ARE YOU OF LEGAL DRINKING AGE?
Sorry, we're not allowed to show you alcohol until you're of age - come back when you're eighteen!
Here at The Lancaster Spirits Co. we are delighted to introduce you to our private cask programme; the Cask Collective.
With just 100 casks available in the inaugural release, now is your chance to own one of the very first casks filled with our signature new-make spirit.
All casks will be available on a first come, first served basis and the 100 cask limit applies to the entire initial release. Purchasing a cask means you'll own some of the first whisky ever to be distillery & matured in Lancaster, a unique piece of Lancastrian distilling history!!
As a private cask owner you are invited to join us to fill your own cask and we'll then stencil your name on the cask end to mark it as yours. As your spirit matures you can draw annual samples and either collect them when visiting the distillery or we'll post them out to you.
All cask owners will automatically enrol in our Cask Collective Membership for life with all the associated benefits.
The new-make spirit that will fill your cask starts its journey at the award-winning, SALSA accredited Lancaster Brewery.
Our skilled Distillery team distil the wash from our Brewery and create smooth, silky new-make spirit to fill your cask.
Your cask will be filled (you can join us if you wish!) before taking its spot in our Whisky Room to mature over the next decade.
We work with cooperages across the globe to source some of the best casks available so your whisky spirit can develop over time. We can discuss your preferences prior to your purchase...
At LSCo we source first-fill Bourbon barrels from well-known American distilleries such as Wild Turkey, Buffalo Trace & Heaven Hill.
First-fill American oak barrels such as these impart delicious notes of vanilla, honey and tropical fruits.
200L
Our Oloroso sherry oak casks spend the first 25-30 years of their lives in bodegas of Jerez and Montilla in Spain. These casks have been skilfully reconditioned by our partners in Spain to our exacting standards.
Oloroso sherry casks bestow flavours such as rich dried fruits & chocolate as well sweet spice.
250L
Our hand-selected Shaved, Toasted and Re-charred (STR) ex-Red Wine Barriques were formerly used in the production of Gran Reserva Rioja before being filled with our new-make spirit.
STR casks are highly active, resulting in rich and intense flavours including toffee, chocolate and red fruits, as well as a beautiful, deep, rich colour.
225L
First-fill Bourbon – 200 litre American Oak Barrels - £4200ea
Oloroso Sherry – 250 litre European Oak Hogsheads - £5500ea
STR Ex-Red Wine Cask - 225 litre European Oak Barriques - £5200ea
Your cask will be filled with our signature LSCo unpeated new make spirit at an alcoholic strength of 63.5% ABV.
The spirit will age in your chosen cask throughout its entire maturation period.
All casks are held under-bond, duty suspended. No duty or VAT will be payable on the cask until the whisky is removed from the warehouse. Therefore, at this time there are no further costs applicable but please ensure you are familiar with other costs that will become payable once your cask has matured.
The choice is yours! We are happy to discuss this with you before you complete your purchase and you will find some information below which is indicative of the whisky you can expect from your chosen type of cask.
Our first-fill bourbon barrels are sourced from the finest bourbon producers in the US and are pivotal in maturing whisky, imparting distinct yet subtle flavours. These casks infuse the spirit with sweet vanilla, creamy caramel, and toffee, thanks to the breakdown of lignin in the American oak and residual bourbon. The charred casks also add complex flavours such as toasted coconut, warm spices like cinnamon, and subtle fruity notes, enhancing smoothness and depth.
The casks are quite distinct in offering a more intense flavour transfer compared to refill casks. This ensures that our single malt whisky receives maximum impact from the wood’s natural compounds and bourbon residues, creating a rich, well-rounded spirit.
Main suppliers of our bourbon casks: Heaven Hill & Wild Turkey.
Our Oloroso sherry hogsheads have spent the first 25-30 years of their lives in bodegas of Jerez and Montilla in Spain.
The casks have been skilfully reconditioned by our partners in the Spanish cooperages before making their way to us. These are some of the most exclusive and expensive casks we purchase, imparting beautifully sweet and rich flavours to our whisky. Bursting with sweet sherry, hazelnut, coconut, marzipan, and rich raisins, followed by ginger cake and toffee, a spirit matured in an Oloroso cask promises to be a wonderfully complex and distinctive single malt.
