Scottish drinks firm Domhayn has announced a Kickstarter campaign to fund what it calls a world-first experiment: maturing a spirit-filled cask at pressures equivalent to 1,000 fathoms, or 1,830 meters below the ocean surface.
The crowdfunding campaign will run from April 9 to May 12, 2026, inviting global backers to support the project.
The company has already gained recognition for submerging oak casks at 200 meters in Loch Ness, a process it says produces smoother, more integrated rum and whisky. Those releases earned a place in the Top 50 most innovative spirit launches of 2025 by The Spirits Business.
Domhayn, whose name derives from the Gaelic word for deep, now aims to test how extreme hydrostatic pressure can further evolve flavor beyond what traditional aging or its own Loch Ness trials have achieved.
The new experiment targets pressures equivalent to 184 bar — nearly 10 times deeper than previous trials.
Founder James Patterson said: “Submerging casks into Loch Ness started as a bit of curiosity, just wanting to see if pressure would actually change anything. It did.”
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“This next step is really about understanding how far that effect goes, and whether we’re only just scratching the surface,” he added.
The project will take a phased approach. Initial trials will use a controlled hydrostatic pressure chamber on land before any ocean submersion is attempted.
Patterson explained: “These initial tests will let us recreate deep-sea conditions in a controlled environment, so we can see exactly how the casks respond as pressure builds.”
“If that goes well, we’ll move on to a full ocean experiment and try to reach those abyss-level depths for real,” he said.
The science builds on established principles of cask maturation. According to the company, increased pressure compresses the oak structure, causing air pockets within the wood and liquid to contract and expand. This movement drives the spirit deeper into the wood and back out, creating measurable changes in chemical composition.
The 1,000-fathom mark holds historical significance in ocean exploration. In the 19th century, expeditions led by figures such as James Clark Ross recorded some of the first measurements beyond this depth, an area often referred to as “the abyss.”
Patterson added: “The project is not just a technical experiment, it’s also a nod to the early pioneers of ocean exploration. We’re curious to see how far we can push the science, while connecting to that history of discovery.”
Domhayn has attracted early interest from whisky enthusiasts and collectors, particularly in the United States and Canada. The Kickstarter campaign will allow backers to follow the experiment’s progress, with limited releases planned if the project succeeds.
