Brass Monkey Barrel & Chiller
We’ve recently launched a brand new Brass Monkey product. The Barrel and Chiller! Here’s how it came about.
Last Summer, my Brother had the idea to introduce a Barrel product to the Brass Monkey line. Ideally we wanted something that could happily sit inside or outside, but since 80-90% of our baths and tubs are kept outdoors, it made sense to have something that was readily available and didn’t require super complex manufacturing.
Our Barrels are proudly sourced in Speyside, the whiskey distillery capital of Scotland. Along the River Spey we discovered multiple cooperages that supply whiskey barrels all around the world. Our Barrels have a super unique heritage. Most are upwards of 20 years old, they have held different whiskeys at different times and some have even traveled to Spain and back!
Understandably, over the years our Barrels have been kicked about a bit, meaning some TLC is in need! Our Barrels go back into the cooperages to be fixed up by the pros, fixing any steel work, repairing the rims and replacing any rotting wood.
Then they come to us… Stinking of whiskey on the inside.
We give them a jet wash and a proper clean, followed by a resin to lock in the whisky smell into the wood and to provide a bullet proof level of waterproofing. It’s a long painting process as we have to paint a section, slowly rotate the barrel and repeat until we’ve got a lovely finish - totally worth it in the end. On the outside of the Barrel, we apply a natural oil to help look after the wood.
A boring lid just wouldn’t be us. Que another idea from my brother, Dean. The lid to our Barrel is the step and the seat. Two thirds of the lid sits outside the barrel, helping you get in and out whilst the other third slots inside as a seat. Also, on the inside the Barrel you’ll find a blue light to help set the vibe for your dip.
So that’s the Barrel, but it’s just a Barrel until you connect a chiller to it. The chiller cools the water down to a chilly 3°C. By the end of February, we’re aiming to pair the chiller unit to our Brass Monkey app. Allowing you to remotely control your Barrel and Chiller, set vacation mode, change the temperature up and down, toggle the lights on and off and more.
The moral of the story, sometimes listening to your brother is a good idea…
Dan,
Brass Monkey Founder.
