Ever thought about buying a cask of whisky? Here's how you can get involved!
Did you know you can buy a piece of whisky history to call your own? You can do so by buying a cask of whisky! Many distilleries offer cask buying programmes so you can be the proud owner of litres of the golden dram!
Why is whisky a worthwhile investment?
While crypto may be temporary, whisky is forever. With a rich history in Scotland, Ireland, and America, the drink has been popular for hundreds of years. Whiskies from across the globe, such as Japanese whiskies and Indian whiskies, have become increasingly popular in recent years - it's a product for which demand never seems to cease.
People are willing to splash out their cash on old and rare whiskies to complete collections that they own. Buying and selling bottles of limited edition whiskies is extremely profitable, so you could buy a cask of whisky to try and sell on yourself. However, like any investment it is not guaranteed that you will make a profit from buying a cask so please be wary if this is your reason for buying a cask!
You don't have to necessarily be looking to make an investment to buy a cask of whisky. Casks make excellent gifts for important birthdays, weddings, or even births! It is also a wonderful idea if you are a huge fan of a particular distillery - a cask of whisky to call your own!
How does buying a cask work?
After buying a cask of whisky, the distillery will store and mature the dram for you. Then, once you are satisfied with the maturation period, the cask will be bottled. The number of bottles you will get will depend on the size of your selected cask. It is up to you then what you would like to do with these bottles – keep them to yourself or sell them on to try and make a profit!
Do your research
Before buying in a cask of whisky, it is important that you do adequate research. What size of cask are you looking to buy? What kind of wood would you prefer? What else is the distillery offering if you buy a cask from them? Some distilleries allow you to make a few visits to see your cask during the whisky’s maturation period. Look into several distilleries and find the one that seems to align best with what you want. Don’t settle for a deal that you aren’t completely happy with!
It is also important to keep an eye out for scams. Buying a cask from a well-known distillery should be a pretty safe bet but it is still wise to keep your wits about you. Looking into a variety of distilleries will make it easier to sift out anything that seems a bit suspicious. If a distillery doesn’t have information about buying casks readily available on their website, proceed with caution!
How much is a cask of whisky?
This really depends. The type of cask that you buy will have an impact on the overall cost, as well as the distillery that it comes from. Generally, a contract is written up with an overall sum that will include the cost of the cask before the maturation process occurs as well as insurance and warehousing costs. Then, once your whisky is ready to go, there may be an additional bill to pay which will cover the cost of bottling the whisky and VAT.
Generally, you are normally looking at spending at least a couple of thousand pounds in total.
What are the benefits in buying a cask of whisky?
There are many benefits that come with buying a cask of whisky. The investment alone allows you to be a part of the rich global whisky heritage as you will eventually have a single cask release to call your own. You can also share this whisky with your family and friends, so together you can celebrate the delicious dram that you have ownership of.
Additionally, if you decide to sell the bottles from your cask on, you will hopefully make a decent amount of money from these drams in return.
Why do distilleries sell casks of whisky?
Selling casks of whisky is as beneficial to the distillery as it is to those buying the casks. This is a fast way for distilleries to earn money - distilleries are making thousands of pounds instantly with every cask of whisky that they sell.
Selling casks is particularly beneficial to new distilleries as this keeps money coming in whilst they are waiting for their own whiskies to mature. Additionally, if a distillery is trying to fund an upcoming project, starting a cask programme is a great way to bring some money in. Selling casks is one of the best ways for distilleries to earn money really quickly.
If you're a whisky lover toying with the idea of buying a cask, we couldn't recommend it enough. It makes an outstanding sentimental gift and it means you will have a piece of whisky history that you can forever call your own.
AUTHOR Frances Wilson
Frances joined the team in January 2022 after earning a degree in Journalism & Creative Writing and English. Having spent more than four years working in retail alongside experience as a freelance writer, Frances uses her creative flair to produce our magazine Whiskeria.
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