Zahariev Vrachesh cooperage visits Rüdenau

Cooperage on site at the distillery

The Zahariev cooperage is a small family business in Vrachesh and supplies us with new barrels made of Bulgarian oak, among other things. So far in the sizes 50, 225, 280, 310, 500 and 600 litres. Father, son Miro and a handful of other employees cooperate there in a very artisanal and tradition-conscious way, making every single barrel by hand. The priority here is not mass, but the quality of the barrels. The cooperage experiments with Bulgarian oak of different ages and from different regions. Soil conditions and microclimate also have an effect on wood and the resulting aromas. The perfect partner for St. Kilian!

The reason for the visit

Together we tested different toastings: Medium and heavy toasted. In this experiment, we want to find out how the charring affects Bulgarian oak. Partly, the new barrels, in sync with the bourbon barrels in the USA, are burnt out to the Char#4 level, the so-called Crocodile Char. The result remains open for a while.

Bulgarian oak is said to have a density and structure similar to French oak. We are looking forward to the first results in 1-2 years!

Below, Miro opens a 50l ex-Amarone barrel for demonstration purposes. This and others he has built back from a former 500l barrel.

Likewise, Miro downgrades us large ex-Amarone casks as needed to e.g. 100l or for our Private Casks to 30l.