Ever Wonder How A Whiskey Barrel Is Created?

By Anthony Todd in Food on Oct 3, 2012 5:30PM

Whiskey nerds constantly prattle on about wood, oak, charring and barrels. But where do these barrels come from? We're such geeks that we once worked in a cooperage (a barrel shop), but for a giant distillery like Jack Daniels, a couple of guys with hammers and leather aprons won't do it. Now, we know how it's done, and we want to go drink some whiskey.

This video was shot inside the Brown Forman Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky. They make the barrels for Jack Daniel's, which is the only large distillery in the world that still makes all of its own barrels. It's an interesting hybrid of hand-made and high-technology - appropriate for an industry that is committed to some old-fashioned methods while still turning out enough whiskey every year to drown the entire world. Plus, since it's not narrated and has kind of zen music, it gives us that Sesame Street here's-how-the-crayons-are-made feeling. Except for adults. Take a look.

The Birth of a Barrel from Travis Robertson on Vimeo.