In my glass
A fan of a dram, David offers a way to enjoy the best single malts
What do you do if you have a taste for rare and expensive whisky but don’t have the bank balance to support to your habit? Well, if you are entrepreneur David Nicol, you devise a clever way to claim your share.
With a background in tech and a love for the craftsmanship of Scotland’s national drink, David founded Caskshare, a service that offers whisky connoisseurs the opportunity to buy single cask whisky by the bottle.
The idea for the scheme came about, David says, when he started his malt collection and realised he could use his expertise to secure still-maturing whisky from lesser-known master distillers around the country, without having to invest in a whole cask.
“I am a technical architect by trade, and
I had recently finished building a new crowd lending financial platform,” explained David, from Edinburgh, who also founded the subscription service, Craft Whisky Club, which delivers small batch and artisan whiskies to members’ doors.
“At the same time, I had been watching the growth in cask buying programmes, which are great if you have the cash – but many whisky fans can’t or don’t want to buy a whole cask. So I joined the dots and, in my spare time, built the first Caskshare.”
Once buyers have selected and secured their dram from the likes of Tullibardine and Benriach distilleries, a little patience is required as, in some cases, they might not receive their bottle for 10 years or more. But David admits the decade-long wait is exactly what makes whisky so special.
He said:“i think it’s the relationship to our history that really sparked my interest in whisky. It’s a liquid that can last for a very long time, and gives us quite an unusual connection to our past and our heritage.
Whisky gives us a connection to our past and to our heritage
“Plus, I know from being close to my industry colleagues how much skill, knowledge and subtlety goes into making a world-class whisky – the sensory skills take decades to refine. As I’m sipping whisky, I like to have flavour notes to hand to make sure I am appreciating subtleties in the flavour and palate.
“I am also intrigued by innovation, such as the process of marrying up red wine casks from the likes of the Rioja region, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from Montechiari, Tuscany, and the Shiraz casks from Barossa Valley near Adelaide, Australia.
“I have some of these reserved on my own Caskshare account and I can’t wait to taste them.”
Although David’s love for the smoky richness of whisky started in Scotland (“My earliest engagement with whisky was the welcoming aroma of malt biscuits from the North British Distillery as the train pulled into Haymarket Station – one of the best smells in the world!), he admits it can pay to look further afield.
“There is so much happening with American whiskey, bourbon and rye right now,” he explained. “For our US members we have featured some really cool private cask exclusives from the likes of Sagamore, Westland, Westward, Balcones and Breckenridge.
“We are about to feature a few barrels from Russell’s Reserve. The Russell family, of Wild Turkey Distillery, are probably the most well-known family in American bourbon – that’s going to be a real belter this New Year.”
However, if money was no object he would still stick a little closer to home.
He continued:“i would love a bottle of Caledonian Distillery whisky, which was primarily a grain distillery, and closed in 1988.
“All that remains of this distillery is a tall Victorian chimneystack, which I pass twice a day. It’s one of the most iconic symbols from my childhood, as it signals reaching Edinburgh on the number 44 bus from outskirts of Currie, in Midlothian.
“Mind you, it was the green SMT Number 66 back then.”