Cotswolds Cask Offer
The Cotswolds Distillery, Philip’s Field, Stourton, Shipston-on-Stour, CV36 5HG
T: +44(0)1608 238 533 | E: [email protected] | W:
www.cotswoldsdistillery.com
We are offering a limited number of barrels for sale this year. Whether
you are a whisky connoisseur, club or circle of friends, our Cotswolds
Cask offer will involve you every step of the way, from choosing the cask
to keeping a watchful eye over the maturation process.
Be a Part of Whisky History
with a Cotswolds Cask…
The price includes ten years’ ageing in our bonded
warehouse, insurance, storage and the cask itself.
You may choose the time at which you decide to
bottle your whisky, where you will be responsible for
bottling and labelling costs, excise duty and VAT, or
you may choose to bottle 1/3 of the cask at no
additional cost, in exchange for which we keep the
remaining 2/3. Or you can view this as a secured
investment, since we offer all cask owners to buy
back their barrels the original purchase price plus a
6% per annum return. Additional years of storage
are available at £25 per year.
You have a choice of wood - either a 190-litre first
fill ex-Bourbon cask from the USA or a 225-litre
reconditioned American oak wine cask prepared to
the bespoke recipe of our Wood Consultant Dr. Jim
Swan. The decision is yours – the Bourbon cask
imparts a more traditional finish with characteristic
vanilla and honey notes while the wine cask ages
more quickly and provides greater wood and colour
extraction along with fruitier notes. The amount of
time you age your Cotswolds single malt is up to
you, putting you in charge of the end flavour.
We will contact you directly to arrange your
personalised filling date, or if you cannot attend
yourself we will provide you with a commemorative
certificate with the number of your cask, which will
be stored here in the Cotswolds, in our bonded
warehouse next to the distillery.
Why Choose the Cotswolds
Distillery?
Set in 5 acres of beautiful Cotswolds countryside and
housed in a traditional Cotswolds stone building, our
bespoke state-of-the-art distillation equipment is
operating seven days a week creating our fine whisky.
We built our distillery to be the most beautiful in
England, mirroring the Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty that surrounds us. Our aim is to create worldclass artisanal spirits in small-batches using raw
materials from right here in the Cotswolds.
Our single malt is made from 100% Cotswolds barley
and is crafted using traditional Scotch whisky
distillation methods in our beautiful, bespoke copper
pot stills.
We adopt a truly grain to glass approach on our
premium Cotswolds single malt; our barley is grown,
mashed and distilled right here in the Cotswolds, using
traditional methods not changed for hundreds of years.
“High quality new make still glistening with a coppery
sheen on both nose and taste. And it is on delivery
where it really stars, showing a gorgeous weight and
great confidence as it maximises the malt. All spices
and gristy sugars present and correct.”
JIM MuRRAY,’s 2016 Whisky Bible
Don’t be a stranger…
Options and flexibility
Cask owners are invited on an annual pilgrimage to
our distillery, where you will be treated to a tour
and where we will arrange for a sample from your
cask to be delivered so that you can see how it’s
maturing. Casks will be in storage in our own
bonded warehouse on site and can be viewed
during your visit, provided we’re given ample
notice.
Thinking a barrel is too much whisky for you? No
worries, as we provide three different options to
suit your needs:
 Full bottling of your cask for you, with payment
of all taxes and bottling charges;
 Bottling of 1/3 of your cask at no additional
charge to you, in which case we retain 2/3 of the
barrel;
Similarly to your personalised filling date, if you are
unable to visit us for sampling we will happily draw
annual samples on request and hold them here
until such a time as you can make the trip to the
Cotswolds to appraise your cask’s progress.
 Repurchase of your cask at the original sale price
plus an additional return of 6% per year of
aging.
