Justin Vernon, the Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter and frontman of Bon Iver, has teamed up with longtime friend and Master Luthier Gordy Bischoff (www.bischoffguitars.com) to develop “The 1608” – a baritone guitar made with original white oak wood from Bushmills Irish Whiskey barrels. This guitar is 1 of 4 made and will be auctioned off to benefit The Confluence Project: a community arts center that will be built in Vernon's hometown community of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. 

The name "The 1608" references they year when Bushmills received its original grant to distill making it one of the oldest whiskey brands in the world.

Bischoff, a Master Luthier for 37 years, utilized a combination of his woodworking skills with moisture and heat to mold and soften the fibers to bend the wood into place, and develop the shape needed to create a guitar. This baritone guitar is made almost entirely out of the white oak wood from the whiskey barrels, with only a touch of additional wood added to the internal structure. The nine-pound guitar features two separate pickup systems, an acoustic transducer and two passive electric pickups, and features a neck made from hard rock maple and Ebony. The finishing touches tie the entire collaboration together, featuring Bushmills bottle caps as the volume and tone control knobs, with a bit of Bushmills Irish Whiskey added to the guitar humidor in the case to enhance the aroma of the iconic brand.

About Bushmills "Since Way Back"
“Since Way Back” is inspired by the heritage of Bushmills Irish Whiskey and its longstanding tradition of recognizing enduring kinship. The initiative celebrates the lives and relationships of artists and influencers across the world, and collaborates with each to produce creative, inspired content that reflects each of their passions. 

Bushmills Irish Whiskey enjoys a worldwide reputation as a uniquely authentic Irish whiskey with a heritage spanning four centuries. Bushmills is a premium Irish whiskey, produced, aged and bottled at Ireland's oldest working distillery in Bushmills Village, Co. Antrim, a community where whiskey has been shared among friends since 1608 when the area was first granted an official license to distil.

About The Confluence Project

The Confluence Project is a public-private partnership to redevelop a blighted area at the confluence of the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers in the heart of the Eau Claire, WI, downtown district. The centerpiece of the project is the construction of a community arts center that meets a significant need for the local arts community. The Confluence Project combines philanthropy with private, state, county and city funds in a true collaboration. In addition to revitalizing prime real estate at the heart of the community, the Confluence Project builds upon existing competitive strengths, further establishes the distinctive artistic nature of the Chippewa Valley and strengthens the creative community as a viable economic development driver.

http://www.eauclairearts.com/confluence/