Here is an illustrative breakdown of the full cost of bottling your cask. These costs ONLY become payable IF you choose to bottle your cask, rather than sell it on.
| Cask Age (in 2024) | 6 Years Old | 9 Years Old |
| Initial Cask Purchase | £5,999 | £7,999 |
| Equivalent per 70cl bottle (before costs below) | £30.00 | £40.00 |
| Approximate No. of 70cl bottles (based on ~140L current fill) | ~200 | ~200 |
| Duty [March 2024] (based on strength of 66% ABV) | ~£2,924 | ~£2,924 |
| VAT on Cask and Duty (@20% local sales tax) | £1,785 | £2,185 |
| SUBTOTAL | £10,708 | £13,108 |
| Bottling & Packaging (allowing £10 a bottle + VAT) | £2,400 | £2,400 |
| Shipping (UK, estimate, depends on location) | £700 | £700 |
| TOTAL | £13,808 | £16,208 |
| Equivalent 70cl bottle after costs | £69.04 | £81.04 |
- Numbers are for illustration only and bottle yield volumes depend on rate of evaporation
- The purchase price of this cask includes 3 years storage
- Insurance to a value of £1,000 is included in the price. Additional insurance available.
- HMRC can alter VAT and Duty rates without notice. On bottling these are payable at the prevailing rate.
- The cost of final delivery of bottled whisky depends on location.
FAQs
We’re specialists in, and massive fans of, English Whisky. We have great relationships with English Whisky distilleries all across England and these allow us to get some truly wonderful casks of whisky.
Our retail background means we don't just sell casks, we curate a full end-to-end experience for the entire journey of cask ownership through bottling, to delivery and final enjoyment of your whisky in a glass.
- Some people love whisky and want to secure a larger volume at a preferential price
- Some people like being able to choose how long a whisky stays in cask and have the decision when to bottle
- Some people want to bottle up a cask for family or friends, or perhaps to celebrate a special occasion
- Some people like to team up with friends and hold a cask as a fun project
- Some people are simply interested in English Whisky as an up-and-coming luxury item
- Some people buy casks, hold them in storage and then sell them on once they have matured further
While casks may have the potential to appreciate in value, we do not provide financial advice. We advise our customers to drink, enjoy, even share their whisky... to invest in their future pleasure!
The number of bottles that come from a cask at bottling depend on the following factors:
- The size of the original cask
- How much spirit is initially added to the cask
- How much spirit soaks into the wood on filling (typically about 5%)
- How much spirit has evaporated over time ("The Angel's Share"... usually 1-3% per annum)
- The size of bottle you put the whisky into (most commonly 70cl)
As an example:
- a newly filled 200L cask, aged for 5 years prior to bottling, would approximately yield:
200L x 5% = 10L on 'in fill'
190L x 2% in Year 1 = 3.8L
186.2L x 2% in Year 2 = 3.7L
182.5L x 2% in Year 3 = 3.7L
178.8L x 2% in Year 4 = 3.6L
175.2L x 2% in Year 5 = 3.5L
Approx. spirit remaining after 5 years = 172L
Which is approximately 245 x 70cl bottles.
This calculation excludes any small samples taken for tasting purposes or quality control (say, 100ml per year)
Additional examples:
- a newly filled 225L cask, aged for 5 years prior to bottling, would approximately yield:
225L x 5% = 11.25L on 'in fill'
214L x 2% in Year 1 = 4.3L
210L x 2% in Year 2 = 4.2L
206L x 2% in Year 3 = 4.1L
202L x 2% in Year 4 = 4.0L
198L x 2% in Year 5 = 4.0L
Approx. spirit remaining after 5 years = 194L
Which is approximately 275 x 70cl bottles.
- a newly filled 250L cask, aged for 5 years prior to bottling, would approximately yield:
250L x 5% = 13L on 'in fill'
237L x 2% in Year 1 = 4.7L
232L x 2% in Year 2 = 4.6L
227L x 2% in Year 3 = 4.5L
223L x 2% in Year 4 = 4.5L
219L x 2% in Year 5 = 4.4L
Approx. spirit remaining after 5 years = 215L
Which is approximately 310 x 70cl bottles.
You cask must be stored in a HMRC registered bonded warehouse. Duty is suspended until the whisky leaves the warehouse (usually for bottling).
We have a number of bonded warehouse partners who specialise in storing whisky casks. You are welcome to visit your cask on appointment - see the Full Terms and Conditions below.
You will be provided with proof of your full legal ownership of any cask purchased.
Importantly, it will NOT be held as an asset of Digital Distiller on your behalf; rather it will be legally in your name.
Should Digital Distiller cease to trade for any reason, you retain full ownership rights and control over your cask.
When should the whisky be bottled?
Exactly when the whisky is bottled... is up to you! We will, of course, provide you with guidance as to the options, and there are some important considerations, such as:
- whisky can be left too long in a cask and lose its optimal balance of flavours
- if left too long the ABV (alcoholic strength) would eventually drop below 40%, below which the spirit may no longer be classed as whisky
How will the whisky be bottled?
- sometimes the originating distillery will be able to bottle, sometimes an independent bottler will do this
- size of bottle and labelling options will be discussed with you prior to bottling. There are a range of options available in terms of bottle shape and size, closures, labels etc.
