Being a spirit journalist means that I often find myself on a plane going to see how and where things are made. I’ve found that, aside from tasting spirits, the best way I’ve ever expanded the depth of my understanding of spirits is to go and see how they are made. I’ve been fortunate to do a fair amount of travel and have met some amazing people who make amazing spirits. I’ve dipped my finger into fermenting whiskey mashes and then tasted every step of the process through to the final aged whiskey.

One of the most fascinating trips I’ve been on was recently to the Brown-Forman Cooperage. Brown-Forman is one of the few spirit companies who manufactures their own barrels, and they make them for Jack Daniels, Old Forrester, Woodford Reserve, Herradura, Collingwood, and Early Times. The scope of the operation is massive, producing over 2500 whiskey barrels a day. The process of making barrels is incredibly hands-on and intensive. Each piece of wood goes through extensive seasoning both outdoors and in seasoning warehouses. They are milled, planed, and shaped, each barrel built piece by piece by hand to be perfect—any imperfection could mean a leaky barrel, which could mean losing valuable whiskey.

The most dramatic part of barrel making is when the barrels are charred. Barrels get charred to both caramelize the wood sugars and to make the barrel more receptive to the whiskey inside. Charred American Oak barrels give whiskey the vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon spice notes that are so distinct. The whoosh of flame that engulfs the inside of the barrel is almost hypnotic, and it somehow magically transforms a collection of wood into a whiskey barrel.

Many of the barrels made here for Jack Daniels will get a second life. Bourbon barrels can only be used once to make bourbon, and after they are used they are sold and shipped around the world to age great spirits like Scotch whiskey, tequila, and rum.