WV Great Barrel Company

10/07/2024

In the wake of the devastating floods that have affected North Carolina and Tennessee, countless families are facing unimaginable losses. Homes have been damaged, livelihoods disrupted, and the road to recovery is long. But together, we can make a difference!

Here’s how you can help:

Donate: Every little bit counts. Whether it’s financial contributions or essential supplies, your generosity can provide immediate relief. We are collecting:

Non-perishable food items
Clothing and blankets
Hygiene products
Cleaning supplies

The WV Great Barrel Company will accept donations from Monday, 10/7 to Friday, 10/11. Please drop donations at the front office and our incredible community members will drive them to Asheville on Saturday, 10/12.

12/19/2022

This is not a bottle of whiskey.

This is an industry that is embracing risk and ingenuity and the possibility that we can take legacy and build upon it.

This is refusing to believe that barrels and whiskey are simply commodities, because deep down we know that the consumer is passionate and wants to learn about what they love.

This is a small town that could have easily been abandoned, stepping into the light because of hope and the investment of people looking for something meaningful to work on together.

This is hard work by a lot of incredible people on teams in West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ontario.

This is the best of collaboration and community and rising tides. It’s not the first of its kind in our industry and it’s not the first of its kind in our cooperage. Nor will it be our last—not by a long shot.

Nevertheless, these collaborations are cause for celebration, and celebrations call for whiskey.

If you’re willing to humor us when we say that this is not a bottle of whiskey but want to have a dram anyway to celebrate, cheers.

That’s a fantastic idea.

You’ll find a powerhouse of spice, mint, and herbal tea from the rye rounded out by notes of almond, cinnamon and baked cherry.

We're so pleased to introduce our collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Company. It's a blend a of 6-year Rye and a 12-year Bourbon finished in infrared toasted barrels built from alternating cherry and white oak staves.

It's a true collaboration made by passionate people, and we're so proud to share it with you.

12/14/2022

"Perhaps this evolution of the American whiskey barrel will go on to be even more significant than anyone realizes."

"This level of control over the entirety of their process makes WV Great Barrel Co. particularly suited for making extremely specific, proprietary barrels with custom toasts and chars (and even different types of oak) for a variety of small distillery clients.... Some of those clients are truly exploring the vanguard of American whiskey aging, utilizing cutting edge techniques in the pursuit of the next big thing in the whiskey world—stuff we still won’t taste for a few years in many cases. It’s ushering in a new era, with a much wider variety of choices available to people making American whiskey."

We are beyond proud to share this feature in Paste Magazine with our friends and distiller partners at The Bardstown Bourbon Company. We've believed from the beginning that giving distillers the opportunity to use infrared toast on every single barrel--and creating a space for distiller collaboration within our cooperage--was going to be a game-changer. It's been amazing to see that idea catch fire within our industry. And now, the wider world of is paying attention.

Collaboration is one of the pillars of our brand. So is innovation. To be able to do both every day with folks we get to call our friends is a dream come true.

Thanks James Vorel for the thoughtful piece and for bringing our mission to your readers.

This West Virginia cooperage calls itself the most technologically advanced barrel-producing facility in the world.

10/27/2022

What a beaut! Our friends from dropped off a very special bottle of Kopper Kettle grain-to-glass Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey, freshly dumped from our very own . Chuck and Jeanette said to look out for notes of cocoa, vanilla, and caramel with a slight spice on the finish. Hurry into the Culpepper tasting room to grab a bottle and let us know how you like it! This stunner is out now!

08/04/2022

Congratulations to the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission on hard-earned progress after years of work to create this important designation. Cheers to the distillers who’ve put in the hours (on top of very demanding schedules), and cheers to the fans who love American Single Malt Whiskey. Looking forward to seeing this develop.

07/26/2022

Job description
Barrel Production Technician
WV Great Barrel Company, LLC
Company Description
The WV Great Barrel Company (WVGBC) is an exciting new company developing high-quality whiskey and wine barrels using state-of-the-art technology. Founded in 2017 with the objective of bringing skilled, high-paying jobs to Greenbrier County, the WVGBC completed construction of our Audrina Lumber Mill in 2018, and our Cooperage in 2019. During our first few years of operation, we have seen rapid growth, and are currently supplying some of the top-selling and highest-quality whiskey brands in the world. Our mission is to produce the highest-quality barrels on the market, and we are using automation, precision technology, and Six Sigma to succeed in that goal.

