Balvenie Distillery’s Covent Garden Pop-up Recycles Whiskey Barrels for its Interior

Inspired by the cooper tradition of barrel making, an old <a href="http://inhabitat.com/scottish-distillery-powers-their-nissan-leaf-with-whiskey/" target="_blank">whiskey</a> shop in London’s Covent Garden has been given a new life that pays tribute to the sauce. Redesigned by <a href="http://www.anonymousartists.co.uk" target="_blank">Anonymous Artists</a>, the whiskey shop was transformed into a cozy bar, using only recycled materials. Donated by the Balvenie Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, the team used 3,500<a href="http://inhabitat.com/recycled-wooden-museum-protects-precious-water-sources-in-the-sierra-nevada-mountains/" target="_blank"> recycled slats</a> of packing wood and 50 barrels to outfit the shop’s interior.

Created for the Balvenie brand, The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/whiskey-to-energy-project-in-scotland-gets-the-green-light-for-construction/" target="_blank">Whisky</a> Den was a temporary bar, open for four weeks. As the weeks passed, Anonymous Artists added more and more to the rustic interior.

The ever-evolving space featured a handmade bar, built from the raw woods recycled from packing palettes. As the days marched on, a tunnel of wooden slats was built up the stairs, slowly encompassing the walls, pillars and ceiling.

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/sea-chair-device-recycles-ocean-plastic-debris-into-brand-new-furniture/" target="_blank">Chairs and tables</a> were made from barrels that once held aging whiskey.

Both wooden elements cast woodsy aromas throughout the bar, which evoked the smells of the actual distillery in Scotland.

Like the original distillery, the lower level held a malt floor, made from a half- ton of barley, trucked in from <a href="http://inhabitat.com/old-fortress-transformed-into-beautiful-boutique-hotel/" target="_blank">Scotland</a>. Each detail in the aesthetics of the bar reflect the ages-old tradition of distilling whiskey. The Balvenie brand is known for its rare, handcrafted whiskey, all flavored with a rich honey taste.

The Whisky Den serves as not only a place to gather, but also to learn, as employees, called Balvenie Ambassadors, are on hand to educate the visiting consumers on the secrets of fine whiskey making. What’s more is that they are there to celebrate the tradition of fine <a href="http://inhabitat.com/banned-four-loko-recycled-into-auto-fuel/" target="_blank">whiskey <em>tasting</em></a>, offering samples of five cask whiskeys to sniff, imbibe, and discuss.