Barrels bring to mind images of tradition and quality. The term "Barrel" typically refers to wooden vessels made of staves bound with iron hoops that are small enough to be moved by hand. Someone who makes barrels is known as a cooper. Barrels have a convex shape, bulging at the middle. This bulge makes it easy to roll the barrel on its side, with the ability to change directions with little effort. It also helps to distribute stress evenly in the material by making the container more spherical.  They are mostly made from white oak and historically used for the storage and transportation of goods.

For nearly 2000 years barrels were the most convenient form of shipping or storage container. Bags and most crates were often cheaper, but they were not as sturdy and were more difficult the manhandle. Barrels come in many sizes and qualities. In ancient times liquids like oil and wine were carried in barrels.  Back in the eighteenth century over one third of all goods were transported in barrels. The barrel pictured here is from the civil war, 1860. Dry goods such as flower, sugar, even gun powder and nails were packed and transported in barrels.  Today quality Bourbon Whiskey is made in new white oak barrels.

 The best way for Kentucky farmers to sell there surplus corn was to turn it into alcohol, and the best way to transport alcohol was in oak barrels. In the old days the valuable barrels were reused to transport many things. One day a farmer bought some barrels that had been used to transport  dried fish. to clean out the barrels the farmer burned the inside of the barrel. When the alcohol that was stored in the barrel arrived at its destination it had acquired flavor and color from the charred oak barrel. The rest is history.

Because the barrels were loaded onto flat boats in Bourbon county Kentucky the whiskey became known as Bourbon whiskey. People began to ask for that "Bourbon" whiskey. The best whiskey is still Bourbon whiskey and the best Bourbon is still made in white oak barrels in Kentucky.

This old add shows that many goods were transported in barrel.

Sometimes it's hard to be a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel.
A tornado ripped the siding off one of our warehouses exposing all those barrels. LOOK OUT BELOW!