Cask Starter Guide

01 / New make or mature

Choose your starting point.

• New make is freshly distilled spirit, not yet Scotch whisky. It needs time to mature: Scotch whisky requires at least three years in oak casks in Scotland, alongside other legal requirements.
• Mature whisky has already spent years in cask. It may suit a shorter timetable, but age alone does not mean it is ready to bottle.

02 / Your preferences

Start with four simple choices.

• Purpose: enjoying the journey, a future personal bottling, gifting or eventual resale?
• Style: light and fruity, rich and sherried, or smoky? Not sure is fine.
• Time: how long would you like to hold it?
• Budget: allow for the purchase and ongoing ownership costs.

03 / Ownership and storage

Know what you own.

Your purchase records should identify the cask and explain ownership transfer. Confirm how the warehouse records your ownership, where the cask stays in bonded storage and who can give instructions.

04 / Costs

Know what is included.

Ask for a written breakdown of the purchase price, fees, included storage and insurance, then ongoing charges. Future sale, transfer or bottling costs are separate considerations; bottling and delivery can also involve duty and tax.

05 / Practical checks

Keep checks proportionate.

Start with existing filling and warehouse records. A fresh regauge or sample is not an automatic requirement for new make. Consider additional checks only when age, condition, a proposed sale or bottling warrants them, with a quote and your approval before any chargeable work.