Guitars made of bourbon barrels? This musician has distilled ‘pieces of art’

Bourbon is aged in Kentucky barrels, so why not sound? That’s the conundrum that longtime performer, instrument builder and repairman Mike Mankel, 58, sought out to solve when he founded the Bourbon Barrel Guitar Company in 2015.

The idea came to him one winter evening in 2012 after returning home from shoveling snow for his neighbors when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

“I sat down, poured a glass of bluegrass wonder juice and began to fixate on my guitar sitting in the corner that was illuminated perfectly by the setting sun coming through the window,” said Mankel. “It immediately got me wondering if anyone had made a guitar out of bourbon barrels before.”

Mankel spent the next several months researching the question, finding only Ireland’s Lowden Guitars and an unidentified maker in Minnesota as the only previous luthiers to craft with discarded bourbon barrels. Realizing the largely untapped market, Mankel began building with the mindset of creating not only an instrument, but a one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted work of art.

“First of all, you couldn’t go into an instrument store and buy one,” said Mankel of his expectations for his guitars. “They also had to sound excellent. I wanted them to be beautiful pieces of art, something you’d find on display in a gallery or museum. And I wanted them to be so expensive that I couldn’t afford one myself.”

How much does a bourbon barrel guitar cost?

With current available models ranging in price from $7,500 to $11,111.11, Mankel’s guitars aren’t accessible to most, something he’s more than fine with. Mankel has built more than 40 bourbon barrel guitars, each taking a minimum of 100-120 hours to complete.

Each is made from a combination of eastern oak and American oak wood that produces an extremely resonating sound. Despite its abundance, Mankel credits using the wood from actual bourbon barrels as a key step in the overall grandeur of his work.

“Even though the genus and species would be the same it’s not the actual barrel,” said Mankel. “So for the character, story and art aspect this guitar had to come from authentic bourbon barrel wood.”

Cut from three heads and two staves, the barrels come from wherever Mankel can get them. That includes Kentucky distilleries Woodford Reserve, Town Branch and Buffalo Trace. Mankel’s first guitar currently sits on display inside Buffalo Trace’s distillery gift shop.

Bourbon partner

Mankel is also partnering with Bourbon 30, a blender of single barrel bourbons based in Georgetown, on a special bourbon release called J. Mattingly 1845 Noble Soul. Named after Mankel’s late grandfather George W. Mankel, the name refers to the greeting “How’s my noble soul” that he regularly said to friends and family. According to Mankel the bourbon features pronounced flavors of many sweets “found in our kitchens and on dessert menus of the finest restaurants and confectioneries around the world.”

Buyers of the small batch bourbon will also be entered into a Labor Day weekend raffle to win a one-of-a-kind guitar from Mankel. Only 500 bottles are available online now for $200 each. Proceeds will benefit a currently unspecified charity that supports women suffering from breast and ovarian cancers.

“Mike is such a creative and kind-hearted man,” said Tricia Brill, vice president of Bourbon 30. “When we heard of his charitable mission for the project paired with one of his beautiful guitars we couldn’t say no to teaming up.”

Guitar workshop expands

As his business continues to grow, so do Mankel’s aspirations. He’s currently at work building a two-story, climate-controlled workshop at his home in Athens, Ky., just outside of Lexington, that he expects to be completed by the fall. The shop will allow a better environment for the wood he uses to settle along with a space feet from his home to chip away at the guitar ideas stewing in his head, such as spray-painted guitars and other works.

“I really enjoy what I’m doing. These are pieces of art first and guitars second, which is such a weird thing for me to say as a player, repairman and luthier,” said Mankel. “It’s been a joy to learn more and educate others about bourbon while also giving my creative aspirations room to flourish.”