Coop-ing a tradition going
Ellen O’Brien
The first appointed cooper in Midleton Distillery was over 45 years ago, and now Derek Cronin has become the second, having successfully completed a four-year apprenticeship.
A cooper is trained to make and repair wooden casks which have a significant impact on the profile flavour of the final product. Derek Cronin is originally from Ardmore, Co. Waterford and used to be carpenter. He spent seven years living in Australia prior to beginning his apprenticeship.
He joined Irish Distillers as a general operative in 2019 and began his four-year apprenticeship in 2020 under the guidance of Master Cooper Ger Buckley. His apprenticeship allowed him to travel the world spending time in Scotland, France and Spain working in a number of cooperages expanding his skills and knowledge.
In his new role Derek will have the responsibility of repairing and maintaining of over 2 million casks on site in Midleton. He will also be participating in a variety of different coopering and cask related tasks in the distillery.
Speaking about his new role Derek stated: “Having trained and worked as a carpenter, I’ve always had a passion for craft and working with tools. When I joined Irish Distillers, I was immediately struck by Ger’s skill and knowledge and really admired his passion for the ancient craft of coopering.”
He added: “It’s what inspired me to train as a cooper. It has been a privilege to work so closely with Ger over the last four years, learning about the craft and the history. I look forward to continuing to learn from Ger and expanding my knowledge and skills.”
Ger Buckley Master Cooper at Irish Distilleries spoke about guiding Derek throughout the apprenticeship. “Training Derek in the art of coopering for the last four years has been a wonderful experience. His background in carpentry enabled him to hit the ground running and he has truly immersed himself in every aspect of the craft since the beginning, ensuring that the future of this age-old craft is in safe hands.”
Midleton currently has two working cooperages with one based in the old Midleton distillery and a new cooperage located within the Spirit Store at the main distillery.