The Best Whisky Deserves the
Best Wood…
The best wood comes from knowing your industry
and that’s why we chose Dr. Jim Swan. During
Jim’s 35 year career he has accrued a vast and
unique knowledge of whisky-making technology
and processes. His specialities lie in deep, detailed
information on oak wood products, cask
management and flavour composition which he has
learnt during his wide-ranging experience. Chemist,
analyst, blender, maturation expert – you name it,
Jim has done it! This means that not only do we
know what we’re looking for in a cask, we have the
resources and industry relationships to source it.
Pricing
Initial Costs
This covers your cask, spirit and five years ageing and insurance. Our primary offering
is that of either 200-litre first fill Bourbon casks or 225-litre reconditioned American
oak wine casks offered at a price of £2,995 (ex-VAT).
Further Costs
After ten years, additional storage and insurance can be purchased for an annual
charge of £25.
Excise duty will be payable on delivery of your final bottles. The current rate is £28
per litre of pure alcohol (See T&Cs for more details).
The cask will be hand-bottled in our bottling facilities at the prevailing rate; currently
£4 per bottle. This charge includes label design and printing, bottles and corks, as
well as the bottling on our line here at the distillery. You are welcome to assist with
the bottling yourself, should you wish.
An annual 100ml sample, which will be held at The Cotswolds Distillery, is included
free of charge.
Pricing
Here we have included an outline of how your costs will work out. There are
many external factors that go into the maturation of a cask and so any
calculations done by ourselves are purely examples and are to be taken as a guide
only.
Your spirit will evaporate at approximately 1-3% per annum. This happens with
every single cask in maturation and is unfortunately something that we are
unable to prevent. We cannot predict the exact rate for individual casks, but the
following could act as a guideline.
Casks draw a certain amount of spirit within themselves in the first year (roughly
5%), each subsequent year also sees slight evaporation rates; roughly estimated
at 1.75% for a barrique. This means that a barrique of 225 litres would contain
roughly 200 bulk litres after five years.
You can decide whether to bottle at cask strength (63.5%) or at 46%, with the
cost breakdown estimated below.
Cask
Size
(l)
Ageing
Years
Price
225
5
£2,995
Litres
after 5
Years
No. Of
Bottles
at 63.5%
Price Per
Bottle at
63.5%
No. Of
Bottles
at 46%
200
286
£10.48*
394
Taxes and Fees
Bottling and Labelling
£1,143
£4
£1,577.64
Excise
VAT
Total
£3,556
£599
£5,298
£12.45
£2.10
£29
£3,556
£599
£5,761.67
Price Per
Bottle at
46%
£7.59*
£4
£9.02
£1.52
£22
* Before Taxes and Fees
Cotswolds Distillery Cask Offer T&Cs
Availability
The vast majority of whisky distilled at Cotswolds Distillery will be for our own use. Only a
very small amount of casks are being put aside for purchase on a first come first served basis.
Check on www.cotswoldsdistillery.com or contact Dan on +44 (0)1608 238 533 or
[email protected] for further details.
Initial Payment
This will vary depending on cask type and size selected and will cover your cask, spirit,
warehousing and insurance for an initial period of five years. This is payable 28 days in
advance of cask filling. These costs are fixed.
Storage
Storage and insurance for the first ten years are included in the initial purchase price.
Further storage and insurance can be purchased for an annual charge of £25.00.
All casks will be stored under bond at the distillery and must remain so throughout
maturation.
During maturation alcohol evaporates from the cask at an annual rate of up to 2%, apart
from the first year where the normal loss is up to 5%. Losses in excess of these rates may
occur.
Cask Visits
You are welcome, indeed encouraged, to visit the Cotswolds Distillery where we will happily
hold samples from your cask. The Cotswolds Distillery is a busy, working distillery; visits are
therefore accepted strictly by appointment only. There are times of year when visits cannot
be accepted owing to warehousing work schedules.
Cask Samples
Samples will be drawn each year on demand. These will be retained in The Tasting Room at
The Cotswolds Distillery. These will be Duty Paid and available for your consideration when
you visit us. Sampling from the cask is not permitted under any circumstances.
