How it works

Choosing your cask

You can request the date upon which you wish your cask to be filled. Give us as much notice as possible and we shall endeavour to fill on your requested date.

You can choose to fill your Whisky into one of five different cask types, all carefully selected by our whisky-makers to complement the fresh orchard fruits character of our New Make Spirit.

Your chosen cask will be filled with New Make Spirit at 63.5% alcohol by volume. Exact capacity varies by cask, but we will always seek to fill to the cask’s full potential – typically 190-200 litres.

Once filled, your private cask of whisky will be warehoused by The Borders Distillery and managed by us on your behalf. The first ten years of warehousing and insurance are included in the purchase price.

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Following your cask

You will be invited to download the 1837® Private Cask App (available for iOS and Android). Once logged in, you can track the evolution of your spirit as it matures.

Each year we will update the flavour profile of your cask, and show how your spirit is developing through a proprietary ‘spidergram’ developed by our whisky-making team.

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding the 1837® Private Cask App.

Important information

Both Duty and VAT are payable after bottling when they are released into the UK from the bonded warehouse, and are the responsibility of the cask owner.

At the time of writing, whisky casks purchased for personal use are not subject to the tax on Capital Gains levied in the UK.

If there is a requirement to export, please note that the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 state that Single Malt Scotch Whisky may only be exported from Scotland in bottles.

It is important to note that in the view of HMRC, the cask purchaser is responsible for being aware of all regulations, duties, and taxes prevailing in their country of residence or domicile relating to the importation of alcohol. You can read them in full here.

In June 2020, the Scotch Whisky Association developed independent advice and information for people considering the purchase of a cask of Scotch Whisky. We recommend anyone considering such a purchase read the SWA’s advice here.

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Your very own bottles of Single Malt

We recommend bottling only after your Whisky has spent at least 8 years maturing in its cask, although you may choose to leave your Whisky to mature for longer.

Once a date is agreed, we will arrange bottling for you, using our standard packaging materials and a personalised label. If you would prefer, you can choose your own labels, boxes, closures, and shipping cases to suit your requirements, and we will advise of incremental costs incurred beyond our standard packaging offer.

Bottling can be at any strength from 40% alcohol by volume, up to cask strength, which after 8 years we would expect to be between 53% and 60% ABV.

The final number of bottles will vary from cask to cask, and by bottling strength, but a reasonable estimate at 8 years would be a yield of 280-300 (70cl) bottles at 46% ABV.