The shive with the spile will then be the highest point on the cask. Moss Kent Dickinson established the Canada Bung, Plug and Spile Factory in 1875. Similarly, the shive hole may be sealed with a spile. When no beer is being dispensed a hard spile is put back in. Like many such older terms, the word spile has other local meanings. A spile is then placed in the hole to regulate the gas flow. The spile consists of a tube with one end sharpened and the other split.