FRENCH OAK VS ENGLISH & EUROPEAN OAK

When it comes to French Oak versus English Oak versus European Oak, it’s really about knowing what you’re going to get.

FRENCH OAK

With French Oak, you know almost exactly what you’re going to get because it’s very tightly controlled. For example, it’s very tightly regulated in terms of how it’s seasoned, so you know that the timber is going to last. It won’t split or warp if it comes from a reputable French Oak source.

ENGLISH & EUROPEAN OAK

On the other hand, English Oak and European oak are not tightly controlled because there is no governing body over them. So, there’s no way of knowing if it has been seasoned correctly (both air-dried and kiln-dried properly). Also, there’s no real grading system (it’s a very vague system compared to that of French Oak). As such, you don’t know if it’s going to be full of knots, full of splits, and if it’s going to be a hodgepodge of clean bits and characterful bits.

So, with French Oak, you know what you’re going to get. With anything else, you’re taking a risk.