A Sip of Knowledge with Adirondack Barrel Cooperage
On June 7, 2022, a livestream of the program “A Sip Of Knowledge” began at ZAVVY. The event was hosted by Liz Rhoades, a technical distiller and spirits consultant with over a decade of experience in the spirits industry, and Lew Bryson, a long-time whisky writer who served as the managing editor of Whisky Advocate magazine for 20 years. The livestream featured the participation of Joe and Kelly Blazosky, co-founders of Adirondack Barrel Cooperage, a duo of drink industry veterans. They discussed topics such as whiskey, spirits, distilling, marketing, and the current state of the drink industry.
Joe Blazosky’s Journey to Becoming a Cooper
Joe Blazosky, didn’t start his career as a cooper. His journey began when he moved to New York with his wife, Kelly, the president of Oneida County Tourism. In 2013, during a barrel shortage, Kelly was discussing promotions with a distillery client who mentioned they had to delay their bourbon production due to the lack of barrels. This sparked an idea in Kelly and Joe to start a cooperage.
Despite having no cooperages in the northeast United States at the time, they decided to establish the Adirondack Barrel Cooperage in Remsen, New York. By 2015, they had set up their building and equipment, sourced from Slovenia and Scotland. Joe worked closely with these companies to design and build the equipment used in their cooperage.
Their approach blends new technology with traditional methods of barrel building, similar to the French method which involves fire. Joe’s background in construction led him to seek more accurate and technical equipment than what was available in the industry at the time. He felt that there was a lack of consistency and quality in the industry.
Joe learned from Rick de Ferrari at Oregon Barrel Works, who had been the head cooper for Francois Frere in France before starting his own small cooperage. Joe trained on 1920s French coopering equipment and quickly realized he wanted something more precise. His goal was to bring a higher level of accuracy and quality to the coopering industry.
Precision and Consistency: The Hallmarks of Adirondack Barrel Cooperage
Joe Blazosky, has brought a unique approach to barrel making that sets his cooperage apart from others. One of the striking aspects of their barrels is the uniformity of the staves, which is achieved through a highly accurate jointing process. Unlike most cooperages, Adirondack Barrel Cooperage uses a CNC machine that moves around the board, ensuring each stave is cut with precision.
This attention to detail results in barrels that are almost perfect, with end-to-end accuracy within hundreds of an inch. This precision contributes to their strict volume controls and consistency in sizing. Each barrel is built to within about a 2 to 3 millimeter tolerance from one barrel to the next, resulting in very tight volume controls.
The barrels are not only aesthetically pleasing but also deliver on flavor. The cooperage uses a fire bending process and low-temperature toast before charring, which contributes to the unique flavors derived from their barrels.
Joe’s commitment to precision extends to volume control as well. He understands the importance of consistent barrel volumes for distilleries when it comes to weighing for the TTB and calculating the angel’s share. Research with their customers has shown that their barrels have significantly less weight variation compared to other suppliers, further demonstrating the accuracy and consistency of their barrel construction.
The Art of Barrel Making: Adirondack Barrel Cooperage’s Approach to Flavor and Precision
Adirondack Barrel Cooperage, has a unique approach to barrel making that caters to various industries, including spirits, kombucha, cider, and even traditional Japanese soy sauce production. The cooperage’s process is characterized by its precision and the impact it has on the flavor profiles of the products aged in their barrels.
For kombucha makers and others who require a neutral or lightly toasted barrel, Adirondack Barrel Cooperage applies heat to the barrel to break down hemicellulose into sugars. This process is crucial for the flavor development in the final product.
When it comes to whiskey barrels, the cooperage truly shines with its meticulous processes. The barrels are fire-bent and undergo a low-temperature toasting process. Each barrel spends the same amount of time on the fire, ensuring consistency in flavor development. The heat applied during this process starts the caramelization process by converting hemicellulose into sugars and caramels.
After bending and closing the barrels, they are returned to the fire for further low-temperature toasting. Following this, they undergo a charring process using a machine originally designed for recharging used bourbon barrels for the Scotch industry. This machine has been redesigned with an Allen-Bradley computer control system and chars the barrels while they rotate horizontally.
