Coopered and feathered quaichs
We make our quaichs individually by hand in the traditional manner of the 17th. and 18th. centuries. Contrasting staves of light and dark woods are coopered and feathered together using hand tools. Turned into elegant shallow bowls of between 4” and 5” diameter, the staves are bound with home grown and prepared withies, secured by carved lugs and handmade wooden pins.
The quaich is a traditional Scottish drinking vessel, which evolved during the 17th. and 18th. centuries from a more primitive wooden bowl as an elaborate and eye catching piece of craftsmanship.
In Treen for the Table, Jonathan Levi describes feathered staves “fitted together miraculously accurately, being made, it is believed, only with simple tools”.
Although a small glass tumbler is generally preferred for drinking whisky these days, to better appreciate colour and aroma, quaichs are still popular in Scotland, where they make perfect gifts to mark special occasions: births, christenings, marriages and important birthdays.
Tha nòta mu dheidhinn an facal quaich againn dhuibh. ’S e cuach a th’innte an t-ainm anns na Gàidhlig. Tha i “coo-ock” a’ fuaimneachadh, ach can sinn “quake” anns na Beurla. Leis an fhìrinn innse, is cuach an facal a tha i mòran nas coltach ri an facal quaff anns an Beurla. Cha chreid sinn nach thàinig an facal quaff às cuach anns na Gàidhlig.