Most block cheddar is aged sealed in plastic, which keeps it moist and one-note. Clothbound cheddar is wrapped in lard-rubbed cheesecloth and aged in a cellar or cave, so it breathes, dries, and develops earthy, brothy, complex flavors the plastic-wrapped stuff never will. These American makers do it the old English way.
Published July 2026 · Updated 7 Jul 2026
The Kehler brothers' Vermont farm runs the Cellars at Jasper Hill, seven underground vaults where cheeses are aged by hand. Their Cabot Clothbound — made with Cabot's milk, then bandaged in lard-rubbed cloth and aged 12 to 14 months in the vault, brushed and turned constantly — comes out caramel-sweet with savory, toasted-nut, chicken-broth depth. Ships direct.
Why it isn't on AmazonA cheese hand-bandaged and aged over a year in a purpose-built cave, turned and brushed by an affineur, is the antithesis of a shrink-wrapped block that aged in a warehouse.
See it at Jasper Hill Farm →A Modesto family dairy since 1914, Fiscalini is one of only about a dozen American makers that actually 'cheddar' their curds by hand, then wrap the wheels in cheesecloth, rub them with lard, and age them at least 18 months. World- and ACS-award-winning, made entirely from the family's own Holstein milk. Order direct from the farmstead.
Why it isn't on AmazonHand-cheddared, bandage-wrapped, 18-month cheddar from a single farm's herd is a rare, labor-heavy method — the reason it eats nothing like a commodity block.
See it at Fiscalini Cheese →Grafton wraps its signature cheddar in cheesecloth and cave-ages it, taking on aromas of cave, mushroom, and fresh butter with grassy, lemony English-style flavors. Made from unpasteurized milk gathered from small family farms. Their cheeses ship online through their partner Dakin Farm.
Why it isn't on AmazonA cave-aged clothbound cheddar built on small-farm raw milk is a regional craft cheese, not a formula a national brand runs on an aging schedule.
See it at Grafton Village Cheese →This seat's open on purpose — we won't pad the list to hit a number. If you ship real clothbound & cave-aged direct, it's earned, not sold.
Add your brand →The wheel is wrapped in cheesecloth and rubbed with lard or butter, then aged. The cloth lets the cheese breathe and lose moisture while molds work on the rind, concentrating flavor and creating a natural, craggy crust. Plastic-aged block cheddar stays sealed and moist, which keeps it milder and more uniform.
The natural rind on a clothbound cheddar is edible but usually dry, tough, and very intense — most people trim it and eat the paste. It's not harmful; it's just not pleasant to chew. Don't confuse it with wax or actual cloth, which you do remove.
It's far more labor and time: hand-wrapping, months to over a year of aging in a controlled cave, constant turning and brushing, and real weight loss as the cheese dries. You're paying for a hands-on process and a long wait, versus a block that was sealed and shelved. The flavor payoff is the reason it exists.
Wrap it in cheese paper or wax paper so it can breathe a little, and keep it in the fridge; avoid sealing it airtight in plastic, which traps moisture and can make the rind slimy. It keeps for a few weeks. Bring it to room temperature before serving to get the full brothy, nutty flavor.
Make or grow real clothbound & cave-aged and think you belong here? Tell us → — features are on merit, never for sale.
Some "see it at…" links are affiliate links — if you buy through one, 5best2buy may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never costs the maker anything, and it never decides who makes the list. The list is the list.
© 2026 5best2buy · Worth The Hunt · No.367