News

Simchat Torah 2024

October 2024

Following the Hamas attack on Israel on Simchat Torah (7 October 2023), there was a global Mizrachi initiative to use new Sefer Torah covers on Simchat Torah this year to remember those slaughtered by terrorists on that day.  My local synagogue in Bushey used two new covers to remember the loss of two young twins, Liel and Yannai Hetzroni z"l.  I offered to make two Sefer Torah yadaim (pointers used when reading from the Torah) from whisky cask wood.  This offer was accepted and photos of the covers and the yadaim are shown in the "Items available" section under "yadaim".  The braided blue and white plaits to represent the Israeli flag were made by my wife, Diane. 

Since then,  I have been asked to make more of these.  One person specifically requested that the yad they wanted to be made should be made from Israeli whisky wood.  The Golani whisky distillery in Israel has now agreed to provide me with wood to make a small number of yadaim and other items over the coming months.

Archie Brunus-Edwardii confirmed as new QA/QC Manager

August 2024

I am absolutely delighted to announce the appointment of a long-term friend, Archie Brunus-Edwardii, as my new QA/QC Manager.  He expressed an interest in my charitable work at an early stage and was always quick to offer comment and advice.  This new position recognises his valuable input and brings a fun but serious approach to quality which I hope donors looking for my pieces will appreciate.

Archie hit the ground running and the photo belows shows him on a personal tour of the Balvenie cooperage and behind the scenes at the filling plant which is not open to the public.  Whilst at the cooperage, both Archie and I asked the cooperage manager if he knew of a source of small quarter casks as we both know that they are highly desirable as features in peoples' homes.  We were delighted when the cooperage gave us two (sadly, empty) such barrels and told me that he hoped to be able to provide a few more in time.  With thanks to Balvenie, one cask has already raised a nice sum for charity and the second cask is still available.  Should this be of any interest please let me know.  However, if you would rather deal directly Archie, he can contacted by email at archie_brunus_edwardii@yahoo.com or feel free to follow his adventures on Instagram @archie_brunus_edwardii.

A very special challah board to celebrate a very special birthday

June 2024

This was a lovely commission and a real pleasure to make for the benefit of charity.  I was asked by someone to make a special and very large challah board for her husband's birthday.  He is apparently very fond of The Macallan single malt and I am delighted to have wood from the cooperage of that distillery, including a small number of pieces of wood which was heat branded with the letters "MAC".  This is a rare branding mark on cask wood and the donor was pleased to make a very generous donation to charity for this.

The offcuts from this single cask end have been used to make other items, including a flight tray to hold a bottle of whisky and two tasting glasses as well as other items.  This means that this single cask end has raised a very large sum for the benefit of charity and really makes me feel that my work is both appreciated and, even more important, worthwhile.

Balvenie burgundy cask clock

June 2024

I made this clock for my son and his wife as an anniversary present.  The wood was an offcut from the whisky cask wood I used to make their chuppah - the trigger event for all my charity work related to whisky.  The beautiful colours of this are entirely natural and come from the burgundy wine previously stored in this barrel before it was used to mature The Balvenie single malt whisky.

I have also used other wine stained woods to make salt and pepper sets and my wife and I used such a set from the Glenfiddich distillery on our shabbat table.

Whisky "Lazy Susan"

June 2024

I have often said that I like a challenge and am prepared to discuss individual requests for particular whisky wood related items so was delighted to be contacted by a London rabbi.  He asked me if I could make him a "Lazy Susan" (a rotating platter) for a whisky bottle and tasting dram glasses.  Well, as you can see from the photo below, the answer was yes!  With thanks to the Scotch Whisky Association which is supporting my charitable works, I have a wood from a number of very well known and popular distilleries so please let me know if this could be of interest to you or a loved one.

Cooper King Distillery, York

June 2024

I recently had the pleasure of visiting this distillery in York.  For me, this was my first visit to an English whisky distillery and this was very special for several reasons.  First of all, this is not a distillery in the traditional Scottish style but rather it uses a Tasmanian style still, something I have not seen previously.  Secondly, it matures whisky in smaller barrels with the claim that this reduces the maturation period and intensifies the flavours in the whisky.  Having tasted some young whiskies, this claim has merit and I would happily drink more of them!

Of perhaps more importance is that this distillery is very socially aware and makes donations from every bottle sold to local good causes, something I feel is so important.  After a very interesting chat and tour I was given some spent cask wood so can now offer English whisky wood Judaica - which given the history of Jewry in York in 1190 I feel is very special.  What can I offer you from this ethically sound distillery wood?

