20 Years of A Vermont Icon—Cabot Clothbound Cheddar

What began as an inspired idea while visiting a New England artisanal cheese shop has grown into a globally recognized sensation celebrated for its nutty cheese flavor, crumbly texture, and rustic charm. 

Two decades ago, Cabot Creamery and Jasper Hill came together, embarking on a bold collaboration that would forever change Vermont’s cheese industry with the introduction of Jasper Hill Farm Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. Whether you’re savoring it on a simple charcuterie board, gifting it to a fellow cheese lover, or enjoying it alongside a crisp cider, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar Cheese brings more than flavor to the table—it brings a legacy of partnership and innovation between two of Vermont’s most iconic cheesemakers. 

Join us as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the award-winning collaboration born from shared values of craftsmanship, community, and innovation between two iconic Vermont cheese brands.  

The Art of Collaboration: Cabot Clothbound Cheddar

While visiting a cheese shop in Boston, Cabot’s new products team spoke with a buyer who mentioned a Vermont cheesemaker who made a clothbound cheddar, but the price was too high. The creative cheese wheels got turning. “On the drive home to Vermont, we thought about how we could create a clothbound cheddar without a cave, but ultimately decided we needed someone else to cave age it for us,” explained Clay Whitney, Cabot Specialty Market Manager. 

The team contacted the Vermont Cheese Council to identify a potential partner to help this project come to life, which led them to a young Vermont cheese company, Jasper Hill. “They had made some great cheeses and sold them to cheese shops in New England, but they hadn’t shipped them yet. It was a great collaboration between Vermont businesses because it helped both companies: Jasper Hill got the volume and acclaim they needed and deserved, and Cabot shared in that acclaim — which was great marketing for all our cheeses,” says Whitney.

Samuel Rheume of Jasper Hill continues, “When we originally agreed to this collaboration, it provided incredibly crucial cash flow to a young business. Cabot paid the Kehler brothers, owners of Jasper Hill, what amounted to a consignment fee on a regular basis for the aging services. As a burgeoning business, budgets are tight when you're pouring milk into cheese and delaying your ability to recuperate costs until those cheeses are ready. The timing of the collaboration with Clothbound allowed the Kehlers to keep the lights on while waiting for the wheels of Bayley Hazen to spend their requisite 60 days aging.”

It wasn’t long before the Vermont-aged crumbly cheddar saw worldwide success. The Jasper Hill Farm Cabot Clothbound Cheddar won a Gold Medal at the World Cheese Awards in 2004, which was amazing for three reasons, Whitney says. “The cheese had only been sold for about one year, the contest was held in Cheddar's “hometown” of England, and the milk that went into the cheese was pasteurized. It was thought that only raw milk could make a great cheddar.”

What Makes Cabot Clothbound Cheddar Special

Jasper Hill Farm Cabot Clothbound Cheddar is a standout in the world of artisanal cheese, celebrated for its distinct flavor profile and the time-honored cheesemaking techniques that go into its creation. But what exactly sets this cheddar apart?

The Process: Craftsmanship Meets Innovation

The journey of every block of Cabot Clothbound begins with Cabot Creamery’s pasteurized milk sourced from farm families across the Northeast. This recipe uses top-quality milk for a cheese curd specially designed for cave-ripening. The pasteurized cheese is made at Cabot Creamery in Cabot, Vermont, and then the young cheese wheels are sent to The Cellars at Jasper Hill in Greensboro, Vermont, where the magic of cave aging transforms them into something truly extraordinary.

The Flavor & Texture: Nutty, Tangy, and Complex

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar Cheese is an approachable but complex natural-rind, bandaged cheddar with a crumbly texture and nutty aroma. Jasper Hill notes the flavor profile as medium acidity with caramel sweetness and savory notes of chicken broth and toasted nut. The English-style cheddar has a slightly crunchy and rustic crystalline texture and savory-sweet flavors with a bit of a tang, a touch of caramel nuttiness, and a whole lot of YUM. 

“The result of a revolutionary collaboration between the artisanal cheese titans of Jasper Hill Creamery and the world-famous Cabot Dairy Cooperative, this cheese is the absolute pride of Vermont—one sure to bring a level of New England sophistication to your cheeseboard. It’s crumbly paste with notes of roasted peanuts pairs beautifully with a bit of jam or dark chocolate.” - Murray’s Cheesemonger, New York, NY

And we have to agree, Cabot Clothbound always steals the show on cheeseboards—it’s a perfect match for charcuterie, honey, nuts, and all the fixings, and the texture is truly unforgettable. Want to try for yourself? You can order cheese online through our curated bundles Cheese Please Cheddar Medley Box and Cheese Pairing Collection Box, which includes farm-to-table cheese gifts and this award-winning gourmet cheese. Wondering what to put on a charcuterie board? Try our Cheddar Legacy Cheeseboard and other charcuterie board ideas. We also suggest a dry cider, hoppy ale, or Cabernet Sauvignon with your aged cheese pairing.

Award-Winning Aged Cheddar Cheese that Tells a Story

We savor and celebrate every bite of sharp cheddar on our cheese charcuterie board, but the awards earned for Cabot Clothbound over the last twenty years have made this collaboration extraordinarily tasty. Most famously, Jasper Hill Cabot Clothbound won Best in Show at the 2006 American Cheese Society Awards just a few years after launch. More recently, the beloved aged cheddar took 2nd Place at the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest, 3rd Place at the 2023 American Cheese Society, 2nd Place at the 2022 World Cheese Awards, and more. 

This collaborative process not only results in an award-winning cheese but also tells a story of how Vermont’s rich agricultural and artisan traditions are made even better through partnership and collaboration. 

Cabot Clothbound is more than a delicious cheese—it’s a bold reimagining of what cheddar can be. As Rheume notes, “Cheddar is an instantly recognizable style. Americans are huge cheddar consumers, and all have their preferences for how they like their cheddar. The Cabot Clothbound collaboration disrupts a standard perception of cheddar and wakes up cheese lovers to the huge amount of flavor complexity that can be achieved through traditional cave ripening methods. It also represents a true Vermont quality of ‘hang-togetherness’ and the resilient teamwork it takes to survive in our cold little corner of the northeast.” 

20 Years of Excellence in Every Bite

As we celebrate two decades of Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, we honor the bold vision, dedicated craftsmanship, and innovative spirit that brought this iconic farmhouse cheese to life. Its success is a testament to its exceptional flavor and texture and the strength of collaboration and shared values between Cabot Creamery, Jasper Hill Farm, and the farmers in our cooperative. 

From its humble beginnings to its celebrated status worldwide, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar Cheese represents the very best of Vermont’s rich cheesemaking heritage. Whether you’re discovering it for the first time or have been savoring Cabot aged cheddar for years, each bite carries the legacy of the farmers and cheesemakers who made it all possible.

Here’s to 20 years of excellence, tradition, and unforgettable flavor—and to many more years of crafting delicious memories and cheese plates with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar.

If you're feeling inspired and want to know how to make cheese at home, check out this guide and try our easy homemade ricotta recipe (don't worry, no cave needed!).

This post was photographed by Gretchen Powers – filmmaker, photographer, and writer with a passion for storytelling and capturing the essence of a person, place or thing.