Ember & Grain · Field Notes · Wood · Nº 10
Bourbon Barrel Wood
the charred white oak
Bardstown, Kentucky. Rickhouses, charred barrels, and the second life of American white oak.
Bardstown was settled in 1780, one of the first towns in Kentucky. It sits in limestone country, where the water runs clean and hard, and on every side stand the rickhouses: tall, dark warehouses where bourbon rests in barrels of charred white oak. Each barrel is used for bourbon only once. After that, the oak goes on to another life.
Used once for bourbon, then once more for the fire.
On the salt
In the Atlas, Bourbon Barrel Wood is paired with Black Lava.
Field notes
| Also known as | American white oak |
| Tree | Quercus alba, beech family |
| Barrel | About 53 gallons, charred |
| Home | Bardstown, Ky. · 37°49′ N |
| Char | No. 3 to No. 4 for bourbon |
| Smoke | Rich, sweet, oaky · 3 of 5 |
| On the salt | Black Lava · Vol. I, Nº 02 |
Continue in The Origins Atlas
The rest of this chapter lives in the book: the full story of the place, how the wood burns, the people who keep the tradition, and the hand-drawn map.
- The Place · the bourbon capital
- The Barrel · oak, char and vanilla
- The Char
- The Taste · rich and sweet
Sources: Wikipedia, “Bardstown, Kentucky,” “Kentucky Bourbon Festival”; Distillery Trail; Independent Stave Company; Bourbon Barrel Foods. Imagery is illustrative and AI-generated.