Well... the brass tap I ordered for my little barrel was a little big, but I have had no more annoying leaks so thats all fixed. I seasoned the now tightly sealed barrel with muscat for a couple of weeks, then rinsed it out and got straight into it.
So far, since the barrel is only 1 liter and has a high oak to spirit ratio, I have churned out 4 bottles of home blended/aged port.
The first one was a mix of a 12yr, 10yr port and some Armagnac. This took on the oak character of the barrel rather quickly, and only took two weeks before it acquired a stale taste from too much oak. I bottled it (hey... it was my first) and poured my new blend with 10yr old port and a little more armagnac. 3 weeks and it was already done, but much better than the first attempt. Very complex.
I realized that I was probably making a mistake using already aged ports and giving them more oakiness... so I picked up some young and fruity ports to blend. I also realized that this new barrel was going to take about another eight months to settle down properly and start giving me some more balanced results. Still, I pressed on and bottled my third bottle after another month (one month in a barrel this small is akin to 1.5yrs in a larger barrel), which was a sweeter and smoother bottle.
Starting to learn the ropes, I left some of the older blends in the bottom and topped the barrel up with a good quality, younger port. After 5 weeks, what came out was akin to a premium 12yr port: Rich and chocolatey... smooth and complex (without the staleness that had plagued my earlier attempts). Now that I know a bit more, I am confident I can start turning out ports totally suited to my tastes, which is something I cannot get at the stores.
What I have learned: Brandy may mix well with port in the process of it being made initially, but it does not do so well in re-barreling. Port barrels need to mature a while before delivering smooth results. Use younger ports as a general rule. Knowing how long a certain sized barrel can age your port before turning it stale is very important.
