Cask Review

One man's honest assessment of the whisky cask market as he draws on his time in the industry, while trying to save others time as they do their own research.

Cask Review

Welcome to Cask Review. Buying, storing and selling whisky casks can, at best, be opaque; at worst, risky. You should do your research. Here's mine, to give you a head start.

Slàinte, your friend in whisky.

What you need to know.

I don't profess to know everything. But, I'd like to think I know a thing or two. I've certainly got no shortage of opinions!

If you're interesting in investing in whisky casks, I think you need to know a few things.

Who are they?

And are they transparent about that.

What do they do?

And what are their credentials.

What's their reputation?

And what their customers think of them.

What do you get?

And is it good value for your hard earned money.

Whenever a friend asks me for advice on the whisky market, my first answer is always: go and do your homework - research the answers to these four questions.

But, I've been asked enough times that I thought others may benefit from a headstart in their research. Please treat it as just that. A headstart - not a substitute.

Who are they?

Legal entity and company history.

When deciding whether a company is safe to buy a cask from, it is important to understand the relationship between its trading name and its underlying legal entity. Many businesses operate under a brand name that differs from their registered company name. While this is common, it can sometimes make it difficult to establish who you are actually contracting with and where liability lies if something goes wrong. Checking that the trading name is properly linked to a registered legal entity provides reassurance that you are dealing with a legitimate business rather than just a brand front with little or no accountability.

The founding date of the company can also be an important indicator of reliability. A business that has been trading for a number of years will usually have an established track record, giving confidence that it has the experience and resilience to manage cask purchases responsibly. By contrast, very new companies may not yet have demonstrated financial stability or the operational expertise required to safeguard long-term cask investments. While newer firms are not necessarily unsafe, the founding date provides useful context when weighing the risks involved.

What do they do?

Company attributes and assets.

Do they bottle their own whisky?

Whether a brand bottles their own whisky can give you a clue as to how established they are in the world of whisky, and the degree to which they are whisky experts - versus cask traders alone. It's not essential, but its a nice sign of a brand with a rounded approach to whisky.

It can also open up more opportunities. Want to bottle your own whisky? There could be benefits of working with a company that knows the ropes. Looking to maximise exit opportunities? Perhaps they'd be interested in bottling your cask.

Do they provide Delivery Orders?

The ability to provide Delivery Orders is a key detail. A Delivery Order is the formal HMRC-recognised document that transfers ownership of a cask within a bonded warehouse. Without it, you may not have legal title to your cask, regardless of what a sales invoice says. Ensuring a company issues proper Delivery Order is therefore essential for protecting ownership rights.

Do they have their own warehouse?

Whether a company has its own warehouse can speak to both control and accountability. A firm that operates its own bonded warehouse is directly responsible for the storage, management, and compliance of the casks it holds, rather than outsourcing these functions entirely to third parties. This often means greater transparency, as the company can provide clear records, easier access to casks, and direct oversight of their condition.

By contrast, companies that do not own warehouses rely on intermediaries, which can introduce extra layers of complexity if there are disputes or delays. While using a third-party warehouse is common and perfectly legitimate, the absence of in-house warehousing makes it more important to confirm exactly where casks are stored and under whose control. Ultimately, a company with its own bonded warehouse demonstrates a higher degree of operational capability and permanence, factors that can provide buyers with additional confidence.

What do their customers say?

Customer reviews and ratings.

Customer reviews and ratings on platforms such as Trustpilot or Google Business can be good clues as to how a company conducts itself. While not definitive proof of reliability, positive feedback from previous customers can show a company's strengths. You should take note of any reoccuring themes in negative reviews. And, sometimes, reading a company's response to feedback can give you a sense of how they've delt with the situation, particularly where things have gone wrong.

That said, reviews should always be approached with a degree of caution. Online ratings can be faked, and a lack of negative reviews is not in itself a guarantee of safety. In the whisky cask market, where investments are long-term and ownership transfers depend on proper documentation, trust should not rest solely on customer reviews. Instead, you should use these ratings as one piece of your research, alongside checks on the company’s legal entity, track record, and ability to issue Delivery Orders.

What do you get for your money?

Cask pricing, and what's included in the price.

Prices can vary significantly

Cask prices can vary significantly, and it is important to understand the factors that influence them before committing to a purchase. One of the most obvious drivers is the age of the cask: older whisky has spent more time maturing, typically increasing both its rarity and its value. The size of the cask is also critical, as larger vessels such as butts or puncheons hold more liquid and therefore yield more bottles than smaller casks like octaves or quarters, directly affecting both price and future bottling potential. In addition, naming rights can influence value; the ability to label a whisky with the distillery’s name often commands a premium, whereas “secret” or undisclosed distillery casks may be more affordable but can carry less cachet.

What's included?

It is equally important to look beyond the headline price and check what is actually included in the offer. Some companies bundle in elements such as insurance, storage fees, and regular health checks, while others sell the cask at a lower upfront cost but leave ongoing expenses entirely with the buyer. Clarifying these points ensures you understand the true cost of ownership and helps avoid unexpected charges later on. Ultimately, evaluating cask prices means balancing the tangible factors of age, size, and branding with the practical considerations of long-term storage, insurance, and additional services.

A note on storage and insurance

Beyond any storage and insurance that might be included in the cask price, it's important to factor these ongoing costs into your thought process. Storage and insurance can both vary a fair bit. Storage will depend on, in particular, the size of the cask. Insurance will depend on the value of the cask, and what risks are being covered. But to give you a really rough idea, you should budget between £50-£150 a year for storage, depending on cask size and value.

Individual summaries.

Brand round-ups.

The tables above provide side-by-side comparisons. The reviews below compile all the same information on each brand into individual summaries.

CaskCap was founded as London Cask Co Ltd in 2021, before changing its registered name to CaskCap Ltd in August 2024, and again to CaskGroup Int Ltd in May 2025. They are a UK registered company with their registered address in Upminster.

CaskCap trade in whisky casks. They do not have a warehouse, or an independent bottling arm. They do offer Delivery Orders.

Across Trustpilot and Google Reviews CaskCap has a total of 77 reviews wth an average score of 4.6 out of 5.

Visit CaskCap’s website here.