The char levels range from one to four, with higher char levels typically used for bourbons and bolder whiskies that require more vanilla notes. Lower char levels are often used for malts and rums. The charring process influences the flavor profile significantly, with higher char levels contributing more smoke and vanilla flavors due to the lignin in the wood.
The Art of Barrel Aging
Joe Blazosky, shares his insights on the intricate process of barrel aging. He emphasizes the importance of not charring barrels too high, as he prefers to preserve the lactones. These lactones are crucial in creating complex flavors such as caramels and toffees.
Currently, Blazosky’s cooperage works exclusively with American Oak, which naturally contains a high proportion of lactones. However, he reveals plans to expand their operations to include French oak in the future.
The quality of wood used in their barrels is a defining factor for Adirondack Barrel Cooperage. All their wood is sourced from northern Missouri and Minnesota, within a 200-mile radius, ensuring consistency. They strictly use air-dried wood, aged between 48 to 60 months, which surpasses even wine quality standards.
Blazosky also discusses the significance of early versus late wood in the annual growth rings of the oak. The ratio between these two types of wood can influence the aging process and final flavor profile of the spirits. Northern oak, due to its tighter grain and slower growing season, is particularly suited for wine barrels.
Finally, Blazosky highlights the role of air drying in mellowing out tannins in the wood, leading to smoother and mellower flavors in the aged spirits. The air transfer that occurs in whiskey barrels during aging is a crucial part of the process, contributing to the complexity and depth of flavors.
The Science of Barrel Aging: Oxygen Reactions and Angel’s Share
Joe Blazosky, delves into the role of oxygen reactions in the barrel aging process. He explains that the region where the wood is cut plays a significant role in the aging process. For instance, southern white oak from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky grows faster and is more porous than northern oak, leading to a higher Angel’s share.
Blazosky also discusses the technique of sanding the outside of the barrel. This process generates heat that gums up the tyloses in the wood, sealing off some pores while opening others. This balance results in less Angel’s share and more complex flavors in the final product.
He further reveals that their barrels lose about 13% to Angel’s share, which is significantly less than their competitors who lose 20 to 24%. This percentage is calculated over a four-year span in a 53-gallon barrel. However, Blazosky notes that this percentage can vary based on geographical location, with barrels stored in southern regions like Louisiana, Florida, and Texas potentially losing more.
The Craftsmanship Behind Adirondack Barrel Cooperage
Joe Blazosky, acknowledges that their barrels are more expensive than their competitors. However, he attributes this to their commitment to quality over quantity. They use superior hoop steel and the best quality wood, which is export grade and very expensive. The hoop steel they use is edge conditioned for better handling and is thicker than what most companies use.
Adirondack Barrel Cooperage is a small operation with an eight-person crew. They started by producing about 800 barrels in the first couple of years and have now increased their production to about 4300 barrels per year. Despite the high demand, they are committed to maintaining their high standards and are not looking to become a commodity barrel builder.
Blazosky also discusses their lumber sourcing process. All their wood comes from Missouri and Minnesota, sourced from two of the oldest stave mills in the country. They have established a good relationship with these mills, ensuring a consistent supply of high-quality wood.
The wood they use is air-dried for 48 to 60 months, which produces amazing flavors in the aged spirits. They plan to maintain this standard of 24 to 36 months of air drying constantly by 2024. This commitment to quality and advanced planning is what sets Adirondack Barrel Cooperage apart from larger cooperages that don’t use much air-dried wood due to economic constraints.
Adirondack Barrel Cooperage: Adapting to the Craft Distilling Industry
Joe Blazosky, co-founder of Adirondack Barrel Cooperage, discusses the evolution of their business in response to the growth of the craft distilling industry. When they first started, the craft distilling industry was just beginning, and they had to find a niche for themselves amidst larger cooperages.
To set themselves apart, they focused on producing high-quality barrels and growing alongside their customers. Initially, they produced a significant percentage of smaller barrels (10-15 gallons) to cater to craft distillers who needed to get their product to market quickly. Smaller barrels create more range, which was beneficial for these distillers.
However, as the industry evolved, so did Adirondack Barrel Cooperage. They now primarily produce 30 and 53-gallon barrels, with the latter making up almost 75% of their production. This shift reflects the changing needs of their customers, demonstrating their adaptability and commitment to serving the craft distilling industry.
