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Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:13 pm
by Bourbon HQ

Today, four of us from the Bourbon Society here in Louisville had a tour of Bluegrass Cooperage (now called Brown-Forman Cooperage). It was a good tour and here are a few pictures. They make over 2000 barrels a day.

Gayle

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:18 pm
by Bourbon HQ

Here's a few more pictures. I didn't know if the site would let me post all of them.


Gayle

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:25 pm
by Bourbon Joe
Great pictures Gayle. Thanks for posting them.
Joe

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:17 pm
by DeanSheen
Is that the one you have to pay for?

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:24 pm
by independant
Great pics I really like the charring one with the amber glow.
Thanks for sharing

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 2:28 pm
by Bourbon HQ
There is no charge for the cooperage tour. They started doing this in April. Yes all the barrels are the same and Old Forester is put into a #3 level of char. It's interesting if you ever get the chance to go.

Gayle

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:50 pm
by Bourbon HQ

By the way Mozilla, I lived in Temple, TX for 14 years and retired there. I visit an old buddy of mine every year in Austin. He lives on Harper's Ferry St.

Gayle

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:58 pm
by Bourbon HQ

No, the cooperage is out by the airport across from FEDEX. The next time I am coming to Austin, I'll let you know. I try and stay away from 6th Street. Louisville is my hometown, so when I retired, I moved back here to see what it's like now. I could move back to Texas in a heartbeat.


Gayle

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 7:00 pm
by Bourbon HQ

Also Mozilla, do you ever go to The Broken Spoke? I love the Geezenslaws.


Gayle


Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 12:36 pm
by cowdery
They've added all that brand ID since they started to give public tours. Interesting.

I think there are some specification differences in the barrels they make. Woodford, I think, is the only one for which they char the barrel heads.

Brown-Forman used to supply barrels to other distilleries but now, as a general rule, they do not. It's mostly a capacity thing. They need all they can make for their own brands and to make more, they would need to do a significant expansion of the facility, or build another one, cause they've pushed that place to the limit.

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 12:55 pm
by bourbonv
Actually, Chris Morris says they char all of the barrel heads, but Woodford is the only ones they TOAST before they char them.

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:56 pm
by Bourbon HQ
Yeah, the guy that gave us the tour said they char all the barrelheads.

Gayle

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:58 pm
by Bourbon HQ
We also learned that Maker's Mark uses walnut bungs instead of poplar. Doesn't walnut put something into the barrel. If so, how and why can they do that?


Gayle

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 2:20 pm
by bourbonv
Gayle,
Since the barrel is stored bung up, there is very little contact with the bung so there will be no flavor added to the whiskey. Even it was so, walnut wood bungs would probably add no more flavor than a popular bung.

Re: Cooperage Tour

Unread postPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 2:26 pm
by Bourbon HQ
OK, thanks Mike.

Gayle