We have a new home!

May 2024

We have finally moved home from Edgware to Bushey.  The whole process from start to finish took rather longer than expected - but then, isn't that always the case with a house move?  There is much for us to do over the coming months to settle in and this will certainly affect my ability to produce my woodwork.  I will be setting up a workshop here as soon as I can but in the meantime will still be able to make things in my Scottish "man cave" when we visit Scotland.

In the meantime, it has been a real pleasure to put up my own mezuzot cases in the new house.  Perhaps rather than referring to rooms by their location or function, I should now refer to them by the distillery behind each mezuzah case?

Gordon and MacPhail cask wood donation

May 2024

I am delighted to report that the independent whisky merchants and bottlers, Gordon and MacPhail recently delivered the two casks below for me to use in my charity fundraising work.  This company has an enviable stock of excellent whiskies and I am very grateful for this donation.  If anyone has a particular interest in something being made from these casks please feel free to contact me to discuss this further.  I look forward to working on these casks in due course.

Pesach order with a difference!

April 2024

It is almost Pesach and I had an interesting chat with an orthodox rabbi a few months ago.  He wondered if it was right for Elijah to drink alone at the Seder table and asked for my help to remedy this.  The photo below shows the result - a flight tray made from a Tamdhu sherry cask and glasses from the Glenfiddich and Balvenie distilleries.  A very spiritual response to a rabbinical question, don't you think?

Laphroaig distillery cask wood

The photo below shows the largest mezuzah case I have yet been asked to make for someone.  It is 30cm in height and has pride of place on the entrance to a rabbi's study.  By special request this was made from a scrapped Laphroaig cask which was last filled in 1990.  From the stave used to make this I have made a selection of other mezuzot cases and am also working on two very different chanukiot.  My wife has declared that these are without doubt the strongest smelling items I have ever made!  Unfortunately, whilst I am very fond of strongly peated whiskies, she is definitely not.

If you would like something made from a numbered Laphroaig cask last filled in 1990 please let me know.

Macallan distillery casks

Some months I was invited to the Macallan distillery cooperage to collect spent cask wood I have produced my first piece from the wood collected.  This is a mezuzah case and is unlike anything I have yet made.  It is a very elegant piece and fully in keeping with the image the Macallan seeks to promote.  Having posted this image on social media I have received a number of orders for this to be made in different distillery cask woods and in different sizes.  This will be my pleasure so please let me know if you would also like one of these mezuzot in your coice of distillery wood - please remember that I have cask wood from 20+ named distilleries to choose from.

Chanukah raffle 

December 2023

The Chanukah raffle has been drawn and the lucky prize winners notified of their prizes.  Unfortunately, because of severe pressure on the public following the 7 October attack on Israel and the urgent calls for assistance by so many charities, the raffle did not raise as much as we had hoped.  However, we did raise almost £800 for charities and to all who supported this in any way please accept my thanks. The charities and I have learned a lot from this and hopefully we will be able to work again together in the future and be even more successful in our work together.

Single candle holder

Following the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, my wife, Diane started to light an extra candle on Shabbat to remember the hostages seized and subsequently the members of the IDF killed in action.  I made the candle holder below especially for her and she subsequently brought it to the attention of the Global Women's Hallel Group in which she participates.  This group then published a photo of it (with text Diane prepared) on Facebook.  I have since received several orders for these candle holders from around the world, with all income going direct to charity.

Diane's text copied below:

"I light a special candle every Friday night When I light my candles and say my prayers for Israel.  My husband made the whisky wood holder and it can be customised to include the Israeli flag or any writing you want.  It can also be made to hold a larger yahrtzheit candle.  If you would like one made - for a donation to charity - please contact my husband Jack at wbjudaica@aol.com.  He supports three charities, of which MDA is one.  You can see other items he makes at www.whiskybarreljudaica.com. "  

Chanukah whisky raffle launched to support three charities across the UK

Tuesday 7 November 2023

Three charities across the UK will benefit from a Chanukah whisky raffle this year. Chai Cancer Care, Jewish Care Scotland and Magen David Adom UK are working jointly with me to raise funds and give away prizes in time for Chanukah.

At a meeting at Tamdhu Distillery earlier this year, I was given a bottle 15 year old Tamdhu whisky along with some distillery etched tasting glasses made specially for the distillery and not available for sale to the public.  I decided to donate the bottle of whisky and two of these very special tasting glasses, together with a flight tray I made from a known scrapped cask from the distillery, to the three beneficiary charities. From there the prizes kept coming and now there are over ten prizes up for grabs, with thanks to Tamdhu, Glengoyne, Glenfiddich, and Balvenie distilleries and Chai Cancer Care. Photos of the prizes are shown below.

