Bourbon Pursuit Podcast #56: Brown-Forman Cooperage

The Bourbon Pursuit podcast team talks with the Brown Forman Cooperage plant manager about the barrel making process.
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Michael Nelson, Plant Director at the Brown-Forman Cooperage, gives a step-by-step and inside look to the barrel making process.

Brown Forman Cooperage
The Brown-Forman Cooperage (image via Maggie Kimberl)
  • Give us your bourbon story.
  • Before we dive into the ins and outs of technicalities of barrel char, give us a history lesson about where we are.
  • So this is my first time being at a cooperage. Give me the 101
  • We saw one barrel that was cross cut. Talk about that.
  • What’s the average number of discarded barrels that don’t meet some sort of quality assurance?
  • Talk about char levels for a bit because it’s something that is always said, but never really explained about in depth.
  • Is the barrel making process getting more expensive on a yearly basis because of demand and material supply?
  • For everyone that missed the episode with Chris Morris where we talked briefly about the cooperage, talk about what it means to have a cooperage dedicated to their private whiskey
  • The release of Cooper’s Craft happened recently. And it was named after the location of where we are recording today. What does that mean to you?

Bourbon Pursuit

Kenny Coleman and Ryan Cecil, based in Louisville, KY, are the hosts of the Bourbon Pursuit podcast. They share a passion for exploring the stories behind the bourbon industry's success, focusing on its history, the personalities involved, and, naturally, exceptional bourbon. Their guests include a wide range of individuals, from master distillers and bloggers to historians and representatives from local events.

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