This surfboard is made from reclaimed Scotch whisky barrels
Surf's up for Glenmorangie, whose third year of the ‘Beyond the Cask’ series takes to the waves
It’s been two years since Glenmorangie partnered with Finlay & Co. to create a pair of handmade sunglasses. It’s been one year since the Scotch whisky brand joined forces with Renovo to build a working, wooden bicycle. Today, the brand has unveiled a partnership with Grain Surfboards.
And what makes these projects so special? From the shades to the surfboard, each limited edition product is made using wood from the white oak casks in which Glenmorangie Original is aged. Only ever used twice in their whisky-making lifetime, the brand believe such a special material deserves another chapter in its story — and this year they’re taking the wood to the waves.
“People often ask us what happens to those casks after their whisky-making life is over,” says Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s Director of Distilling. “Beyond the Cask is our way of working with people who share our creative vision, passion and patience, to take this wood on another step in its journey.”
This year, those ‘people’ are Grain Surfboards, a Maine, New England-based brand who Lumsden deems “true experts in their field”. As surfing artisans, inspired by traditional boat-building techniques, Grain’s love of wood is embodied in surfboards like no other brand.
And the surfing connection runs deep for both the New England brand and Glenmorangie’s ‘Men of Tain’ — for the Scottish Highlands and Maine offer some of the most prized cold-water surfing in the world.
As for the boards themselves, they are products of time, patience and showcase a true affinity for the qualities of wood. Hand-finished and meticulously “bookmatched” to showcase continuous patterns, Grain Glenmorangie Original surfboards represent a step away from mass-produced boards and a return to handmade values.
Each board unites Grain’s signature material, Maine-grown northern white cedar, with reclaimed western red cedar and wood from 12 oak staves – so surfers will be riding the waves on approximately half a cask.
The limited-edition Grain Glenmorangie Original surfboards are available to order from www.grainsurfboards.com from September 2018, at £5,000
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