Black Water Barrels??serves the spirits industry with quality, service and value in the form of barrels, oak aging inserts and the endless pursuit of innovating for great taste.
As a proud South Carolina locally-owned business that owns its own wood sources throughout the region, we are creating jobs, building value and serving community for the greater good of all stakeholders, customers, employees, owners, investors and neighbors.
Black Water Barrels??is transforming the craft of barrel making with precision and efficiency through investments in state of the art equipment, industry-leading staff training and commitment to quality and innovation in our products.
Founder Greg Pierce and his BWB leadership team, bring decades of experience in spirits sales management, distribution, brand strategy, marketing and simply, making it happen.
The growing Black Water Barrels team puts their pride and experience into every new American Oak Barrel and wood roasted, toasted or charred Stavers????? aging insert product.
Our photo memories of the opening of Black Water Barrels in 2016, including then Governor Nikki Haley’s personal tour by Greg Pierce.
The idea of building a cooperage came from spirits industry sales and distribution veteran, Greg Pierce, who recognized a growing significant need for additional oak barrels in the spirits industry.
Greg, through his work in the industry, was constantly asked ???do you know where we can get barrels???? by distillers all over the Americas.
Bourbon was back and growing bigger and better than ever.?? The problem was availability of new American Oak Barrels, legally required for the production of Bourbon.
While enjoying a Bourbon on a sunny back porch the idea of solving this problem started to take life.?? He had close ties to the head of wood procurement for one of the nation’s largest distilleries, who had his own ideas for a business that would ensure availability and proper preparation of the highest quality white oak.?? In his visits to major wineries and distilleries with their own high volume cooperages, Greg had also seen the benefits of adding a degree of automation to the barrel making process.
Around the same time, he met a local family with experience in land management and development.?? Kaki and Johnny Williamson, were South Carolina natives and successful business owners who were committed to reinvesting in their community to create jobs with growth opportunities, and encourage local investment.?? ??With their support and Greg???s understanding of the spirits industry, the dream became a reality????? Black Water Barrels–a locally owned?? state-of-the-art cooperage in Bamberg, South Carolina,??a small town with a long history of wood products businesses.
The company is much more than a cooperage, though.?? Black Water Barrels now owns that stave mill run by the former head of wood procurement and has extensive forest land holdings to ensure availability of the highest quality oak. As a manufacturer of oak barrels and now oak aging adjunct products, Black Water brings together quality cooperage craftsmanship with German engineering and automation in manufacturing, to ensure consistent quality, innovative products and exceptional customer service and support.?? A BWB hallmark is on demand availability and new?? options for custom cuts, chars, builds, recipes and designs to serve the needs of a competitive marketplace filled with increasingly savvy and discriminating consumers.
New for 2019, is the addition of French Oak products and a menu of business development, brand development and marketing services to help customers grow far beyond the barrel.