I wanted to make a speaker out of a whisky cask! It was unlikely that such a reckless proposal would be accepted without a fuss by those around me. But the sound spoke for itself. And once I had fashioned a prototype and compared its sound to that of a conventional speaker, my detractors were finally convinced that I was on to something. This was the mysterious product of nature, a sound that only a 100-year old piece of timber was able to produce after 50 years of contact with whisky.
After being used in three cycles of maturation, each lasting 15 years, the timber in whisky casks begins to break down, and the casks are retired from service. But the timber itself can be used for another 50 years. Imagine using timber from a 100-year-old tree for yet another 100 years! It was with this common sentiment that the three companies involved in the project eventually joined forces.
As a natural byproduct of the process of maturing fine whisky, Suntory produced timber with excellent acoustic properties. In Oak Village, some of Japan' s leading artisans shaped the timber by hand into individual speaker cabinets of exceptional beauty. And sound specialists Pioneer were inspired by the mellow tone produced by the timber and fashioned the cabinets into finished speakers. Thus the speakers were carefully crafted by artisans from three vastly different industries: whisky distillation, cabinetmaking, and audio manufacture. In short, it was collaboration between 150-year-old timber and an assortment of people taking great pride in their craftsmanship.
These ancient oak trees were thus destined to see out their remaining years producing uniquely mellow tones. And in their own way, the craftspeople I met in the course of this project also produced "good vibrations." Perhaps it is true that, like the oak tree, people mellow with age and the gradual accumulation of experience.
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| Brand with authentication logo and serial number |
| Part of the proceeds from sales of the Pure Malt series speakers will be donated to the National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization's Green Fund to help fund the planting of broad-leafed trees and other ground cover. |
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