Today, on the podcast we talk with Paul McLaughlin. He might not be known to you yet, or his cooperage, but the story he shares and how they hone their craft is like no other. We had the opportunity to check out Kelvin Cooperage and get a behind the scenes tour of their barrel building process. It’s amazing how everything is still very labor intensive and they use machines and tooling that have been part of their process since the beginning. We dive into toasting on a natural fire and what makes their barrels different from other cooperages around the country. We also discuss the economics of a cooperage and how they are trying to satisfy the growth of a world-wide demand for used barrels.

Show Notes:

This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about faulty pipe systems at distilleries.
Where are you from?
How did you get into the barrel making business?
How did you get into bourbon?
How does Kentucky compare to Scotland?
When did you join the family business?
Was it hard to have your brother as your boss?
How is your process unique?
What is the reasoning behind toasting?
Tell us about the natural fire.
How long does it take a new cooper to get the hang of the process?
Do you rotate positions?
Do you have a high employee turnover?
How many used barrels are you buying per day?
What other barrels do you get besides bourbon?
What's the craziest barrel you've made?
Tell us about selling barrels in Asia and Japan.
Let's discuss the economics of barrel making.
What is your quality control process?
What makes your cooperage appealing to customers?
Is it harder to make a 25 gallon barrel?
How do you see this business growing?
How do you source oak?
How do you determine pricing?
What about secondary finishing?
Where do you see the business in 10 years?

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240 - Toasting, Charring, and Selling Oak with Paul McLaughlin of Kelvin Cooperage