Well, before we start with the casks themselves, let’s look at the distillery. Every distillery has its own story and its own distillation and maturation methods, so it’s good to take an overall look before you get stuck into the individual casks.
For us, it’s really important that our whisky makes the biggest flavour impression with the smallest carbon footprint, and that’s why we only use organic barley, 100% renewable energy, and will bottle your whisky into a 100% recycled glass bottle. The organic barley’s rich soils result in concentrated flavour in the grains, and in our spirit, giving our whisky exceptional body and texture before it even hits the cask.
Owning a cask of Nc’nean single malt also gives you a great excuse to visit Scotland’s beautiful west coast, to see how our whisky family is getting on.
SO, ONTO THE CASKS
We have three cask varieties you can choose from, all sourced by our team to ensure the highest possible standards. All the casks have been seasoned prior to our use of them, which in turn helps each cask develop a unique flavour profile.
Our ex-bourbon casks come mostly from Kentucky – the home of some of the best American whiskies. Maturing our spirit in these barrels gives it flavours of clean toffee, vanilla and orchard fruit. If you are typically a bourbon drinker but enjoy a Scotch, then this is the cask for you.
Our red wine casks have been shaved, toasted and re-charred which caramelises the sugars in the residual wine the wood holds. Maturing your whisky in one of these casks will develop flavours of warming spices and pastries. If you're a fan of richer, spicier single malts, or even heavier bourbons or rye, then this is for you.
And our sherry casks on the other hand taste like roasted nuts and jam. These casks produce truly decadent whiskies, adding viscosity and intensity, as well as flavour. For lovers of fruit forward single malts.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Our casks start from an initial cost of around £3000. Then when you’re cask is ready, you’ll need to pay for bottling, shipping and any duty or taxes in your country of residence. For example, if you purchased an ex-Bourbon cask with 5 years of maturation, you would pay £3000 up front to own the cask. Then when you’re ready to bottle, based on current figures for customers living in the UK, an additional; £3000 in UK duty, £1500 in VAT and £1500 in bottling and shipping. This brings the total estimated cost to £9000.
To put that in perspective, this cask would typically yield around 322 bottles at 46%, making the cost per bottle around £28, which we would expect to retail for a minimum of £50 per bottle.
WHERE WILL MY CASK BE STORED?
Don’t worry, you’re not going to have to re-arrange the furniture. We’ll store your cask in one of our bonded warehouses on site until it’s ready to be bottled. You’re welcome to visit whenever we’re open, just let us know you’re coming so we can ensure the team can spend some time with you.
CAN I PERSONALISE MY CASK?
Of course - we will stencil and paint your cask with a name of your choice, and send you a hand written certificate. But for 2020, we are adding something even more special. This year, to acknowledge the global feeling of hope and change in light of all the recent events, we will be hand-stencilling 'Hope lies in dreams' on the end of each cask of whisky. This quote, one which has stuck with our founder Annabel through the last few months, derives from Jonas Salk's "Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams a reality."
CAN I MATURE MY CASK FOR LONGER THAN 5 OR 10 YEARS?
You most certainly can, you’re in complete control how long the whisky is aged for. We charge £100 for each additional year per cask to cover storage and insurance fees.
I'M IN, WHAT'S NEXT?
Simple, if you’d like more details then take a look at our frequently asked questions video below, or if you’re ready to pick a cask then you can send us your details to casks@ncnean.com, or head to our cask page to send an enquiry.