Job Description
Barrel Production Technicians are the cornerstone of the barrel production team. They will learn to use various machines and take on responsibilities throughout the stave, barrel, and hoop production processes.
Job Requirements
• High school diploma or GED
• Must be at least 18 years old
• Must be able to read and write English
• Must be able to understand basic mathematics and read a tape measure
• Excellent hand eye coordination
• Be able and willing to learn and apply all Safety procedures and work practices
• Be able and willing to learn and apply all Quality work practices
• Be able and willing to learn and apply all Environmental and Housekeeping requirements
• Must be available to work overtime as necessary
• Must pass drug screen, physical abilities test, and background check
• Ability to work in a team environment and be self-motivated
• Must be able to lift and carry 25 pounds
• Must be able to partner lift 100 pounds briefly
• Must be able to stand for long periods of time
• Must be able to work indoors and outdoors

Preferred Experience
• Previous experience in a wood related industry
• Previous experience with wood working equipment
• Previous time spent on safety, quality, or environmental teams at a manufacturing facility

Benefits
• Vacation
• 401K with Employer Match
• Optional Medical, Vision, Dental, Disability, and Life Insurance
WV Great Barrel Company, LLC provided the following inclusive hiring information:
We are an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants equally without regard to race, color, religion, s*x, s*xual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability status.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $15.00 per hour

07/14/2022

Huge congrats to and the entire team for the incredibly well-deserved accolades on a spirit made 100% in West Virginia. It’s amazing to watch you lead the way in making West Virginia a vibrant part of the whiskey conversation.

06/14/2022

Happy National Bourbon Day to the distillers we’re lucky enough to partner with and the community that loves what they create. Cheers, y’all! ✨🥃✨

06/09/2022

Follow that Rolling Rickhouse, coming soon to a town near you.

05/11/2022

When you build a company with the intention of creating jobs and opportunity in a region, growth simply means more. We recently hit a milestone of 150 incredibly, hardworking, dedicated, talented team members at our cooperage and mill. We’re so proud and grateful for our team, our distiller partners, and this opportunity for our town, every single day.

05/08/2022

The recovery in Mayfield, Ky, Houston, TX, and White Sulphur Springs, WV would not be possible without the commitment and efforts of volunteer groups such as Mennonite Disaster Services, Christian Public Services, Appalachian Service Project, and other faith-based volunteer organizations. Watch a quick video about Mennonite Disaster Service’s work in Mayfield, KY at the link in bio.

05/08/2022

[4/4] The more people contribute to a story, the better it becomes. We’re only at the beginning of Mayfield’s recovery story. There’s much more work to be done to achieve our goal of 100 new homes. We encourage everyone who’s reading this to become part of a story that will be told for years to come. For more information and to donate, visit homesandhopeforky.com at the link in bio. And swipe through to see one of the first homes nearing completion.

05/08/2022

[3/4] We are so incredibly proud that our founders’ efforts in disaster recovery (which eventually led to the creation of the WV Great Barrel Company) have become our most important legacy. We like to say that the best way to make real positive change is to start in the place where you are. We’ve also learned that community—especially in the distilling industry—extends far beyond geographical boundaries.

05/08/2022

[2/4] In January 28, 2022, Homes and Hope for Kentucky broke ground on the first new homes for families who lost everything in the tornado. Today, 15 new homes are under construction, with the first projected move-in date of June 2022. 10 families are currently in the planning stages of their new homes, and a total of 100 new homes are projected to be built. This timeline is not typical of disaster recovery. But more and more, perhaps it will be. This is the same path to recovery designed in West Virginia by our founders after the 2016 flood and used in two rural Texas communities after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. We call it the Roadmap to Recovery.

05/08/2022

[1of 4] If you know our founding story, this may sound familiar. In the days after a devastating tornado hit Mayfield, KY in December 2021, a group of individuals began to assemble. It started with community members. It grew to area businesses, civic leaders, and individuals with disaster recovery expertise, including our founders. Soon, volunteer groups were arriving to see how they could help and making a commitment to stay long-term. With an initial commitment of donations and skilled volunteer labor from Mennonite Disaster Services and Christian Public Service, Homes and Hope for Kentucky was born.

04/22/2022

Our most important collaborations happen in the forest. We’re proud to work with our WV State Foresters and loggers to protect the health of the forest we’re lucky enough to call home.

04/14/2022

Never stop dreaming. Always keep innovating. We have some exciting collaborations coming up using nontraditional species. We’re proud to be a nontraditional cooperage, and we always welcome opportunities to get creative, problem solve, and try something new. Stay tuned!