About Cooper's Branch
We are huge fans of all varieties of whiskey. Whether it’s a Pot Still Whiskey from Ireland, a Single Malt Whisky from Scotland or Japan, a Blended Whiskey from Canada, a Bourbon Whiskey from Kentucky, or a Charcoal Mellowed, Tennessee Whiskey, we enjoy trying them all and learning about their distillation processes. It’s fascinating how slight variations to the distillation process create so many different flavor profiles in whiskey. Throw in the history behind the product, and the people that created some of the iconic whiskey brands, and you have a very interesting “Hobby”.
Barrels play a vital part in the whiskey making process. Much of a whiskey’s flavor and all of its color comes from its time inside a barrel. Whiskey in the United States is aged predominately in new barrels made from American White Oak.
To be considered a bourbon, a whiskey must be aged in a new, oak barrel. After a barrel is dumped, it can be used again, but because Bourbon is required to be aged in a new barrel, many American distilleries sell their used barrels to their European and Canadian counterparts. Some barrels are sold to rum and tequila producers, and others are sold to craft beer brewers.
We also wind up with our fair share of barrels. Our barrels come from various Kentucky distilleries. Unfortunately, they are empty when we receive them, but they smell great when we cut them open. You can definitely tell that they were once full of whiskey, sadly this smell fades with time.
Barrels can be used for more than just aging spirits and beer. We craft many unique items from the barrels that we reclaim. We build items ranging from coasters and flight trays to tables and liquor cabinets and several items in between. We design our barrel products with the whiskey enthusiast in mind.