UNIQUE IN SUBURBIA | The Barrel Barn in Elburn
- Glancer Magazine
- Aug 2, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 10, 2023
WHAT STARTED AS A HOBBY IS NOW A GROWING BUSINESS SUPPORTING DIYers AND MORE
ELBURN–Let’s just call it a bourbon boom. Well, more specifically, the billion-dollar bourbon boom. Perhaps it's the Mad Men effect, a crave for authenticity or a yearning to support local businesses. Nevertheless, demand increases year-over-year. Consumers yearn for quality craftsmanship, unique stories and American-made products. And bourbon is uniquely American … it’s also heavily regulated. Per the Federal Alcohol Administration Act, bourbon must be aged in new charred American oak barrels. So what happens to those barrels after they’ve been used? Enter: The Barrel Barn of Elburn.
The Barrel Barn started in September 2020. Once a hobby, it’s now a growing business that supports DIY(ers), woodworkers and distilleries. They sell a myriad of different whiskey barrels, wine barrels, planters and barrel parts (ie: barrel heads, staves and rings).
Its products can be found at Sadie's on Main in Elburn, The Vintage Marketplace in North Aurora and its website. Clients have purchased barrels to make tables, cabinets and dog beds (just to name a few!). Barrels are used to age other things, too - such as: beer, tequila, rum, honey, maple syrup, coffee and wine.
Along with its barrel business, BB has collaborated with local businesses on a variety of initiatives - including bourbon-themed candles with Illuminate Space of Batavia, hot sauce with Gindo’s Spice of Life of St. Charles and barrel-aged coffee with Kindred Coffee Roasters of West Chicago.
It’s often said that barrels are the secret ingredient of bourbon, as its charred oak enhances the flavor, color and texture. There are no two barrels that are the same! Cheers to uniqueness, repurposing and upcycling … we hear it’s barrels of fun.
