SMWS launches cask club

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) will count down to its 50th anniversary with a cask subscription that has been described as the ‘antithesis of investing’.

Members who sign up for the 50th Anniversary Cask Club will be able to follow their whisky’s 10-year journey from cask to bottle. Tasting samples will be sent throughout the decade, with the casks bottled in 2033 – when the whisky turns 10 and the SMWS celebrates 50 years.

SMWS has launched the scheme in response to recent controversy around investing in whisky, with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) publishing an enforcement notice to clamp down on ‘misleading’ whisky cask investment ads in November.

Earlier this month, the ASA revealed that consumers lost £3 million (US$3.8m) through alcohol investment scams in 2023.

Whisky consultant and broker Blair Bowman said: “I’m very impressed with the SMWS’ 50th-anniversary cask club. What I really like about it is that this is all about the special experience and journey of owning your own cask of whisky – I love the idea of having a ‘front row’ seat as the whisky matures over the next 10 years and sampling it along the way.

“This is the antithesis of ‘investing’ in a whisky cask and trying to make a profit from it. Whisky is made to enjoyed and shared, ultimately, and that’s exactly what the society’s cask club is all about – and it’s a nice ‘full circle’ moment as it’s how the society started back in 1983 when Pip Hills and his friends clubbed together to buy a cask of whisky.

“It’s also very important for anyone considering owning a cask of whisky to buy it from a reputable organisation and, with 40 years’ history, they don’t come much more credible and trustworthy than the SMWS.”

Price per cask – which includes 10 years’ storage and insurance – ranges from £4,000 (US$5,080) to £5,500 (US$6984) depending on the cask type. Bottling fee, duty and VAT will be payable at the time of bottling.

A limited number of casks from two distilleries are currently on sale. One is a peated whisky from an island distillery, while the other is an unpeated whisky from Speyside.

Buyers can select different cask types from each distillery, such as Bourbon or oloroso Sherry.

Those who join the club will receive a gift box, a framed certificate of ownership, a glass pipette, an invitation to SMWS’ 50th-anniversary party in Edinburgh, and a year’s membership, which can be gifted.

“If you join us for this special 10-year journey, you are not just purchasing whisky inside the cask,’ explains SMWS’ head of whisky creation, Euan Campbell. “You’re acquiring a work of art that will be aged to perfection.

“During the journey, you will see how the whisky inside the cask matures over time and be able to savour samples during the experience.”