Glenfiddich is unusual in Scotland for continuing to operate an on-site cooperage, where skilled craftspeople repair casks that once held sherry, bourbon, and rum. In the cooperage, workers roll casks from station to station, replacing the metal rings that hold barrels together and toasting the interiors over an open fire to bring out a caramelized note in the wood. Millar told me to stick my nose in a barrel, and I bent down to breathe in the scent of charred wood and a sweeter note, like a mix of brown sugar and bourbon.
