The Tullamore Distillery, in Tullamore, Co. Offaly is actively recruiting for an apprentice cooper to join their ranks in the Tullamore Distillery cooperage.
Coopering is the ancient trade of barrel construction and repair, which has been in massive decline in Ireland over the last few decades, but Tullamore are one of the few distilleries actively training new coopers. All whiskeys need to be matured in wooden casks, by definition, which means coopering plays a critical role within the whole whiskey industry, not just Irish whiskey. As such, Tullamore are looking to train the next generation of coopers in their on site cooperage.
According to William Grant and Sons, Tullamore DEW’s parent company they are looking for “a rare character to join us on this growth journey and kick start their career with a four year coopering apprenticeship leading to a successful trade test and recognition as a fully qualified cooper. If you are looking for a very rewarding trade within a growing company & a thriving industry this could be the role for you.”
Coopers have a number of core duties that they are responsible for in a distillery these include:
- The repair and rejuvenation of barrels within the distillery.
- Cask handling and evaluation of new and existing barrel stocks. Ensuring the quality of the cask is in line with distillery standards.
- Maintain stock records and carry out stock checks as required.
- Coopers contribute to team meetings and supports the wider implementation of team strategy, plans and continuous improvement projects including maturation projects.
According to William Grant & Sons their ideal candidate would be “interested in working in a hands-on role. They will be a self-starter with an ability to work well within a team, understand processes and solve problems. The successful candidate will also demonstrate behaviours in line with our diversity and inclusion vision of being A Home where Rare Characters Thrive. Desirable skills for this role are: wood qualifications, IT & numeracy skills.“
If this sounds like a role that you would thrive in, check out application page with full details and job description here. Applications close October 6th 2023.
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