Custom items

Refurbishing a Glenglasshaugh distillery quarter cask

I was 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 quarter casks I might refurbish to raise more funds for charity.  However, I would not be averse to refurbishing others sizes of casks.

As a final note to this story, the owner subsequently used the cask as a table feature at a family celebration.  It was wonderful to see the barrel have pride of place!

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?

Coasters and stand

Recently I was asked if I could prepare a set of coasters using wood from whisky casks.  The request was for a total of six coaster, each to be approximately 1cm thick and 10cm square.  Coasters were to show some original bourbon distillery markings which meant I could not clean the outer surface significantly.   A stand to hold these coasters was also to be made and this was made with offcuts of the coaster wood.  The original pieces of wood were up to 3.5cm thick so a lot of surface planing was required and the coasters were finished with a matt polyurethane varnish to ensure they would not mark if exposed to spillages but the stand was finished with clear Danish oil for a natural finish.