I also occasionally warm the barrel in the oven for about an hour (to infuse the whiskey into the wood) and then put it in the freezer for 2 hours (to expel it back out of the wood along with the tannins & sugars). Another trick I learned was to open the spigot after heating and cooling… When warm the pressure pushes whiskey out (pour it back in) and equalizes, then once cold opening the spigot sucks air in, but when it comes back to room temp, pressure builds and pushes the whiskey back into the wood a little deeper. I realize this also introduces some oxidation, but the whiskey didn’t suffer.

I’ve gotten a new barrel from 1000oaksbarrel.com, I think they may be the Copper Fox barrel supplier… This one is filled with the TryBox corn (125 proof). I’m going to age it for 9 months which should be the equivalent of a 6 yr bourbon. I’m also not going to open (for any of tge pressure treatment) or taste it until finished. Wish me luck!