One 100ml cask sample per annum is included in the price of your cask and will be retained
for you at The Cotswolds Distillery.
Cask Owner Benefits
With each cask purchase we will provide:
• Cotswolds Distillery Cask Owner Certificate
• You can sign your name on your cask
• Free of Charge Annual Distillery Tours and Tasting and Further Visits at Preferential
Rates
Ownership
This offer is aimed at individuals, or groups of people who want to put the best spirit into
the best wood, sample it as it matures and enjoy their own, distinctive dram once it is
bottled. The distillery retains first rights to resale of casks and must approve any resales to
other parties. Buying a cask with friends is affordable and results in a ‘more manageable’
quantity of bottles at the far end, however, we require a single point of contact with whom
we’ll transact. They will become the legal owner. Ownership is not transferable without
prior permission from The Cotswolds Distillery. Should your cask become available for
sale, The Cotswolds Distillery has first refusal to purchase at the original sales price.
Thereafter, ownership can be transferred to another single, named individual, with The
Cotswolds Distillery’s approval.
Final Payment
This will be due once you decide your cask should be bottled. The majority of the final
payment will consist of Excise Duty and VAT plus bottling and labelling costs. Although
we can provide information on current rates these will fluctuate and you will be liable for
the prevailing costs at that time.
Valued Added Tax
VAT is currently 20%. This is not included in the quoted purchase price per cask. You will
be charged VAT on the bottling cost and Excise Duty at the far end, unless the cask is sold
back to the distillery ‘under bond’. The rate of VAT may change. If current rulings on
VAT payable for items in bond were to change we reserve the right to charge the applicable
rate of VAT at any time.
Partial Filling or Buyback
Should you wish, we will bottle 1/3 of your cask for you with no extra charges, in exchange
for which we will retain the other 2/3. Alternatively, we will always offer to buy back any
cask for the original sale price, plus an increase of 6% per annum.
Cotswolds Distillery Cask Offer T&Cs
Excise Duty
Excise Duty is the tax on the % of pure alcohol, payable to Her Majesty’s Customs and
Excise.
This tax must be paid if the whisky is removed from bond, for example if one is to physically
take delivery of the whisky.
The Duty rate is subject to change on an annual basis. Various different rates of Duty apply
throughout the EU, and the rest of the world. UK Duty is not payable if the cask is sold back
to the distillery ‘under bond’.
Delivery
We can arrange delivery of your goods at the prevailing rate at that time.
Duty/VAT Suspension
If the whisky is exported outside the EU (or to a registered importer within the EU)
Duty and VAT can be suspended (but not avoided) subject to the exporter being
registered for both Duty and VAT. Duty and VAT would be payable in the country of
final destination. It is up to the cask owner to find an importer and arrange this.
Bottling
We offer two bottling strengths – cask strength and 46%. All bottling will be non-chill
filtered and at natural colour.
Bottling of casks younger than five years old will require approval from the Cotswolds
Distillery Manager.
The cask will be bottled in our bottling facilities at the prevailing rate; currently £4 per bottle.
We require 3 months’ notice before bottling and you must notify us where you intend to
deliver the goods, to allow for local labelling and tax stamp requirements.
The cask will be bottled in a Cotswolds Distillery bottle, with a personalised Cotswolds
Distillery label, that meets the cask owner’s approval. This rate includes bottles, corks,
closures, outer cases, label and label design. We will work with you to produce a single label
design. The cask must be bottled in its entirety. Each cask will be bottled separately to
preserve individuality and quality.
On completion of bottling we can deliver, or you must remove the goods at your own cost.
Therefore, your final payment which must be settled prior to release of goods will be either
inclusive or exclusive of Duty and VAT, depending on the delivery arrangements you set up.
For Any More Information, Please Contact;
Daniel Szor; T: +44(0)1608 238533 | E: [email protected]