The CBC has a good story about Alastair Simms, the only working master cooper left in Britain. I wonder why they would be carrying the story of a wooden barrel maker from another land? There is a certain romance for such things of the old country still in Canada but we still have coopers in Canada due to the wine and whiskey industries, continuing local production that has existed since at least 1665. Sad to see that the UK may not be in such a robust position as this former colony:
Many of his tools are hand-me-downs from previous coopers. He picks up a well-worn topping plane, used for smoothing the top of a cask. Pointing to the different sets of initials on it, he calculates the tool is about 130 years old. His most treasured possession is a block mark, a stamp with his initials, ADS. The block is "the right for me to work as a cooper and every time that's put in a cask that I've made, that's put in with pride." There are thought to be just four other coopers working with British brewers these days, none of them at the master level, which denotes a journeyman who has trained at least one apprentice, a process that takes four and a half years at not a great income. So you can see the problem attracting new blood.
But, it is to be noted that there are still cooperages in Scotland for the whisky trade. Ahh, I see...the story in the Telegraph from two weeks ago that the CBC, err, followed up on says he is the last master cooper in England, not all of Britain. Another system applies to Scotland. Still, it is interesting to see from the start of a tree's life to the end of a barrel's useful life is an astounding 375 years. Neato. Video of a BBC interview to be seen, too. Kind of thing you think someone might be interested in taking up. You know, if I were not in another country with another job and obligations and all that and yada-yada-yada...well, ok, I'd never do it. Too damn lazy and not real handy. I'd be a bad cooper. The cooper that starved.
Comments
Knut Albert - January 23, 2009 5:00 AM
There are, obviously different views on why they use wooden casks:
<i>During my visit, Simms was rejuvenating a firkin that started life in Spain full of sherry and then spent the last 100 years holding whiskey in Scotland. But neither of those flavours will seep into the beer because Simms ensures there will be no contamination.</i>
The Scottish breweries (and Fuller's) do the opposite: they use whisky barrels which still are saturated with all the good stuff, which will then enrich the beer.
One more thing: A correspondent in Britain should know that there is no such thing as a Scotch Whiskey....
Ten Inch Wheeler - January 23, 2009 8:55 AM
The Theakston and Samuel Smith breweries still have coopers. At Theakston they have (or had - he was definately there at least a year or so ago) a master cooper called Jonathan Manby.
Paul Garrard - January 23, 2009 8:59 AM
I wonder what has happened to Jonathan Manby (http://realalenet.co.uk/aleblogs/realaleblog.php?title=willy_and_jenny_the_twins&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1) he perhaps is not a master cooper but he was still working around the end of last year. As suggested there are still coopers employed in the whisky trade.
Alan - February 8, 2009 4:23 PM
In any event, good to see that so many now want to take up the task.
alastair simms - February 8, 2009 5:32 PM
Jonathan Manby is not a master cooper he is only a journey man cooper and will not be come a master until he has had an apprentice that has come out of his time
Alan - February 8, 2009 7:57 PM
Hi Alastair - so is the process that a journeyman can train an apprentice and, as a result, the apprentice becomes a journeyman and the journeyman the master though the fulfillment of the apprenticeship?
John Neilly - February 27, 2010 3:51 PM
Will any young man ever be taught the art of coopering by the true masters of the craft ie. Tommy McLeod, Jimmy Cadden, from J and R Harvey, Port Dundas, Glasgow and such like. Or will they all become slaves to the mechanical man and cheap labour for the multi national distilleries.
Sheila - January 11, 2012 7:41 AM
He may be one of the few coopers that is still making barrels, but my husband 64 years young served his 5 year apprentice at a cooperage in Stratford London until closing. and can remember his passing out ceremony. If we see a wooden barrel, he will try to find his mark on the rim.