Traditional Cooperage

Cooperage is the noble trade which has produced staved wooden vessels for the storage and transport of goods for the last 4,000 years.  Today, traditional cooperage is typically only practiced in cask reuse or small-scale boutique cooperages and in historical settings. The goal of this channel is share the skills and techniques involved in producing coopered vessels, practiced since it was first documented in an ancient Egyptian tomb painting in 2963 BC.

Most of these videos are recorded at the historic Dill’s Tavern in Dillsburg, PA, where I volunteer as their Cooper. Follow the provided links to learn about the great things we are doing here. We will be distilling and selling a historical Rye Whiskey, aged in our hand-crafted casks made from locally-harvested White Oak, helping us to most closely duplicate Leonard Eichelberger's early 1800s product. We are seeking apprentices to learn the trade and to support our cooperage program; reach out to me, if you are interested.