It is my privilege and pleasure to make things exclusively for the benefit of charity and it is heartwarming to see three charities collaborating in this raffle. I hope this can lead to further collaborations. I am very grateful to the Scotch Whisky Association and the Tamdhu, Glengoyne , Glenfiddich and Balvenie distilleries for all their support and encouragement in my fundraising.

One entry is £3 or you can enter three times for only £5, with all funds raised being split between the three charities. Entries close at 11am on Monday 11 December and the draw will take place at Jewish Care Scotland, Walton Community Care Centre, May Terrace, Giffnock G46 6LD at 12noon on Monday 11 December 2023.

Entries are now open online by visiting: https://chaicancercare.org/events/whisky-barrel-judaica-raffle-in-aid-of-chai-magen-david-adom-jewish-care-scotland/

Please note that raffle tickets can only be bought by United Kingdom residents.  If you live outside the UK and would like something unique made for you please feel free to contact me.  Everything I make is exclusively for the benefit of charity and to own an item requires you to make a donation directly to charity. Is turning scrapped whisky casks into desirable items to raise funds for charity the ultimate in upcycling?

The full list of prizes is:-

Tamdhu flight tray with bottle of 15 year old Tamdhu single malt whisky and two Tamdhu distillery etched tasting glasses

Buffalo Trace bourbon cask chanukiah

Glengoyne flight tray with two Glengoyne distillery etched tasting glasses

Glenfiddich whisky (from sherry cask) mezuzah case

Balvenie whisky (from sherry cask) besomim tray

Heaven Hill bourbon cask yartzheit candle holder

5 x bottles of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky

Isla cooperage, Keith

As part of my visit to Chivas Brothers in Keith, I was also invited to visit this craft cooperage which refurbishes casks for Chivas Brothers.  This is a traditional cooperage and it was a pleasure to be shown around the facility and to recover some further spent wood to add to my collection.  This cooperage is not open to visitors but there was no objection to me taking some photographs, some of which are shown below.

The "wonky" challenge!

My wife recently challenged me to make a wonky salt and pepper set from an offcut of wood used to make something else.  I am always willing to take on a challenge like that and produced a wonky salt and pepper set from an offcut of Glenfiddich distillery wood.  I have since made a number of other sets, one off which used burgundy cask wood from the Glenfiddich distillery.

Please let me know if you'd like a whisky themed salt and pepper set.

Chivas Brothers

To my delight, Chivas Brothers recently contacted me and offered whisky cask wood from their portfolio of distilleries which includes Aberlour, the Glenlivet, Longmorn and more.  I look forward to collecting this wood and making things with them.  Please let me know if you'd like something made with wood from this range of distilleries.

Macallan cooperage

I was recently invited to the Macallan cooperage to collect spent cask wood to make items for charity.  This is a new facility and opened in July 2022.  I now have both cask ends and staves from the distilleries served by this cooperage (The Macallan, Highland Park and Glenrothes).  Please let me know if you'd like something made with this wood.

Whisky cask wood and Pesach

I have been asked if I could make a Seder plate and a matzah plate from whisky cask wood!  The person asking me for this is an Orthodox rabbi in London.  I asked him if this is acceptable as whisky is generally considered to be chametz and therefore cannot be owned at Pesach.

His response is below:-

"As an orthodox rabbi there is absolutely no problem whatsoever with a whisky cask seder plate or kiddush cup - soaked wood is not edible so can't be chometz or any other adjective used to describe foodstuffs."

I have been told!

Discuss?

Glengoyne special delivery

Having spent a day away from home we returned to find we had received a special delivery of an empty sherry cask from the Glengoyne distillery.  I am very grateful for this (and help from the Tamdhu distillery in delivering it to our door).  I am looking forward to stripping this down and making bespoke items with the wood.

Purim megillah box

A London based rabbi asked me if I would be willing to make a megillah box for his oversized Megillat Esther in time for this Purim.  Apparently he has been looking for a suitable box for this megillah for many years.  I took on the challenge and the box shown is the result, with a generous donation made to charity and several further orders placed for the coming year.

The writing on the box is not Hebrew but Aramaic.  A free translation of this is that "it is a mitzvah to get drunk on Purim"!  What better box material to use than whisky infused wood?

