Whisky enthusiast since my dad poured the first dram – now turning two decades of passion, Scottish distillery trips and late-night tastings into wear
OUR STORY
It started with my dad.
About twenty years ago, he discovered Single Malt Whisky at a small tasting and came home a changed man. Before long, he was hosting his own evenings with a friend, pouring drams and sharing what he'd learned. He brought me along. I was hooked almost immediately.
My first obsession? The Oban 14 Year Old. Not exactly a beginner's whisky; but we didn't know that. We just knew it was extraordinary and we drank it for months. No regrets.
That early spark eventually took me all the way to Scotland: my favorite trip was to the Speyside, where I visited many distilleries, walked through silent warehouses stacked with sleeping casks and truly understood what time and craftsmanship mean in this world.
One stop stood out above the rest: a cooperage. Because here's a detail I love – our family name, Kuiper, is the Dutch word for cooper. A barrel maker. It felt like coming home.
And standing there, surrounded by staves and hammers and the sweet smell of oak, I noticed something else: everywhere you looked, people were proudly wearing their passion. Shirts, scarves, posters, glassware. Whisky wasn't just a drink: it was an identity.
That idea never left me.
What I wanted to create was something different from the usual whisky merchandise. I love rock music: classic albums, legendary bands, the kind of songs that have aged as well as a good Single Malt. And I noticed that nobody was really combining those two worlds. Whisky and music. Whisky and film. Clever, knowing, slightly irreverent designs for people who get the reference.
So together with my sister Kimberly, who brings the creativity and the marketing firepower, we started The Cask Side of Life.
Every design is made for the people I share a dram with: the ones who pull up a chair, pour something special, and stay up too late talking about nothing and everything. Whisky, for us, has never been about being an expert. There's no right, no wrong – just the pleasure of the glass, the company, and the conversation.
For those who drink together.
