Wood from used Glenmorangie casks has been recycled to construct hand-built surfboards in the single malt’s latest Beyond the Cask initiative
In most scenarios, the combination of whisky and surfboards seems, at best, moderately dangerous. But in this case, Scottish whisky makers at Glenmorangie are teaming up with Grain surfboards to create something beautiful—that’s right, surfboards made from recycled whisky barrels.
United by a passion for wood, craftsmanship and cold-water surfing, Grain and Glenmorangie partnered up on the latest Beyond the Cask creation—that’s right, surfboards made from the white oak staves of Glenmorangie whisky barrels. On sale for $5,500 each, the surfboards use wood from Grain’s signature material, Maine-grown northern white cedar, as well as reclaimed western red cedar and 12 Glenmorangie oak staves, which means surfers will be catching waves on approximately half a cask.
“People often ask us what happens to those casks after their whisky-making life is over,” said Dr. Bill Lumsden, director of distilling, whisky creation and whisky stocks at Glenmorangie. “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.”
The handcrafted surfboards are Glenmorangie’s third collaboration in the Beyond the Cask initiative to give casks a second life. In 2016, Glenmorangie partnered with Finlay & Co. to create sunglasses with frames made from old casks and launched bicycles made from casks last year with Renovo Hardwood Bicycles.
Since 1999, Grain Surfboards, based in Maine, has been crafting hand-built wooden surfboards aimed at environmentally conscious surfers. But this process presented fresh challenges to the craftsmen. They had to figure out a way to work with staves that were still saturated with whisky. The result is a beautiful, meticulously crafted board that’s hand-finished and ‘bookmatched’ to ensure continuity of the pattern of the grain. The visual properties of the oak shine through on the center planks, tailblock and custom-made fins. As stunning as the boards are, they don’t rely on appearance—the limited-edition surfboards are designed to perform on the waves and to last a lifetime.
Lovers of whisky and waves will be pleased to hear about this new collaboration from Grain surfboards and Glenmorangie. More than a year in the making, the Grain Glenmorangie Original surfboards blend style with substance as the two creative partners find common ground in a passion for wood and a proximity to two of the top cold-water surfing locations in the world.