Unlike most sherry expressions, which are merely finished in sherry casks after maturing in lesser casks, we age this special whisky in Oloroso sherry casks from day one to finish. This allows the spirit to develop its beautiful warm golden hue, inviting hints of sherry aromas, and a broad spectrum of subtle flavour notes.
Our Shaved, Toasted and Re-charred (STR) barriques were formerly used in the Rioja region for fine red wines. These casks are between five and six years old, sourced from a superb Spanish based cask specialist.
These casks are the most highly active casks that we use.
They impart rich and intense flavours including toffee, chocolate and red fruits. A beautiful, deep, rich colour.
On the nose, expect notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, alongside toasted caramel and muscovado sugar.
On the palate, expect more of the same with rich, sweet red fruits, toffee and molasses.
These casks impart a wonderful array of complex flavours built on a bed of creamy backbone of caramel and molasses.
The initial price includes the following:
NB, subsequent charges for bottling, labelling, duty and VAT are not included, and will be charged at the point of disgorgement. Please review T&Cs for more information.
When you decide to take your cask and it leaves our warehouse several subsequent charges will be payable. These charges will be based on the prevailing rate at time of disgorgement.
Please contact us at cask@lancasterspirits.co.uk and we'll send an illustration of potential charges.
Before you complete the payment for your cask, we will provide a full terms and conditions document by email for you to review, sign and return to us.
Once the T&Cs have been returned, we shall issue an invoice for your payment.
After payment is received, we’ll fill your cask and then we'll issue your personalised LSCo Certificate of Ownership.
We will also send you a Discovery Membership pack – these will be available for shipping from October 2024.
We will endeavour to fill your chosen cask within eight weeks of your completed purchase, unless we are sourcing a specific cask for you. We’ll keep you up to date with our current filling schedules.
You are very welcome to attend the filling of your cask if you wish. Please let us know at time of purchase if this is something you would like to arrange. Filling slots are very limited as we are a working distillery, but we will do our best to confirm a mutually agreeable time upon request.
Your cask must mature in our warehouse in Lancaster for a minimum of 5 years.
After this initial period, all cask purchases include a further five years of maturation and storage up to maximum of 10 years, if required.
We can arrange further storage following the initial 10-year maturation period. This will be subject to at an additional cost charged annually.
We do not currently offer any additional 'finishing' options for cask purchases. Your spirit will mature in your chosen cask for its entire maturation period.
You can request an annual sample from your cask whilst it matures in our Lancaster warehouse. One sample of 100ml will be permitted per annum and we will need at least 4 weeks’ notice, sent via email to casks@lancasterspirits.co.uk, to draw your sample.
Delivery Charges and any applicable Duty charges will payable at the prevailing rate when we draw your sample.
You are welcome to visit your cask and collect your sample at LSCo, but a prior appointment will be needed for all visits.
Please send your visit requests to casks@lancasterspirits.co.uk and we’ll be in touch to make arrangements. We will need at least four weeks’ notice and we kindly ask that you do not turn up without us confirming your visit to avoid disappointment if we are unable to permit entry.
LSCo is a busy, working Distillery and there will be times when visits are not possible due to the production schedule or annual leave.
The spirit in your cask available for bottling after its maturation period will vary depending on the 'Angel's Share' – the natural evaporation and loss of spirit that occurs over time.
Ordinarily, you'd expect to lose approximately 2% of the liquid inside the cask each year due to evaporation, but certain casks experience greater or lesser loss over time. All casks will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure there are no excessive losses.
Maturation period, bottle size and bottling strength will all have an impact on the number bottles remaining at the end of the period of maturation. As an example, you'd expect a 200 litre cask to yield approximately 300x70cl bottles at 46% ABV after 10 years of maturation.
Please note, any quoted numbers are approximates only, your cask may result in more or fewer bottles.
Your cask may need some TLC during its maturation period and our expert team will ensure any upkeep is completed throughout its time with us.
If your cask springs a catastrophic leak during its first ten years of maturation, we will look to replace it with a similar style cask which was filled at a similar time.
Your cask is insured as part of the Cask Collective ownership programme. If any insurable losses occur to your cask, such as fire or theft, you will receive back the purchase price paid.
Your cask must mature in our Lancaster warehouse for a minimum of 5 years and can mature for up to 10 years as part of your initial purchase agreement.
