The startup of scotch experts guiding investors through the billion-bottle market

The £4.9bn whisky market is proving an exciting venture for new and experienced investors alike – and Cask Whisky Ltd is supporting people every step of the way

A London-based startup born in lockdown has emerged as the nation’s go-to investment firm for advice and guidance surrounding the billion-bottle whisky industry.

An end-to-end, personalised service, Cask Whisky partners with one of Scotland’s top whisky distributors and has access to over 20,000 casks of single malt scotch – dealing exclusively in quality casks a minimum of five years old.  

Supporting clients in buying, storing and selling, Cask Whisky has thrived in its first year as investors flock to a market that involves 1.14 billion bottles being exported from Scotland to 166 countries every year. 

At any given moment, 22 million casks are sat maturing in warehouses – with scotch whisky accounting for 75 per cent of all Scottish food and drink exports and 21 per cent of all UK food and drink exports. Scotch whisky exports are worth around £3.8 billion to the Scottish economy and more than 10,000 nationals are directly employed in the industry, with around 2.2 million people visiting the distilleries each year. 

These huge numbers have resulted in surging interest from potential investors – but Cask Whisky Ltd has expressed the importance of having a trusted partner in order to make a profit. 

Advice issued by experts at Cask Whisky for those considering an investment is as follows:

Buy high up the sales chain

If you deal with whisky agents a few times removed from the originating distillery, the cask will have seen a number of intermediaries charge a commission before it makes it to the client. Buy high up the sales chain for better value. 

Reputation is key

Always buy a good cask of good age from a reputable distillery with proven provenance from the day the cask was filled. 

Plan ahead

Seriously consider how long you are looking to hold the cask for. This will determine the age and type of cask you need so you can achieve your investment objective e.g. if you are thinking about bottling your cask, you need to be going for old, rare varieties. 

Check credentials 

Troy Hubbard, Director of Cask Whisky, explains that WOWGR certification is a valuable indicator of an investment company’s capability and knowledge in the investment market. 

“In order to get our WOWGR we were put through a series of stringent tests by an officer from HMRC to ensure our viability as a company,” Troy states. 

“This ultimately proved the feasibility of our investment proposal and detailed checks of our trade partners to ensure the safest possible entry of our clients into the whisky market.” 

Having enjoyed terrific success in its first year, Cask Whisky is now expanding and moving to new office premises in spring 2022 – encouraging existing and new clients to head down for in-person consultations. 

There are also plans to host whisky events throughout the rest of the year – enabling clients to learn more about the brand and get to know the team and fellow investors. 

Cask Whisky Sales Director Craig Arch stated: “We hold an open door policy here at Cask Whisky. 

“The pandemic has put many in the habit of a Zoom call but we love to meet our clients face to face at our London office and get together at one of our whisky events.”