Caskshare Pairs Its One-Off Whiskies With Adventures In Art – Scotch Whisky News
Caskshare Pairs Its One-Off Whiskies With Adventures In Art
Driven by a passion to share the magic of incredible rare whiskies, the team at Caskshare are embarking on a series of collaborations with bright young visual artists.
Specially created artworks will feature on the labels of Caskshare’s releases from January 2023, showcasing the designs of a collective of talented illustrators, the first of which are Martha Duncan, Phoebe Phillips and Evie Grace.
Each of their labels incorporates a different element reflecting the enjoyment of special whiskies – and offers an adventure for the senses.
Caskshare’s single-cask-to-glass service invites adventurous drinkers to sample a share of a truly unique whisky from a one-of-a-kind cask before it’s even bottled.
Making owning single cask malts accessible to everyone from collectors to the whisky curious, the premise is simple: one share = one bottle and single-bottle shares start from as little as £40.
Collaboration .1 – ‘Home’ by Martha Duncan, Blended 9 Year-Old Malt (for Collective members only)
The Glasgow School of Art graduate’s fun, colourful designs take inspiration from human quirks, overheard conversations, architecture and animals and she works mainly using the linocut printmaking technique and digital art.
Martha’s design for Caskshare depicts the beautiful Edinburgh New Town townhouse which is home to Caskshare.
Martha said: “I often use Scottish motifs, including tenement buildings, in my own illustrative work which makes the piece a perfect collaboration between myself and Caskshare.”
@marthaduncan.studio
Collaboration .2 – ‘Out of this World’, Phoebe Phillips, Agitator, £75
(a second work by Phoebe also features on Agitator’s Swedish Four Grain Whisky, £75)
Phoebe Phillips is an illustrator and screen printer based in Somerset. Drawing on inspiration from pop culture – past and present – she reimagines nostalgic curiosities with an unmissable vibrancy through illustration and hand-crafted screen printing.
Her love of the weird and wonderful pours through in her custom designs for these sister Caskshare labels. Depicted in her distinctively retro style of illustration, the labels combine to show a space robot and astronaut enjoying an out of this world whisky in an out of this world setting, together.
Phoebe turned to the pages of her vintage comic book collection to seek other-worldly inspiration which she realised initially in pencil. With the concept defined, she moved into Illustrator, selecting a bold and beautiful colour palette that reflects the tasting notes of the whiskey itself. The pieces were then finished with an intricate stipple shading to add depth and dimension to the artworks.
Collaboration .3 – ‘Bothy’, Evie Grace, Daluaine, £85
Scottish freelance illustrator and designer Evie is currently based in Bristol and shares stories through bold, honest and witty concepts.
Evie’s inspiration comes from what’s going on in the world whether linked to the environmental or social, and from the stories she collects through life experiences and conversations.
A keen outdoor and cold-water swimming enthusiast, Evie said: “Whisky and adventures are one and the same for me – a Scottish bothy with a whisky is the perfect combination. I wanted to show both the magic of Scotland and the magic of adventures by adding mystical twists to the starry bothy scene.”
@eviegraceillustration
Amy Macrae, Marketing Manager at Caskshare, said of the collaborations: “For us, whisky is about community, individuality and craftsmanship, and we’ve invited artists to help us convey this by sharing their work on our bottles. Their designs are bright and beautiful expressions of what’s inside, taking elements from Scottish culture, myth and the feeling of ‘home’, along with playful takes on the experience of drinking whisky.
“We can’t wait to embark further on this journey, amplifying up-and-coming talent and sharing this range with the world.”
Further artists and label designs will be announced and updated over coming months, with full details at www.caskshare.com.
About Caskshare
It’s not just the angels who take a share of every cask, with Caskshare now everyone can. Offering a ‘cask to glass’ service, Caskshare makes it simple for anyone to have a share of fine and rare single malts. The premise is simple. One share = one bottle and single-bottle shares start from as little as £40.
Selling one-of-a-kind whiskies by the bottle opens up a world of possibilities – bottle shares can be bought for one cask, across a portfolio of malts or distilleries meaning buyers can stick to what they know and like or embark on a journey of flavour exploration, to enjoy for themselves, to keep or to gift.
How Caskshare works
Lowering the barrier of entry to cask ownership opens up a world of possibilities – bottle shares can be invested in one cask, one distillery, across a portfolio of malts or distilleries meaning buyers can stick to what they know and like or embark on a journey of flavour exploration, to enjoy for themselves, to keep for a long-term investment or to gift.
What are we drinking?
Since 2019, the stable of new-wave Scottish distilleries represented by Caskshare has grown to twelve: Annandale (Lowland), Arbikie (Highland), Ardnamurchan (Highland), Benriach (Speyside), Caol Ila (Islay), Cambus (Lowland), Glen Moray (Speyside), Glenwyvis (Highland), Holyrood (Lowland), Isle of Raasay (Highland), North Point (rum) and Tullibardine (Highland).
Caskshare also acts as an independent bottler, buying rare single malt casks direct from distilleries to enable people to get a taste of one-of-a-kind whiskies that can’t be found anywhere else. Its expanding range includes the oldest Port Charlotte on the market and GlenWyvis 3YO Pedro Ximenez (£95) and 7YO First-Fill Rum Cask (£85).
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