After 5 years you have the following options available to you. Please email casks@lancasterspirits.co.uk to discuss further.
Option 1: BOTTLING
We can arrange the bottling of your cask. We will need a minimum of 12 weeks’ notice to get everything ready for you.
All of our bottling will take place on site at the LSCo. by our team. Your whisky can be bottled at its natural cask strength or reduced to a bottling strength of your choosing.
Please note, there is a minimum bottling strength of 46% ABV. Your whisky will be non-chill filtered and will be bottled with its natural colour.
The water used to reduce your spirit down to bottling strength is the same water used throughout our process, sourced from our own on-site artesian well, The Bowland Well.
Once a cask has been released from bond and bottled, you will need to pay Duty & VAT. The Duty costs will vary dependent upon the remaining whisky in your cask and its alcoholic strength.
Duty will be chargeable at the prevailing rate, set by UK Revenue & Customs. The current rate is set at £31.64 per litre of 100% pure alcohol within the UK. VAT will be chargeable at the prevailing rate, set by the UK Government.
During the bottling process, your cask will be labelled as “Lancaster Spirits Co. Single Malt” and will utilise the unique Lancaster Spirit Co. Cask Collective private labels.
You will have access to a series of pre-designed packaging options for bottling your whisky. Any other specific label requests or requirements will be considered prior to bottling but will be at our discretion.
Naming rights are granted under strict conditions as outlined in the Private Cask Ownership Terms & Conditions.
Option 2: TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP
You can transfer the ownership of your cask to another named private individual. But any subsequent new owner will be bound by the terms of the Cask Collective Terms & Conditions with Lancaster Spirits Co.
A nominal fee of £100 will be payable for this administrative process.
Option 3: BROKERAGE
You can employ a broker as an intermediary, to sell your cask to another named individual or entity. But any subsequent new owner will be bound by the terms of the Cask Purchasing Agreement with Lancaster Spirit Co.
A nominal fee of £100 will be payable for this administrative process.
Responsibility for finding a suitable broker and negotiating terms for selling your cask is entirely with you, the cask owner. We are unable to recommend or guarantee any choice of a broker.
All casks sold to a broker must be removed from our warehouses upon completion of sale. Responsibility for arranging removal of casks and all associated costs remain the responsibility of the appointed broker.
Option 4: CASK BUY-BACK
If you decide against other options, we will buy-back your cask for the initial purchase price paid but only after the first three years since the date of filling.
Your cask will need to be bottled if you would like to export your whisky.
All bottled English Single Malt Whisky including LSCo can be exported 'under bond', with Duty and VAT suspended but the proposed exporter would need to registered for Duty and VAT and be registered as a bona fide exporter.
Duty and VAT would be payable in the country of final destination at the rates prevailing in that country at that time.
It is up to you, the cask owner, to find a suitable importer in the destination country and to arrange the export.
Please note, it is the responsibility of the cask purchaser to be aware of all regulations prevailing in their country of residence regarding the importation of alcohol plus any issues regarding labelling.
Cask Collective members can request to extend storage and insurance of their cask after the initial 10 year period.
This service is available at our sole discretion and will be granted on a rolling annual basis for an additional fee per annum, payable a year in advance. Fees confirmed at time of request.
Purchasing a cask directly from us entitles you to 10 years storage and insurance, whereas, ordinarily brokers will only offer 3-5 years of cover.
Purchasing a cask from a broker is like purchasing a commodity. You are unlikely to ever see your cask or sample its contents, so it is a purely financial investment.
By purchasing from LSCo, you have the opportunity to be part of the spirit’s development from filling your own cask at the distillery, through to bottling and tasting the resulting whisky.
You become a member of the LSCo Cask Collective family with a welcome pack and various exclusive benefits including a VIP Tour Voucher for two, alongside a discount of 10% on all other LSCo purchases.
At the moment, as per current legislation, UK taxpayers, do not pay UK Capital Gains Tax on cask purchases as whisky is regarded as a “wasting asset”.
Whisky purchased in cask for personal use, as gifts for family, godchildren and friends, etc. would therefore be exempt from Capital Gains Tax on realisation of the asset, as per current UK Tax Legislation.
To request more information on our cask offering, please email casks@lancasterspirits.co.uk and we will be in touch to answer any further queries.