- you can arrange your own bottling if you wish, however duty will need to be paid before the cask is released from the bonded warehouse
We make all the costs associated with owning a cask clear upfront. No surprises! (although there are a few moving variables... see customs duty below)
- The cost of the whisky itself
- size of cask
- alc. strength
- which distillery made it - Cask Storage
- physical storage of the cask in the bonded warehouse - Insurance
- against loss, damage or spoilage - Customs Duty
- this is suspended until the time of bottling
- costs depend on volume being bottled and the alc. strength at the time of bottling - Bottling
- choice of bottle size/shape
- choice of closure (e.g. screwcap, cork stopper)
- label design and materials
There are maintenance costs over the cask’s lifetime. Simple cask storage and insurance is £65 per year after the first three years of complimentary insurance expires.
An independent appraiser annually checks cask values of client casks, ensuring that insurance is calculated appropriately.
If you would like to draw a sample from the cask, or order a re-gauge or a re-rack, these would incur a small fee.
If you choose to bottle the cask, then duty must be paid. Whisky in the cask is a duty-suspended product, and so tax must be paid at the time of bottling. This is calculated based on the strength of the alcohol being bottled.
If you live outside the UK, you will need to pay duty and other locally appropriate fees at the destination country.
Yes, you can nominate someone else to be the legal owner of the cask. We will need to receive this instruction from you in writing.
Most distilleries don’t have the time or operational setup to handle individual buyers wanting casks – typically they either deal in bulk or sell after bottling has taken place.
We have developed relationships with distilleries that allow us to access the casks which we can, in turn, offer to private individuals on a personal basis, and as a managed service.
New fill casks offer flexibility – they can be more affordable, but require patience as they will need time to gather more flavour and complexity with age. There is usually more flexibility of when to bottle as they continue to develop over a longer period of time. They can also make great gifts for grandchildren or godchildren, for example.
Casks that have already had some ageing will be nearer to their optimum bottling window, and will have developed more complex flavours over time. This means they usually come at a price premium and are certainly rarer in terms of availability.
In short, it depends on what you are looking for!
Please do get in touch with us to discuss which options would best suit your needs.
It absolutely can, and it does. The humidity of the storage conditions has a significant impact on the whisky as it ages.
In a high humidity environment, the alcohol evaporates more quickly than the water in the whisky. So the whisky will slowly lose alcoholic strength.
Conversely, in a low humidity environment the water evaporates more quickly meaning the alcoholic strength can actually rise.
Cask Sales Terms and Conditions
1. The certificate of cask ownership and these Terms and Conditions comprise the contract of sale for the purchase of new make or aged spirit between Digital Drinks Limited, a company registered in England under number 14503378, whose registered office is 20-22 Wenlock Road, London, N1 7GU, United Kingdom (hereinafter referred to as the Supplier, our, us and we) and a Customer (also referred to as you or your, purchaser and owner).
2. The casks are only available for purchase by individuals or small groups. We require a single point of contact who will be the legal owner of the cask. on written instruction, ownership can be transferred to another, single named owner
3. Payment is due before the cask is filled (new-fill) or legally assigned to you as the new owner. Bottling costs will need to be paid for in full prior to bottling commencing.
4. The wooden cask remains the property of Digital Distiller. Should you wish to purchase the empty cask, Digital Distiller will provide you with a quote for the cask itself and the cost of shipping it to you
5. Final bottle volumes will depend on how much spirit remains in the cask after ageing.
6. Annual storage charges are £70 inc. VAT per cask per annum (2024 prices) and are subject to change annually. 3 years’ storage costs and insurance cover of £1,000 per cask are included in the purchase price.
7. Casks are stored at Cadus Vaults in Norfolk which is an HMRC accredited bonded warehouse.
8. It is the responsibility of the cask owner to advise the company of any changes of address or ownership in writing.
9. You are welcome to visit your cask, but this must be done strictly by appointment only. We request a minimum of a month’s notice in writing for private cask visits or cask sampling.
10. You will be entitled to an annual sample of your spirit during the storage period. Upon request, we will take one 100ml duty paid sample per year which we will pass to you. Sampling directly from the cask is not permitted under any circumstances.
11. The whisky cask is purchased in an individual capacity for own use, not for resale to an individual or bottler.
12. Pricing is subject to UK duty and VAT which is subject to change by HMRC without notice.
13. Bottling will be carried out at the prevailing cost at the time of bottling. The cask must be bottled in its entirety. We require a minimum of 90 days’ notice of the owner’s intention to bottle their cask. On completion of bottling we can deliver at the prevailing rate to a UK address, or the cask owner can arrange for collection of the bottles.
14. Digital Distiller and all associated logos, designs and devices are the property of the Digital Drinks Limited.
15. For UK taxpayers, UK Capital Gains Tax is not applicable as whisky is regarded as a ‘tangible’, ‘movable’ and ‘wasting asset’. Whisky purchased in cask for personal use, as gifts for family, godchildren and friends, etc would therefore be exempt.
16. At the conclusion of the sale the liquid becomes the legal property of the customer and is held in bond and insured on their behalf at no extra charge.
Please get in touch using our Contact Form
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