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In the latest
of its Beyond the Cask creative
collaborations, Glenmorangie takes to
the waves in partnership with Grain
Surfboards of Maine, New England USA –
visionary creators of hand-built wooden
surfboards.
I don't know about you but I just
love these innovatively creative
partnerships Glenmorangie has come up
with in their Beyond the Cask creative
collaborations and although I am not a
surfer I can appreciate the work that
must have gone into this latest Beyond
the Cask collaboration.
This time we see Glenmorangie taking to
the waves in partnership with Grain
Surfboards of Maine, New England USA –
visionary creators of hand-built wooden
surfboards.
The signature white oak casks for
Glenmorangie Original are only ever used
twice in their whisky-making lifetime,
guaranteeing this single malt’s famously
complex and multifaceted flavour. Now,
to celebrate the wood that makes the
whisky, the dedicated craftspeople at
Grain Surfboards have built a series of
exclusive limited-edition Glenmorangie
Original wooden surfboards using
reclaimed staves from Glenmorangie
barrels.
As Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s
Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation
& Whisky Stocks, explains, such special
wood deserves another chapter in its
story:
"Distillation in Scotland’s tallest
stills, and ten years of maturation in
our ex-Bourbon casks, used only twice,
gives Glenmorangie Original an
incredibly smooth and round character.
"But people often ask us what happens to
those casks after their whisky-making
life is over. 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.
"Grain Surfboards are true experts in
their field and, like us, they believe
in taking time to truly understand the
character of wood. Working with them is
a great way to reinvent the casks that
give Glenmorangie Original its depth of
flavour, and give them a new lease of
life beyond the Distillery. "
Like Glenmorangie Original, Grain’s
surfboards are a product of time,
patience and 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.
As Grain Surfboards founder Mike
LaVecchia explains, the two companies
came together over shared ideals:
"We’re both strong brands with true
craftsmanship at our core, so we were
thrilled to work with Glenmorangie on
this project. We’re really proud of
these boards. It’s incredible that you
can take a piece of wood that’s already
worked hard and then give it a new life
as something absolutely beautiful."
This is the third collaboration in
Glenmorangie’s Beyond the Cask series,
and follows the world’s first sunglasses
made from ex-whisky casks, produced by
British brand Finlay & Co in 2016, and
the world’s first bicycles made from
ex-Glenmorangie casks, launched in 2017
with Renovo Hardwood Bicycles of
Portland, Oregon.
The limited edition Grain Glenmorangie
Original surfboards will set you back
$2,000 and are available to
order from www.grainsurfboards.com from
September 2018.
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