Winemakers: To oak or not to oak, that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take up oak to craft your wine to shake the spheres ...

Napa Valley residents are used to seeing wooden wine barrels: in wine caves, stacked outside warehouses and even cut in half and filled with flowers on neighborhood lawns. Barrels are everywhere in ...

Glass of whisky cognac or bourbon in ornamental glass next to a vinatge wooden barrel on a rustic wood and dark background. Whiskey is more than just a blend of grains and water. It is a spirit that ...

It's not just any old distiller who can claim to be making bourbon. U.S. law is pretty strict on the matter: bourbon must be made in America, the mash bill must be at least 51% corn, and it must be ...

Workers turn white oak logs into staves for 53-gallon bourbon barrels at Robinson Stave Mill in Laurel County on Dec. 13, 2021. The staves are dried for nine-twelve months before they are crafted into ...

Russ Karasch opened a plastic bag filled with strips of wood the color of the best part of a piece of toast. “Smell this,” he said. The aroma was intoxicatingly comforting, like roasting a chocolatey ...