging, this kit provides the essential equipment and step-by-step guidance you need to create a distinctive barrel-aged spirit.
Made in the USA. Alcohol is not included.
Real American White Oak Barrel Aging
At the heart of the kit is a charred American white oak aging barrel designed for aging spirits at home. Instead of simply blending XO Brandy Essence into a bottle, the barrel allows your spirit to interact directly with real oak as it rests and develops.
During aging, the spirit draws flavor and aroma from the charred wood, developing additional notes of vanilla, caramel, toasted oak and warm spice. These barrel-derived characteristics complement the rich fruit character of the XO Brandy Essence and help create greater depth and complexity.
Small oak barrels have a much greater wood-to-spirit ratio than traditional full-size commercial barrels. This increased contact with the oak allows flavor extraction and maturation to occur faster, making small barrels ideal for experimenting with brandy and other barrel-aged spirits at home.
XO Brandy Flavor Profile
Expect a rich, smooth and full-bodied brandy-style spirit with layers of ripe fruit, caramel and vanilla, complemented by toasted oak, gentle baking spice and a warm, lingering finish.
As the spirit ages, the oak adds additional depth and wood character, helping create the complex and rounded flavor associated with mature brandy. The finished spirit can be enjoyed neat, in a brandy snifter, over ice or in your favorite classic and craft cocktails.
How the XO Brandy Making Kit Works
Before making your first batch, cure and prepare the oak barrel according to the included instructions. Add your neutral spirit or grain alcohol along with the supplied XO Brandy Essence, then gently mix the ingredients inside the barrel.
Allow the spirit to age in the charred oak barrel and begin tasting it periodically as the flavor develops. Because smaller barrels provide increased wood contact, barrel character can develop considerably faster than it does in traditional full-size commercial barrels.
When the flavor reaches your preference, simply dispense your finished XO Brandy-style spirit directly from the barrel's wooden spigot and enjoy.
You can experiment with aging time to create a lighter, fruit-forward brandy or allow additional oak character, vanilla and spice to develop.
Everything You Need in One XO Brandy Making Kit
Each XO Brandy Barrel Aging Kit includes:
- Charred American white oak aging barrel
- Wooden barrel stand/cradle
- Wooden bung
- Wooden spigot
- XO Brandy Essence — quantity matched to barrel size
- Paper funnel
- Barrel cleaning/restoration kit
- The Bootlegger's Bible: A Spiritual Guide to Aging
- Step-by-step barrel preparation and aging instructions
Alcohol is not included.
Choose Your Barrel Size
The XO Brandy Barrel Aging Kit is available in 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 20 liter sizes, making it easy to choose the right barrel for a first home-aging experiment, home bar or larger batch.
| Barrel Size | Approximate Dimensions |
|---|---|
| 1 Liter | 6.5" × 4.5" × 4.5" |
| 2 Liter | 7.5" × 5" × 5" |
| 3 Liter | 8.5" × 5.5" × 5.5" |
| 5 Liter | 9.5" × 6.5" × 6.5" |
| 10 Liter | 12" × 8" × 8" |
| 20 Liter | 15" × 10.5" × 10.5" |
A Unique Gift for Brandy and Spirits Lovers
The XO Brandy Barrel Aging Kit makes a memorable gift for brandy drinkers, whiskey enthusiasts, spirit collectors, home bartenders and anyone interested in learning about barrel aging.
The real oak barrel also makes an impressive display piece for a home bar, tasting room, kitchen, man cave or bar cart while your brandy-style spirit ages.
Instead of simply giving someone another bottle of brandy, this kit gives them the experience of making, aging, tasting and serving their own barrel-aged spirit.
Why Age XO Brandy in a Small Oak Barrel?
Traditional fine brandies develop much of their complexity through maturation in oak. Wood aging can contribute color, aroma, flavor and texture while helping transform a young spirit into something deeper and more rounded.
A small aging barrel provides a greater surface-area-to-volume ratio than a traditional full-size barrel, meaning a greater proportion of the spirit is in direct contact with the wood. This allows oak flavors and aromas to develop more quickly and makes small barrels especially useful for experimenting with spirit aging at home.
As your XO Brandy-style spirit ages, the American white oak can contribute additional vanilla, caramel, toasted wood and spice characteristics that complement the essence's rich fruit flavors. Your finished flavor will vary depending on your base spirit, barrel size, aging time and personal preference.
Craft It. Age It. Taste It. Make It Yours.
The XO Brandy Barrel Aging Kit turns a simple spirit into a hands-on barrel-aging experience. Start with your spirit and XO Brandy Essence, age it inside a real charred American white oak barrel, taste the transformation as it develops, and decide when your creation is ready.
Craft your own barrel-aged XO Brandy-style spirit at home.
Made in the USA. Alcohol not included.
