No. Depending on the stock held at the time, the minimum purchase price is the price of the lowest value cask at the time the inquiry is made. This price could vary on a daily basis but has no minimum.

No. Cask whisky comes under the control and regulation of HMRC. Cask whisky is classed by HMRC as a ‘wasting asset’ and is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) who govern ‘regulated’ financial investments. Vintage Acquisitions always recommend that you seek independent legal and financial advice in advance of any purchase.

Scotland has been part of the United Kingdom since 1st May 1707. The Scottish people voted against independence on 18th September 2014. Given that Whisky makes up 70% of Scottish food and drink exports the consensus of opinion is that post-independence they will be keener than ever to do trade deals wherever they possibly can which would clearly include the UK. Britain also maintains a very special relationship with the US, by far the biggest importer of Scotch in the world.

Once the purchase of your cask(s) has been completed, you will have received an invoice, a paid receipt and a certificate of title (wet signed and stamped by the founding director) or a Delivery Order (DO) to your own private account, if you have one. All these corresponding documents include the cask’s unique number and recent regauge or filling data (OLA/RLA, AYS, ABV, etc.). On becoming an owner you can visit your cask (warehouse dependant), draw samples and you will receive documentation and correspondence confirming the recommended ongoing care of your cask.

Unfortunately, scams are rife in any industry where success is prevalent. Vintage Acquisitions have been trading for 10 years and urge all clients looking into cask whisky purchase to undertake as much due diligence as possible. In generic terms potential clients should seek independent advice and ensure that full and accurate checks are made when investigating who to deal with. The sale of cask whisky is not regulated by the FCA and therefore purchases are not covered under the FSCS*. Cask whisky purchase is however regulated by HMRC. In simple terms clients should avoid firms advertising spectacularly high returns, offering any claims of ‘guaranteed returns’, firms not on the WOWGR trading register and any firm reluctant or unwilling to provide a written delivery order.
*Financial Services compensation Scheme

The purchase of cask whisky does not come with any guarantees. Offering any type of guarantee would be misleading as there are so many factors that influence markets. Historically purchasing then holding on to whisky casks over the medium to long term has been lucrative however past performance is no guide to the future. Vintage Acquisitions work on the very simple principle that if you purchase whisky casks and are prepared to hold on to them the whisky you purchased will be older, in shorter supply and therefore more desirable than when you first made the purchase.

In either scenario the bottom line is that you own and can evidence the fact that you own specific individually numbered whisky casks held under bond at HMRC regulated warehouses. The casks are yours and form part of the inventory of Vintage Acquisitions. They are not ours to sell. In the unlikely event that Vintage Acquisitions collapsed your cask cannot be sold to satisfy receivers or creditors. The cask remains your property.

The full value of your cask is insured for fire, theft and accidental damages. Any excess on the policy will be met by Vintage Acquisitions so in the unlikely event of a claim you would be entitled to the full market value of the cask at the time of the claim.

If your cask breaks you would be insured under the ‘accidental damage’ section of your insurance policy to the full value of your cask at the time of the claim.