'We’re for the host with the most' - why the Scotch Malt Whisky Society has moved into selling casks

At a time when the buying of whisky casks has been subject to, quite rightful, scrutiny, as rogue businesses are overpromising or, sometimes, committing fraud, it’s an interesting move when one of the biggest whisky member’s firms decides to move into the sector.

Artisan Casks launched in July 2025 and is now on to its 2026 cask portfolio. Over lunch and a tasting at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Edinburgh, Mr Mackay talked us through the business and why it is definitely not an investment opportunity.

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“I call it a luxury private cask program as we’re all quite aware that there’s tons of different things going on with whisky casks at the moment, some of which are not very positive in terms of people being missold,” he said. “We’re very keen to reassure people that this is nothing like that at all, that's why we call it a luxury private cask program. It’s not what I’d call wholesale casks, which is what started as intra-whisky-company trading casks from each other.

“This is a completely different thing. Everything is designed to be for people who want to enjoy the whisky but in particular to be the host with the most. Principally it’s for gifting and entertaining, which is what people do with the bottles. The casks can give anything from between 150 to 250 bottles so people ask what to do with that many bottles of the same whisky. But for some people it makes a lot of sense and it’s people who entertain and gift a lot, for example owners of businesses.

“They want to be able to do something unique and personal and we find that there’s nothing better - for someone who’s a whisky lover - to say ‘here have a bottle, you won’t have seen it before because it’s from my cask and you can’t buy it anywhere’.

“It’s not an investment program, though it’s the sort of whisky that’s likely to appreciate over time but that’s not the way the company has been set up or designed. There are some clients who say I’ll keep half the bottles and sell half, I’ve been doing this for 10 years and I don’t know many clients who have sold many bottles.

“Maybe one or two at auction just to see what happens but many don’t want to sell, as they’re too good to use as a gift item or for entertaining so the value to them is indirectly much higher than it ever would be if they wanted to turn it into cash.”

There are some big names and ages in the new portfolio, so how are they chosen? Mr Mackay said: “We pick casks that are at peak quality so they are ready to be bottled if the client wants to bottle them. We can also pick casks that have other ageing potential as people enjoy having their cask ageing for a few years and they can bring friends to Scotland to see it and take samples. Everything is aimed to take the risk out of it and put the fun into it.”

Having come from the private members’ society which has been going for over 40 years, Artisan Casks have also fostered a club society, driven by the cask owners.

Mr Mackay said: “For the SMWS it’s all about getting together with friends and trying as many good whiskies as you can. Whereas Artisan Casks is all about being the host with the most.

“The whisky is obviously why the client buys the cask but it then moves pretty quickly into the lifestyle side where people ask me when they can meet other cask owners and, when they do, there’s an instant bond even if they’re from completely different backgrounds or cultures.

“They talk about swapping bottles and that’s where the SMWS comes into its own. Anyone who buys a cask gets a lifetime membership to the SMWS. It’s a place they can sit down with other cask owners, which they can do at the clubhouses here and at regular events around the world. It’s a fairly organic extension of the SMWS.”

Mr Mackay said the time was right for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society to move into the private cask sector given the stock it now holds.

He added: “The society has been buying up casks for 43 years and has not been as commercial as other companies, which is why you have got casks like the ones left over.

“Other companies would’ve already put these into bottles and sold them. That’s why they’re in a very happy position in terms of inventory. I knew, in the last nine years doing similar programmes, that there are people out there who’d love to own these casks and get their own private bottles. So it’s really putting those two together.

“There is a bit of a crossover (with the SMWS), but it’s not that strong which is why we gave it its own identity. The starting point is the same, in the same warehouse, but the way it’s brought to life and packaged up that’s totally different.”

Artisan Casks start at £60,000 and extend into six figures, depending on age, distillery of origin and cask size.

All casks are at least 20 years old and ready to bottle, whilst cask owners can also choose to age their casks further as desired or to celebrate a particular milestone, witnessing first-hand the technical artistry involved in maturing whisky of this calibre.

To aid their maturation assessment of the cask, cask owners may request up to two bottles per year, which will be delivered alongside a whisky-maker’s maturation statement and evaluation.

As for the drams we tried, it was the 1989 Bunnahabhain which really stood out with its banana bread notes and oily mouthcoating texture. followed closely by the 32 year old Macallan. It’s definitely another world for most of us, but if you have the means and desire to own a cask that you’ll soon bottle for gifts, head to https://artisanal-spirits.com to find out more.

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