Brown-Forman Cooperage

I tried to put this in the "Industry News" area but was not allowed.
This is the next best area.

I read on the Chuck Cowdery Blog that Brown-Forman is now offering tours at their barrel making operation.
This is really different compared to Independent Stave. They seem secretive from what I hear.

But anyway below is a thumbnail of a PR photo that I snatached from Chuck's blog.
It shows four new barrels with different logos of the bourbons they produce.
I have a question.
Why do they have the Early Times logo on a brand new barrel?
Shouldn't they have that logo stenciled over an Old Forester logo on a used barrel?
And what about that Canaian Mist?
They don't use new barrels, do they?

Chris Morris has told me that only about 25% of the cooperage in Early Times is used cooperage. They use a lot of bourbon in the product and of course they have the overseas market for Early Times Bourbon.

Mike Veach

Joan and I are doing the cooperage tour next Friday (the 24th). I'll report back on what we experience.

Myself and some others toured the B-F coopersge a few weeks ago. It's a great tour! You see everything but the barrel toasting. It's well worth the time.

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Originally Posted by bourbonv

Chris Morris has told me that only about 25% of the cooperage in Early Times is used cooperage. They use a lot of bourbon in the product and of course they have the overseas market for Early Times Bourbon.

Mike Veach

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Interesting. That could mean a lot of things. Does it mean that 75% of Distillate destined for Early Times is for the bourbon that goes export only? Or, does that imply that at least some of the domestic Early Times could, in fact, be called KSBW? Or, is there something else that can be deduced?

What it means is that only about 40% of the whiskey in the Early Times bottle is from used cooperage, but since if even one drop is from used cooperage it can't be called bourbon, you have Early Times Kentucky Style Whiskey instead. Before 1938 it would have been called "Bourbon" even in its present form.

Early Times Bourbon does have a good overseas market as well, so they make a lot of Early Times Bourbon and the Kentucky Whiskey has Bourbon as old as nine or ten years old in it, but because the youngest is only three years old, that is the age statement.

Mike Veach

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bourbonv

the Kentucky Whiskey has Bourbon as old as nine or ten years old in it, but because the youngest is only three years old, that is the age statement.

Mike Veach

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OK that does it, I'm going to get some Early Times.
I've never had it.

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Originally Posted by OscarV

OK that does it, I'm going to get some Early Times.
I've never had it.

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It's not terrible, but it's very light even for an 80 proofer. It does come in plastic travellers though, so dropping it isn't an issue.

I prefer it to Jim Beam White. It is very light without a lot of depth of flavor, but very palatable.

Mike Veach

I had an Early Times & Coke in a bowling alley once, and I thought it was good.