It all starts - and ends - with the barrel. A humble home for bourbon as it ages, each barrel is crafted purposefully from pure white oak, intentionally charred, and assembled with only pressure and an iron band to hold it together. Once the ingredients are carefully constructed and mixed, they are left to be cradled by only this barrel, time, and the care of Mother Nature. 

 Through the seasons, the years, where the humid Kentucky summers and the often harsh winters, the oak staves invite the bourbon to flow their walls, purifying, aging, and developing the unmistakable character and signature layer of flavors known only to Pappy Van Winkle bourbon.  After 10, 12, 15, 20, or 23 years have passed, and the bourbon is aged to perfection, tasted, and dumped, the barrel is effectively retired.  Having served its purpose, by nature of the bylaws of bourbon, it can not be used again. Once integral, it sits empty as the golden liquid is bottled.  

 Yet we knew more could be released from their walls. The story of the bourbon, once lovingly held there through the shifting seasons, welcomed through the walls of the rick house, where a generations-old recipe aided only by Kentucky limestone and time, and of course, the secrets deep within the barrel do the rest.   

 It feels like a sacred process, one maybe we shouldn’t be able to see. And fortunately, thanks to the thick walls of the pure oak barrels, we simply can’t. We put our trust into those barrels, and we leave them to do their work. And, they always always always deliver.  

 So held within the grooves, the indentations, the char marks, the discoloration, and the deep grooves made by the whiskey as it flows in and out of the walls are the elements of bourbon itself. Tucked within the staves and the barrel heads are the remnants of that story, the wafting notes of caramel and the lingering aroma of vanilla and charred oak are captured along with the secrets of what happens during the aging process. 

 Through Pappy & Company, we have been fortunate to receive the genuine Pappy Van Winkle barrels after they have retired. As stewards of their legacy, we feel responsible and honored to give them a second life, and as such, they have become the centerpiece of our company. We unlock their long-held secrets and share them with all of you.  

 Through our collection of fine Pappy Van Winkle barrel-aged gourmet food and Pappy Van Winkle barrel fermented cigars, they become vessels once again, sharing their unmistakable flavor, aroma, and taste. Through our barrel-made collection, their well-earned beauty, signs of aging, and markings of time —a standard of beauty perhaps only appreciated in the bourbon industry —are highlighted and celebrated.  

 Each unique marking, each flaw, groove, spot of discoloration, indication of warping, fading, or sagging, is marveled over and upheld as an element of signature beauty. Each one a unique indication of its role in producing arguably the world’s best bourbon. The unmistakable flavor is a direct result of a simple process, simple ingredients, and a humble barrel. Yet, once the duty is fulfilled, by nature of the standards of bourbon aging itself, is to be forgotten. Not, of course, if we have anything to say about it. 

 Just as it took a master craftsman to heed a decades old formula, famously left unmarred by chemist and un-touched by short-cuts, to pursue the perfection of simplicity, time and nature, and to deliver a bourbon that upheld a stringent factor of quality and dedication, it took such a craftsman to unlock what was left behind. 

 We imagined a future for these pieces, the disassembled barrels, the staves, the barrel heads, and even the iron bands, despite their fate of being discarded, could be repurposed, and even celebrated. To represent the legacy and heritage they played such a vital role in.  

 One that required a craftsman as dedicated to his pursuits as Pappy himself. Fortunately, we knew such a craftsman. We began working with Jason Cohen, local Louisville wood-crafter and self proclaimed “bourbon barrel artisan” on a few projects as we slowly began to unfurl what it meant for Pappy & Company to reimagine our barrels. 

 When we expanded our warehouse, we had a second goal in mind, one that would see the creation of an in-house woodshop, but we only had one such craftsman in mind. When Jason agreed to join the team in a more formal capacity, the Woodshop was officially born. The evolution of our made from barrels collection, now feels, well full circle. 

From working with Jason as a partner and collaborator, to building the Woodshop of our Pappy & Company dreams from scratch, we are beyond excited by the possibilities.  With a shared focus on sustainability, innovative design and dedicated craftsmanship, working with Jason is like working with someone who understands a secret language.  

 He has been making one-of-a-kind pieces and art for over twenty years. A bit of a renaissance man, his story is one equally as poignant for reinvention as his designs. After a car accident where he lost use of his dominant left hand, he was forced to change the way he did things, beginning with switching sides of his brain. Instead of focusing on the frustration, he focused on the possibilities - and began to try new things. After discovering woodworking by accident, he sold his car, bought a lathe, and unlocked a creative passion, and a career. 

 He also discovered a joy and a calling in making art from discarded materials, wood rescued from dumpsters and old barn wood. He eventually moved on to stave wood, where his passion for sustainably re-purposing barrels and sharing a story through their art was born.  

 Beautifully creative, expertly handcrafted with practical, innovative and dedicated design, each piece he crafts is entirely unique, and bears not only the signature of his creative passion, but of the barrel stave wood he uses.  

 We’ve always had a long list of products we wanted to make, products we knew we could make with the right partner, and products we wondered if we could make. With not only the creative potential and woodcrafting ability of Jason, we discovered a whole new world of barrel possibilities.  Welcome to the Woodshop, Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrels Reminaged with Jason Cohen.. 

 A collection of home and bar accessories, home goods, designed to highlight the character of barrel staves, with sustainable design, unique craftsmanship, accessible luxury and impeccable detail. Pieces that honor the heritage of our family’s bourbon, unlock the story held within their walls, and celebrate the legacy of bourbon making. The intersection of bourbon history and creative design, appreciated by bourbon and design enthusiasts alike.  

 We never set out to redefine the legacy of bourbon, simply to honor the longstanding tradition of dedication, quality and heritage we’re so proud to have inherited through sustainable design, high quality innovation, and a commitment to legacy, sustainability and purposeful design.