We explore the growing world of casks shares and why we work with English Distilleries to offer you a piece of the action
What are Cask Shares?
A cask share is a fraction of a maturing cask (usually one of a set number) that is exchangeable down the line for a bottle of whisky from that very barrel. Essentially you’re pre-purchasing a bottle from that cask, when the liquid still has months or years left before it is considered ready to drink.
Cask shares can be sold as just the liquid or as a finished product. The difference being that as ‘liquid’ you don’t pay the Duty and VAT until the product is bottled – this allows the distillery or brand selling it to you to calculate this more accurately based on the ABV of the product once it has matured.
Individuals and syndicates have purchased casks from distilleries for decades, but the cask share approach makes the liquid available to more customers, fans and enthusiasts who can’t afford a whole (or large chunk of a) cask themselves.
Why sell cask shares?
Why do distilleries (and brands like us) sell cask shares rather than wait and sell bottles from the casks? There are many reasons. A big factor for distilleries is the chance to generate revenue before their whisky has matured to the legally binding 3 years – or perhaps they need the cash flow in order to lay down more barrels for their own products of the future. For us it’s the chance to provide access to new distilleries and their products from their outset – as well as provide our members and English Whisky fans with unique products that often won’t be released by the distilleries themselves.
Another reason is the journey. When you buy a bottle of whisky your interaction is – most often – with the retailer, not the distillery. By purchasing a cask share you get to partake in the journey of that distillery through cask & distillery updates, and sometimes getting the chance to sample other products (like new make spirit) early in the process.
Finally, cost. A cask share should be a good deal compared to the equivalent product in 3+ years time when the cask is bottled. Inflation aside (!) all of our cask shares will be bottled at over 55%, mostly cask strength, which essentially gives you more than a bottle of 40% ABV whisky when you water it down (if you so desire). It also allows you to spread the cost into two payments years apart, taking the edge off a £50-£100 bottle of single cask whisky.
Are they for you?
Cask shares aren’t for everyone. Just as some people don’t buy single casks, casks strength or independent bottles of whisky, there are many who love the one-of-a-kind products cask shares provide – love supporting distilleries and brands in their early years – and love the products these distilleries are making (and know that a cask share is the only way to guarantee a bottle in the future from distilleries that may well sell out of their limited releases for years to come).
Check out our available cask shares today and see what you might be drinking in a few years’ time!
Cheers
