Oak Whiskey Barrel - Water Butt

An attractive water butt made from an ex-distillery, 181 litre (40 gallon) oak barrel.
Teetotallers please note: there is a real scotch whiskey smell in the barrel so you may wish to wash it out before first use ! These barrels may have coloured paint on the top this is a feature of these ex-distillery barrels. we would advise this can be painted over using a black gloss paint if required to make it look more natural in the garden.

When positioning your barrel ensure you use a brick or paving slab base to enable you to fill watering cans from the tap. It is best to site the barrel in a shaded position as this will give the barrel a longer life. During a hot summer you should never fully empty the barrel so the timber does not shrink and leak.
A 83mm hole has been cut in the top to fit most standard sized drain pipes (see instructions at bottom if you want to fit a rain diverter). A 20mm hole has been cut 16cm from the base ready to fit a standard brass tap (simply screw the tap into the wood and it will be nice and tight). This barrel has been photographed with a decorative tap (not included).

Fitting a rain diverter

It can be done! The hole for the rain diverter needs to be 12cm from the top due to the metal banding on the barrel. This means that your water butt will never fill to the top! To cut 25mm hole - use a hole saw on an arbour that fits a normal electric drill.  25mm Hole Saw and Arbour.   The 'elbow' of the rain diverter can then be screwed into this hole and this will normally give a watertight fit (the plastic nut supplied is not required) - if it doesn't fit - a little plumbers PTFE tape can help.

N.B. This water butt is approximately 90cm tall, 200cm girth and 60cm in diameter, and therefore will not fit through a standard single doorway easily.