Why oak? Why not cedar? Apple?

[stevebody]

Some woods actually impart very unpleasant or even harmful esters into things they contact. Cedar is so potent that a wine fermented or aged in it would taste like cedar only. Cherry has esters that smell and taste nothing like cherries. They are actually acrid on the tongue. Cherry is great for smoking game or poultry because the sour esters burn off when flamed. Oak contains vanillin, which is the same ester that is contained in real vanilla. It is also dense and fine grained enough to be toasted - another nice flavor variant - without harming the structural integrity of the barrels. It's just, as amateur furniture makers like myself know, a really fine, sturdy, workable wood that smells great and laughs at the passage of time. And it grows, literally, all over the planet.