Reclamation Etchworks

The average bottle of liquor has a short life span despite its strength, longevity and willingness to continue to serve. Timothy Daw and Ethan Terry, creators of Reclamation Etchworks, heard the message in the bottle loud and clear.

Long-time restaurant and bar workers, Ethan and Timothy saw empty bottles relieved of their duties night after night. They both felt these bottles had more life in them and went into action to re-purpose them into vintage-inspired spirit decanters- even before they first met!

Timothy studied industrial design at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, graduating in 2008. Soon after, he found SF-based maker haven Tech Shop, a newly opened community of dreamers and creators. It was here that Timothy took an etching and a rotary class to learn the skills he needed to make beautiful designs onto glass bottles. The only thing missing from his dream business was a bottomless supply of glass vessels.

At the same time Timothy was learning to etch, Ethan was working as a bartender at the Slanted Door restaurant in San Francisco, all the while steadily collecting liquor bottles. He envisioned a rescued vessel laced in etches. However, he had no etching skills- just a garage full of bottles.

Timothy and Ethan not only had the same vision, they were also coworkers. When they finally met and began talking, they realized they had a company between the two of them. The duo promptly set-up a Kickstarter campaign to buy their only missing element; a laser. In 30 days, Reclamation Etchworks raised over $20,000 exceeding their goal thanks to the support of friends on Facebook.

Reclamation Etchworks has made a strong name for itself, catering to the likes of high end men’s social clubs as well as the home party host looking to add a touch of class to their spirit offerings. “Bourbon, Rum, Gin, and Tequila are the four spirits that are the best foundation for a basic bar to mix classic cocktails,” Timothy says. They also chose these spirits as the etches for their decanters.

Aside from repurposing bottles, Ethan and Timothy believe in repurposing down to the packaging by collecting cardboard from local auto mechanics. In fact, 95 percent of their shipped product is repurposed.

Timothy says, “It was important to us to make Reclamation Etchworks as environmentally friendly as we could. With a little searching and elbow grease, anything is possible.”