Well, this is interesting. And awesome. Justin Vernon worked with local Master Luthier* Gordy Bischoff to make a baritone guitar from white oak Bushmills Irish Whiskey barrels. The guitar, dubbed “The 1608” will be auctioned off on eBay and the proceeds will be donated to the Confluence Project. The project is a collaboration between Bon Iver, Bushmills Irish Whiskey, and Bischoff Guitars.

How did this all come together? As Gordy “Tellin’ It To Ya Straight” Bischoff puts it, "Justin Vernon of Bon Iver called me and asked, 'Hey Gordy, can a guitar be built from a whiskey barrel?' My answer was, yes. This is that guitar."

You can check out the full press release right here and the eBay auction over yonder. The auction runs from Monday, October 22 to Friday, November 2

Of Bischoff, Vernon says, "He's an example of someone who's stayed in Eau Claire and built an artisan career from the ground up. His guitars are not only world class, but from our area. His guitars are not only world class, but from our area. I've known him for many years- he's built a lot of guitars for us, It's been a lot of fun to see what he came up with."

Of the Confluence Project, Vernon says, "The goal is to put art back on the map in Eau Claire. Far too many artists from this area have had to leave because what we want to do with our lives just isn't possible here. That's what the Confluence Project is: to build a center that can be a nucleus for art here in Eau Claire."

*I didn’t Google “Master Luthier,” but I’ll just go ahead and assume it means “Master Awesome Guitar Maker” or something close to it.

Enjoy a related video, won't you?