The Evolution of Craft Distilling
Adirondack Barrel Cooperage, reflects on the evolution of the craft distilling industry. He recalls the early days when distilleries were just starting and often released spirits that were not aged long enough. However, the industry has significantly matured over the years, with some distilleries now releasing spirits aged in barrels for up to seven years.
Blazosky takes pride in the flavor profiles achieved from their barrels. He notes the progression from shorter maturation times in smaller barrels to longer maturation times in their 53-gallon barrels. He expresses excitement over the amazing flavors he has tasted from spirits aged in their barrels, mentioning distilleries like Iron Smoke, Hillrock, and Cooperstown as examples of those producing excellent spirits.
He emphasizes the importance of a good barrel in the distilling process, stating that it contributes 100% of the color and 70-80% of the flavor of the spirit. While acknowledging the crucial role of distillers in producing good grains and making precise cuts, he credits Mother Nature and the barrel for the final product’s quality.
Blazosky expresses optimism about the future of the craft distilling industry, noting significant improvements in the quality of spirits over the last five years. His insights provide a valuable perspective on the craft distilling industry’s growth and the pivotal role of barrel aging in creating complex and flavorful spirits.
The Science of Barrel Making
Joe Blazosky, co-founder of Adirondack Barrel Cooperage, shares his unique approach to barrel making. He explains that the process involves a complex blend of geometry and craftsmanship, with each cooperage having its own distinct style. The shape of a barrel is determined by a combination of straight and curved sections, which Joe has designed himself for his cooperage.
He further elaborates on the differences between whiskey and wine barrels. Whiskey barrels are generally straighter, leaving an air space at the top as they are not filled to the brim. Wine barrels, on the other hand, have more bilge and are filled to the top to prevent air exposure. This difference in design is due to the varying oxidative properties between wine and whiskey, which significantly affect their maturation process.
Joe also mentions his plans for expansion, aiming to increase production from 4300 barrels per year to about 10,000 within the next five years.
In response to a question about bourbon being aged in barrels made from different types of oak, Joe cites an example of his friend in Oregon who uses Oregon Oak for his barrels. This type of oak is hard to source but possesses characteristics similar to French Oak, offering a distinct flavor profile. His friend is currently collaborating with Sazerac for Buffalo Trace, producing barrels from Oregon Oak on a smaller scale.
Exploring the Craft of Barrel Making with Different Wood Types
Joe Blazosky, delves into the topic of experimenting with different wood types for barrel making. He shares that while he has done some experimentation, not all types of wood are suitable for this craft. For instance, red oak and mahogany are too porous and tend to leak, making them unsuitable for barrel construction.
However, Joe mentions that he has successfully built barrels using maple and even coconut wood. The latter, although porous and challenging to work with, resulted in beautiful barrels. These barrels were commissioned for rum production and required an external sealer due to their porous nature.
Joe also discusses the importance of white oak in barrel production, citing its superior qualities for this purpose. He emphasizes that there is a lot of science behind barrel making, including understanding the flavor profiles that different char levels can bring out from the wood.
Currently, Joe is collaborating with Cornell University to study these flavor profiles at various char levels. This research will allow him to customize barrels based on specific flavor requirements, a practice that is common in the wine industry but less so in the spirits sector.
Joe concludes by expressing his excitement about the ongoing research and looks forward to sharing the findings in a future discussion.
The Journey of a Cooper: Insights from Joe Blazosky
Joe Blazosky, emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs of the distilleries they work with. He and his team regularly visit these distilleries to gain insights into their processes and products. This helps them customize their barrel charring process to match the flavor profiles desired by each distillery.
Joe prefers to taste the white whiskey produced by these distilleries as it gives him a clear idea of their product direction. For instance, he chars the barrels for Iron Smoke slightly differently due to their smoky product profile.
Training his crew is a meticulous process, with each member learning each step of barrel processing before moving on to the next. It can take a couple of years to complete this program, and traditionally, it takes five years to become a full-fledged cooper.
Joe is proud of his crew and believes that visiting the distilleries has been beneficial for them. Seeing their barrels in use and tasting the final product brings them excitement and a sense of accomplishment. He mentions Iron Smoke as one of their loyal customers who exclusively use their barrels.
Despite his initial nervousness about sharing his journey, Joe finds the experience enjoyable and rewarding.
Featured image: Adirondack Barrel Cooperage