Refurbishing a Glenglasshaugh distillery quarter cask

I was recently asked if I could refurbish a quarter cask from the Glenglassaugh distillery which was sitting abandoned and neglected in someone's garage.  I accepted the challenge and you can see the results in the photos below.  The Barrel owner said that this was a "total transformation" and looking at the photos I hope you will agree with him.  This unusual commission resulted in a very generous donation to charity and I am asking my various contacts if they know of any more such casks I might refurbish to raise more funds for charity.

Glenfiddich and The Balvenie distilleries

The Balvenie and Glenfiddich distilleries have offered to provide me with engraved tasting glasses which I can offer at no cost  to donors with flight trays and other items made with the spent cask wood they have given me.  This brings to three the range of distillery wood and glasses I can offer to help raise extra funds for charities.  I am very grateful to each of these distilleries (Glengoyne, Balvenie and Glenfiddich) for this very generous opportunity.

Glengoyne cask wood

I recently received an empty cask from the Glengoyne distillery which was delivered to me courtesy of the Tamdhu distillery.  I am very grateful to all involved in getting this to me and I am looking forward to stripping this cask down and using the parts to make Glengoyne distillery wood items for the benefit of charity. The  photographs below show this cask in residence.

Balvenie and Glenfiddich distileries to provide cask wood

 I am delighted to report that both the Balvenie and Glenfiddich distilleries have agreed to provide me with wood from their spent casks.  I have arranged to collect wood from them in early January and look forward to offering an expanded range of custom made unique items to raise more funds for charity.

Magen David Adom

I donated a Chanukiah and a challah board to a recent MDA fund raising event in London and was delighted to learn that these two items raised a very significant sum for this charity.  I look forward to raising even more for this charity.

Magen David Adom and Chai Cancer Care

I recently took an interesting custom order from someone who wanted me to make three challah boards for his family.  The interesting thing with this request was that the boards were to be made from cask ends and were to look like the cask ends whilst showing details of their origin.  I was able to provide suitable boards from the Tamdhu, Glengoyne and Tomatin distilleries, for which an extremely generous donation was split equally between these two charities.

Further named distilleries

A local distillery recently contacted me after I requested scrap whisky barrel wood from them.  It currently has a commercial contract to take all scrap wood for a company producing smoked salmon so are unable to help at present.  However, once the contract ends it hoped to be able to provide some material for me.

A major company representing a number of distilleries has also been in touch and we are discussing if they may be able to provide scrap barrel wood from individual named distilleries.

Glengoyne distillery to provide whisky barrel wood

I am pleased to announce that the Glengoyne distillery has now offered me spent whisky casks to make items for charity.  The Glengoyne whisky distillery won the Whisky Magazine Icons of Whisky Scotland's Sustainable Distillery of the Year 2022.  It is fitting that their spent casks which have served to mature a number of batches of whisky should enter retirement to become unique hand crafted items exclusively to be enjoyed in another form by those willing to make donations to charity.

The Glengoyne distillery holds a special place in our hearts as Diane and I were married under a chuppah on the banks of Loch Lomond, with the loch and Ben Lomond as a backdrop on a sunny and very special, memorable day. We visited this nearby distillery on our honeymoon.  It is also a wonderful coincidence that the offer of this wood comes in our anniversary week!

I look forward to making some interesting and unique items with this wood.

Thank you Glengoyne distillery and Ian MacLeod Distillers Ltd.

Tamdhu distillery to provide whisky barrel wood

I am delighted that the Tamdhu distillery is the first distillery to offer me wood from damaged whisky barrels to make items for charity.  This is whisky with a strong sherry cask tradition and has long been a favourite of both mine and my son.  It is also very local to where we live in Speyside so making this a very sustainable upcycling of damaged barrel wood for the benefit of charity.

I already have some expressions of interest in using this wood to make some items so please let me know if you would also like to something made from part of a barrel previously used to hold Tamdhu whisky.  Please also let me know if you have a particular favourite distillery.  Perhaps I can source barrel wood from it to make you something special?

Thank you Tamdhu and Ian MacLeod Distillers Ltd.

Whisky wood from named distilleries

I recently approached the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), the trade body for the industry to ask for their help in sourcing whisky barrel wood from known distilleries.  I explained what I am doing and how I am hoping to raise funds for charity and was pleased to see that my work is considered to be "interesting and very philanthropic" and have been given a one year advertisement on their members only website to bring this to the attention of distilleries.

I am very grateful to the SWA for all their positive support and assistance.