A Question about Bung Cloths?

[dave ziegler]

Having only worked in One Distillery and for one company I have a question which I asked on my Memories thread and I am asking there in case it was missed! Did The Kentucky Distillerys use Bung Cloths in the barrels with the Bung? Continental always did and I never thought about it till I went searching for two to use in a pair of Barrel Staves I got for myself and Fricky to refinish. After I got the stuff I mentioned the cloths and He Said he had never seen them in any Distillerys He had been including Ky. So I got to Thinking was this something we used and not many Others? I would love to know as you know by my Thread I love the study of these things and of Kinsey and Continental Distilling!

If anyone knows about this please answer here or my Memories thread where I first posted this question or Both.

Thanks And Be Well To All

Dave Z

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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most magnificent Bourbon

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[mozilla]

Dave,

could it be because Publicker used hardwood bungs? I would guess that the hardwood does not expand and fill the hole like soft poplar. To which, the piece of cloth would fill any gaps between the stave and bung hole.

[fricky]

Jeff,

Dave has shown me a few of the bungs used at the distillery in Linfield. In fact, he was kind enough to give me a couple. They do not appear to be made from hardwood.

Doug

[mozilla]

Maybe they had different bungs then. The one I have is hard as a hockey puck. Very different from the ones I have from current distillers in Ky.

Are yours made from Poplar?

[fricky]

I don't know what type wood was used to produce the bungs.

Doug

[mozilla]

After inspecting my barrel bungs I decided to weigh them.

The known bung from Four Roses is made of soft Poplar and weighs in at 26 grams.

The unknown type of bung from Publicker weighs in at 28 grams. This bung is shorter and slightly smaller in circumfrance by about 1/16th inch. This bung appears to made from walnut or another dark dense wood.

[pepcycle]

I got a used barrel from KBD for a brewing project.

I don't know who the original distiller was because it was white washed over.

I know it contained a 20+ year old rye.

The bung had a bung cloth on it.

Unless that was a Publicer barrel, I would have to say that they were used in Kentucky.

Its the only one I've ever seen.

The plug did not seem unusual in any way.

[mozilla]

what year was that, Ed?

[pepcycle]

I got the barrel last fall, right around November.

[BourbonJoe]

Ed and Jeff,

Wasn't that old rye at KBF "Cream Of Kentucky" distillate??

Joe :usflag:

[mozilla]

I don't think that could have been a Publicker barrel. IIRWDS, they shut down around 1984.

IIRWDS=If I Remember What Dave Said

[mozilla]

Ed and Jeff,

Wasn't that old rye at KBF "Cream Of Kentucky" distillate??

Joe :usflag:

I wish I had a list of what is in the vaults at KBD. I bet that would make for some interesting discussions.

[boone]

Bung cloths are used to help seal the barrel. At Heaven Hill they are still used today on bourbon barrels but very rarely.

Used barrels for storing of brandy/corn whiskey is another story. They use a barrel cloth religiously. I've watched them seal many of the Christian Brother's brandy barrels by placing a cloth square over the bung hole before punching the bung in place.

Bettye Jo

Having only worked in One Distillery and for one company I have a question which I asked on my Memories thread and I am asking there in case it was missed! Did The Kentucky Distillerys use Bung Cloths in the barrels with the Bung? Continental always did and I never thought about it till I went searching for two to use in a pair of Barrel Staves I got for myself and Fricky to refinish. After I got the stuff I mentioned the cloths and He Said he had never seen them in any Distillerys He had been including Ky. So I got to Thinking was this something we used and not many Others? I would love to know as you know by my Thread I love the study of these things and of Kinsey and Continental Distilling!

If anyone knows about this please answer here or my Memories thread where I first posted this question or Both.

Thanks And Be Well To All

Dave Z

=============================================

It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most magnificent Bourbon

=============================================

[dave ziegler]

Bung cloths are used to help seal the barrel. At Heaven Hill they are still used today on bourbon barrels but very rarely.

Used barrels for storing of brandy/corn whiskey is another story. They use a barrel cloth religiously. I've watched them seal many of the Christian Brother's brandy barrels by placing a cloth square over the bung hole before punching the bung in place.

Bettye Jo

Thank You Bettye Jo I thought from what I knew back those days that alot of People Used the Bung Cloths Publicker as I have said used them all the time and not only did they seal well but they came out better from the barrel most times! If I remember right Continental and Heaven Hills were on very good terms in the old days through the years.

I was hoping that someone like you could clear this up as I think the wood is normal bung wood and as far as the size Continental Had its own barrel making Plant therefore could make them whatever size they wanted. And We at the end had some barrles that held alot, they were two times bigger then our 120 Gal ones. When I took Fricky and Philsfan in the Plant I showed them a giant Barrel hoop from one of those barrels I think they were over 200 gal barrels and we put Charred sticks in them to make sure all the whiskey got its wood! I am very Pleased that HH puts Continental Distilling on the Rittenhouse Rye label it is a very nice touch and old timers like me like that and I still much enjoy Rittenhouse Rye! You Be Well Bettye Jo --- And Thank You So Much for the information as I know you are very Busy!

Dave Z

__________________________________________

It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most magnificent Bourbon

__________________________________________