Make Your Own Barrel-Aged Spiced Rum at Home
Craft a rich, smooth Spiced Rum at home with the Swish Barrel Bootleg Kit™ from Thousand Oaks Barrel Co. This complete Spiced Rum making and barrel aging kit combines premium Spiced Rum Essence with a charred American white oak barrel, giving you everything you need to create and age your own small-batch rum-style spirit at home.
Spiced Rum is known for its warm, aromatic character and inviting combination of vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking spices and toasted oak. Aging your spirit in a real charred oak barrel adds another dimension of flavor as the spirit interacts directly with the wood, developing additional depth, aroma and barrel character.
Whether you're a rum enthusiast, home bartender or simply interested in experimenting with small-barrel aging, this kit provides the essential equipment and step-by-step guidance you need to create your own distinctive barrel-aged Spiced Rum.
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 mixing Spiced Rum Essence into a bottle, barrel aging 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 sweet and spicy character of the Spiced Rum Essence and help create a richer, more complex finished spirit.
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 rum and other barrel-aged spirits at home.
Spiced Rum Flavor Profile
Expect a smooth, rich and aromatic rum-style spirit with layers of vanilla, caramel and brown sugar, complemented by cinnamon, warm baking spices and toasted oak. The combination creates a sweet, warming flavor with a smooth and satisfying finish.
As the spirit ages, the oak contributes additional vanilla, caramelized wood and toasted character that complements the spice profile and adds greater depth. The finished Spiced Rum can be enjoyed neat, over ice or used in your favorite rum cocktails, tropical drinks and craft cocktails.
How the Spiced Rum 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 Spiced Rum 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 Spiced Rum directly from the barrel's wooden spigot and enjoy.
You can experiment with aging time to create a sweeter, spice-forward rum or allow additional oak, vanilla and caramel character to develop.
Everything You Need in One Spiced Rum Making Kit
Each Spiced Rum Barrel Aging Kit includes:
- Charred American white oak aging barrel
- Wooden barrel stand/cradle
- Wooden bung
- Wooden spigot
- Spiced Rum 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 Spiced Rum 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 Rum Lovers
The Spiced Rum Barrel Aging Kit makes a memorable gift for rum drinkers, spirit enthusiasts, home bartenders, cocktail lovers and anyone interested in learning how barrel aging works.
The real oak barrel also makes an impressive display piece for a home bar, tiki bar, kitchen, man cave or bar cart while your Spiced Rum ages.
Instead of simply giving someone another bottle of rum, this kit gives them the experience of making, aging, tasting and serving their own barrel-aged Spiced Rum.
Why Age Spiced Rum in a Small Oak Barrel?
Many traditional rums develop additional flavor and complexity through maturation in oak barrels. Wood aging can contribute color, aroma, flavor and texture while adding the vanilla, caramel and toasted characteristics commonly associated with barrel-aged spirits.
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 rum aging at home.
As your Spiced Rum ages, the American white oak can contribute additional vanilla, caramel, toasted wood and warm spice characteristics that complement the sweetness and spice of the essence. 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 Spiced Rum Barrel Aging Kit turns a simple spirit into a hands-on rum-making and barrel-aging experience. Start with your spirit and Spiced Rum Essence, age it inside a real charred American white oak barrel, taste the transformation as it develops, and decide when your rum is ready.
Craft your own barrel-aged Spiced Rum at home.
Made in the USA. Alcohol not included.
