Handcrafted Elegance
What is Coopers Line?
aboutus
Coopers Line is a small family owned and operated business. While our creations are shipped all across the country, each of our products are hand-crafted and made to order in Tampa, Florida. Coopers Line was established to share our love of high-quality craftmanship and uniqueness of all things wood. While our scope of work extends far beyond the vertical staves of charred oak barrels, the old world skill of cooperage was the inspiration to develop Coopers Line.
We'd like to invite you to take a moment to explore the rich history of the iconic cask and barrel. We look forward to the opportunity to share our passion for workmanship with you in the custom pieces we create.
According to Wikipedia, Herodotus, the ancient Greek writer, geographer, and historian, mentions all-wood casks being used in shipping Armenian wine to Babylon in Mesopotamia. The barrel (as we know it today) was most likely developed by the Celts. Around 350 BC, they were using watertight, barrel-shaped wooden containers that were able to withstand stress and could be rolled and stacked. For nearly 2,000 years, barrels were the most common form of shipping and storage container for those who could afford them. Bulk goods from food and oil to nails and gold coins were stored in barrels. Bags and most crates were cheaper, but not as sturdy and were more difficult to handle the same amount of weight.
The use of barrels for the transportation of bulk goods slowly lost its importance in the 20th century with the introduction of pallet-based logistics and containerization. However, they are still of great importance in the aging of wines and spirits.
The History of Barrels
Beverage Barrels
Wooden barrels are used in the aging of beverages because the beverages take on some of the favorable compounds in the wood, such as vanillin and tannins. The presence of these compounds depends on many factors including the place of origin for the wood, how the staves were cut and dried, and the degree of charring the inside of the barrel during manufacturing. After three or more years, the majority of a barrel’s flavor compounds have been leached out and the barrel is well on its way to becoming neutral.
Laws in several jurisdictions require that whiskey be aged in wooden barrels.
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Modern Barrel Manufacturing
If you haven't already seen a cooperage in action, today is your lucky day! Click the "Play" icon and see how Adirondack Barrel Cooperage uses traditional coopering methods to build spirit barrels out of American white oak. Their one-of-a-kind barrel charring and toasting process imparts complex flavors in spirits, like smoke, coconut, vanilla, caramel, and more. Adirondack Barrel Cooperage shares the same love and passion for these great barrels as we do here at Coopers Line. We hope you enjoy the modern look into our distant past.