hogshead
noun
hogs·head
ˈhȯgz-ˌhed 
ˈhägz-
1
: a large cask or barrel
2
: any of various units of capacity
especially
: a U.S. unit equal to 63 gallons (238 liters)
Examples of hogshead in a Sentence
the ship's hold carried 164 hogsheads of molasses
Recent Examples on the Web
Oban 15 Cask Strength Sherry Cask Finish is a new, limited-edition Highland single malt that spends the majority of its life across a combination of European oak butts and American oak hogsheads.
—
David Thomas Tao, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
This year’s release is marketed as a 2010 ‘vintage’ matured exclusively in refill hogsheads and bottled at 14 years old.
—Felipe Schrieberg, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
It was aged for the majority of those years in refill hogsheads and butts, and then finished for more than a year in Oloroso sherry casks.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2024
The younger is the superior whisky (although both are excellent), aged for nearly 20 years in American oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads and bottled at a strong 57.6 percent ABV.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2024
Distilled entirely from barley harvested at a farm less than two miles from the distillery, 15.3 was aged in a combination of first-fill bourbon barrels and first-fill Oloroso sherry hogsheads from Jerez.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
In 2025, an American oak hogshead cask filled in 1973 will be married with the whisky, followed in 2026 by an American oak barrel filled in 1974 for the Third Edition.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Aug. 2024
The latter was aged in bourbon barrels, quarter casks, and Pedro Ximenez sherry hogsheads; the former was matured in bourbon barrels, then put into quarter casks, and finally aged in European oak Oloroso sherry casks.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 8 July 2024
Volume was measured by the hogshead, a cask or a barrel that holds sixty-three gallons.
—Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
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David Thomas Tao, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
This year’s release is marketed as a 2010 ‘vintage’ matured exclusively in refill hogsheads and bottled at 14 years old.
—Felipe Schrieberg, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
It was aged for the majority of those years in refill hogsheads and butts, and then finished for more than a year in Oloroso sherry casks.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2024
The younger is the superior whisky (although both are excellent), aged for nearly 20 years in American oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads and bottled at a strong 57.6 percent ABV.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2024
Distilled entirely from barley harvested at a farm less than two miles from the distillery, 15.3 was aged in a combination of first-fill bourbon barrels and first-fill Oloroso sherry hogsheads from Jerez.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
In 2025, an American oak hogshead cask filled in 1973 will be married with the whisky, followed in 2026 by an American oak barrel filled in 1974 for the Third Edition.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Aug. 2024
The latter was aged in bourbon barrels, quarter casks, and Pedro Ximenez sherry hogsheads; the former was matured in bourbon barrels, then put into quarter casks, and finally aged in European oak Oloroso sherry casks.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 8 July 2024
Volume was measured by the hogshead, a cask or a barrel that holds sixty-three gallons.
—Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
Cite this Entry
“Hogshead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hogshead. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hogshead
noun
hogs·head
ˈhȯgz-ˌhed
ˈhägz-
1
: a large cask or barrel
2
: any of various units of capacity
especially
: a U.S. unit for liquids equal to 63 gallons (about 238 liters)
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