Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: The Making of a Bourbon Barrel

[@Denis_v1.0_beta]

A very interesting and educational video. I discovered a number of things I was previously unaware of. Thank you.

[@MetaPrometheus]

Man that stave mill was a smooth operation! The cooperage was also very impressive!

[@colinkulowcreative]

As a new fan of whiskey, I was trying to find a video on how barrels were made and this video did not disappoint. Excellent work!

[@virginiaforestlandowneredu309]

Thank you! Not sure where you are located, but if you are in Virginia, we'll be taking a tour of these mills on October 14th. See forestupdate.frec.vt.edu/landownerprograms/field-tours.html for registration information. More tour details will be available early next week.

[@wookieecantina]

Beautiful work, super educational. Thank you for creating and sharing.

[@jimsharp2479]

Fantastic! Especially the ‘techy’ bit near the end by Brian Bond. Nice one Prof. 👍 From 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@umami0247]

Outstanding video on this process. I find this craft fascinating.

[@dand9844]

Did they just compress the end slats so hard that they stuck together?

[@keithlutz2063]

Amazing information!!

[@virginiaforestlandowneredu309]

thank you for viewing! We begin bi--weekly videos starting today at 12:15!

[@TheMonkdad]

Great video. I remember watching This Old House in Napa touring a winery and building a barrel. It used a type of reed as a gasket between the staves. What is the procedure to fix a leak if it fails the pressure test?

[@virginiaforestlandowneredu309]

Thanks for the question! If a barrel fails testing, it gets sent to the cooper. The actual repair will depend on the type of leak (between the staves versus bunghole). There were two coopers working when I was there. Looked like they were replacing staves as needed.

[@lox6461]

Did you plant back trees to get them 150 years old again ? Or just cutting the hell out of forest?

[@edtownsend1047]

Great video. Thanks!

[@virginiaforestlandowneredu309]

Glad you liked it!

[@WNH3]

Very interesting! Thanks!

[@virginiaforestlandowneredu309]

Glad you liked it!

[@blakenaleid1289]

Very interesting! I especially like the science of how the wood affects the aging and flavor profiles of the wine/whiskey. I found another video on a Japanese cooperage. They use a different species of oak. Is there any other wood in America that has similar characteristics to white oak that would be suitable for spirits aging?

[@elicesarquirino5609]

No Brasil existem madeiras exuberantes. Nossa Cachaça vem sendo testada em diversas madeiras que transmitem sabores tão exóticos quanta a própria floresta amazônica. Ficaria muito curioso em testar whiskey em madeira brasileira

[@stevenarnold46]

Do you sell seasoned boards? If not, can you tell me where I might find some? I'm attempting my first barrel build and at seventy-three I'd rather not wait for the seasoning.

[@virginiaforestlandowneredu309]

Not sure. I don't think you can buy them from the stave mill directly - but you can reach out to ask them: speysidebci.com

[@wovada]

How to make barrels correctly?

[@edingtonvilleonsea]

Oooh a real life dalek. 🤣

[@Azeez396]

Can you have a barrel stay sturdy and put together without the rings

[@azertvava]

hi, I am a French cooper, this is not possible. But with a cable inside the staves it is possible, it is just for demonstration (we can use this barrel)

[@jongcheanchoi1860]

Where can I learn to make oak barrels?

[@virginiaforestlandowneredu309]

Well that is an interesting question. It truly is an art. I suggest contacting the cooperage in the video: Speyside Cooperage: speysidebci.com and see if they have any apprenticeship opportunities.

[@zila2695]

Is it making the oak wood?

[@virginiaforestlandowneredu309]

The oak wood is grown in the forests. When the trees reach a certain size, they are harvested and made into staves that are then fashioned into barrels. If you want to see this process first hand, we are having a tour on October 14th to visit some of the local forests and both mills featured in this video. Tour details and registration information is available here: forestupdate.frec.vt.edu/landownerprograms/field-tours.html.

[@Кирилл-р6и1б]

Очень интересно. 👍🇲🇫🇷🇺

[@azatmingalimov]

Where's the barrel charring process?..

[@virginiaforestlandowneredu309]

I believe charring is one of their proprietary processes and they ask no photos or filming in that part of the mill.

[@thomasralfenson2684]

I did something like this a month ago with plans from Woodglut.