This is the Whiskey Barrel Arcade from the team at Motor City Barrels. Each one is built by hand in Michigan from a repurposed whiskey barrel and they feature 60+ built in retro games from the 1980s.
Robbie Lambert founded Motor City Barrels after building an open barrel cabinet from a used whiskey barrel with his Dad, and then being inundated with interest after posting pictures of it on social media. He quickly realized he was onto something, and established Motor City Barrels to begin fulfilling the orders that were rolling in.
Above Video: This brief clip from Motor City Barrels shows the Whiskey Barrel Arcade in action, featuring a number of classic games from the formative years of computer games.
Whiskey barrels typically have a lifecycle of two to 10 years, sometimes more. Generally after they have aged whiskey they are either discarded or bought by breweries who can use them to make bourbon barrel-aged beer varieties.
Once they can no longer reliably hold liquid the barrels are typically discarded. Over the years many have realized that these barrels can make excellent furniture, particularly standing tables, and they also make fantastic conversation pieces.
Motor City Barrels now produces a range of furniture based on old whiskey barrels including tables, seats, storage, and perhaps most interestingly, tabletop gaming cabinets or “Whiskey Barrel Arcades.” It would be these Whiskey Barrel Arcades that have made the company a global phenomenon, with features in magazines, on websites, and on YouTube.
When ordering your Whiskey Barrel Arcade you can make a few personalizations, the tabletop section can be styled after some of the most iconic names of the 1980s including Ms Pac-Man, Galaga, Frogger, Donkey Kong (cartoon and wooden), or a combination of them all. You can also design your own custom branded top.
These are the six top designs you can choose, including Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Frogger, Donkey Kong (cartoon and wooden), to a combination of all of them. You can also design your own custom top.Side engraving with your name or logo is also an option, for an additional $199 USD. There are some additional options, including making the unit coin operated, adding a round glass top, and adding a computer upgrade to increase the number of games to 412.
Each Whiskey Barrel Arcade retails for $2,295 USD, they’re each handmade in Michigan, and the lead time is approximately 10 to 12 weeks depending on the time of year. If you’d like to read more or buy your own you can visit the official store here.
Images courtesy of Motor City Barrels
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