It was a chance meeting in Matt Macpherson’s hometown of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands that led to the opening of Cask in Camana Bay.
Cayman resident Rob Eyers, who spent his childhood in Inverness, happened to be visiting when he was put in touch with Matt to learn more about Scotch whisky.
Matt is something of an expert on the subject. He founded a bar which has won several awards, including being named one of the best whisky bars in the world by New York-based lifestyle magazine, Inside Hook, in 2024. He also opened a whisky shop in 2023, with both venues located in Inverness.
Matt and Rob soon became firm friends, and one thing led to another, with the men going into business to open Cask this past August.
Matt is now living on-island and at the helm of Cayman’s first specialist Scotch whisky bar.
BLENDED INTERIORS
The interior design of the premises is as blended as the vast array of whisky it offers, with a fusion of Scottish style and island flair.
And while Matt may be highly knowledgeable about Scotch, he confesses that design is not his specialty, instead leaving this aspect to his sister Karen MacPherson.
Karen is a freelance interior designer specialising in commercial, event and exhibition design, and previously worked with Matt on the Inverness venues.
“The interior was always going to be inspired from a Scottish palette but, importantly, needed to feel like it belonged in the Cayman Islands,” she explains. “Having a dark, tartan whisky bar in the middle of the Caribbean wouldn’t have done justice to our new island location, and having a light and bright island bar wouldn’t have brought authenticity with regards to the whisky or our journey to Cask.”
FEATURES
Stand-out features in the main bar include the whisky gantry which has more than 400 bottles on display, and a sliding ladder.
“While it is a notable feature of the bar gantry, it’s also there out of practicality – to allow the staff quick access to the many bottles on the higher shelves,” says Karen. “Our whisky gantry is split into regions, so the staff need fast access to all the shelves and a classic library ladder seemed an efficient solution to this – as well as being fun.”
There are also cask-ends, or the tops of whisky barrels, on display as artwork on the walls.
“We collected a selection that we thought could really work in the space so that they could be shipped over with the whisky,” says Karen.
The bar top itself is like a work of art, hewn from a large slab of granite, with big sweeping patterns.
“When we saw this piece, it reminded us of Ordnance Survey maps and it was so beautiful we knew it would provide a truly iconic bar top – the perfect fit for Cask,” says Karen. “A bold choice, but we wanted to be able to match the ‘busyness’ that our forest mural wallpaper provided (on the opposite wall) with some visual interest across the bar.”
The other wall covering is extra-fine sisal paper in peacock, which was chosen to reflect the blues of the ocean around the island.
Tables have a copper patina and are paired with a tan leather mid-century styled armchair and some bright teal velvet cushions.
SCOTTISH TOUCHES
To brighten up the cushions, a friend of Matt and Karen’s mum embroidered Scotch thistles. In other nods to their heritage, they have included the pheasant (a common bird in Scotland) as an emblem on the menus, and placed pheasant feathers with thistles on the tables.
On each table setting there is also a quaich (Scottish silver or pewter cup that was used traditionally for drinking whisky) utilised as a candle holder.
There are also a few quirky Scottish touches in the bathrooms such as a decorative sporran (the pouch worn with a kilt) and a framed sláinte print (meaning health or cheers in Gaelic).
THE WOODLANDS
Private tasting room, The Woodlands, has the feeling of a discovery of an elevated, secret space.
The room is intimate and comfortable with a real sense of luxury and privacy. The huge 15-foot table, which seats 12 guests, was hand-carved from Scottish oak and shipped from Scotland.
Overall, Matt is delighted with the look and atmosphere of Cask.
“We wanted visitors to come into a memorable bar interior and an ambience that was warm and relaxed, with comfortable furniture, great service and fabulous drinks,” he says.
ARCHITECTS: Frederick + McRae
INTERIOR DESIGN: Spilt Milk Ltd (Karen MacPherson)
CONTRACTOR: Anchorock
MILLWORK: Merren Design
APPLIANCES: Island Supply
COUNTERTOPS: ITC
FURNITURE: mainly UK sourced
ELECTRICAL: Corporate Electric
PLUMBING: Mac Plumbing
This article originally appeared in the Autumn/Winter 2024 issue of InsideOut magazine.
