Created with an emerging generation of whisky lovers in mind, Caskshare offers the chance to buy an already maturing whisky, without the limitations of having to outlay and invest in a whole cask.
Instead, whisky fans can build a diverse portfolio of whiskies, each differing in flavour, maturation time and style, location and date of bottling.
Founder David Nicol created Caskshare out of a desire to bring single cask whisky to a wider audience and to "democratise" the ownership of whisky casks.
Having already launched the successful whisky subscription service, Craft Whisky Club, David recognised within the online whisky community a growing interest in a whisky’s provenance and the journey from distillery to dram.
His vision was to lower the barrier of entry into the world of cask ownership, and to help customers connect with their favourite distilleries from the get-go, whilst also allowing distilleries to engage with whisky fans in a real and tangible way with whisky straight from the cask.
Buying a cask can often mean having access to thousands of pounds, which is why cask sharing - groups of friends of family - often pool money to buy casks.
But now, Caskshare is allowing this to happen but with complete strangers coming together to buy shares in casks.
The new online platform has an accessible and easy-to-use customer experience, that offers a guide of methods, age, styles and provenance.
Buyers can choose from a wide range of casks, from ex-Bourbon to old sherry casks, all of which will impart a distinctive flavour and nose.
They can then explore different tastes, distilleries and maturation dates to create a tailored whisky portfolio that suits their individual tastes.
Once a share is reserved (one share equals a bottle), a certificate will be issued and the distillery will keep in touch with progress and updates.
The cask steadily matures, taking on all of all the rich flavours and aromas of its environment and, upon maturation, bottles can be sent directly to a home address.
Shares in a cask will sell out once it is deemed that all bottles are sold, with some casks available to bottling sooner than others due to the maturation process.
For an extra special treat, bottle owners may also be invited by distilleries for special events and bespoke tastings.
Casks already available on the Caskshare platform include Isle of Raasay Distillery, Ardnamurchan Distillery and BenRiach Distillery, as well as a cask distilled at the long lost Cambus Distillery being sold by current cask owners, R&B Distillers.
Bottle prices currently range from £49 to £139 and more information can be found on the Caskshare website.
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