Capital at risk. Physical gold and whisky casks are not regulated investments. The value of investments can go down as well as up. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.
How it works
What happens at each stage when you buy a whisky cask or Royal Mint gold from us: what you do, what we do and the paperwork you receive. Then how each is kept, and how selling works.
Whisky casks, from
£4,500
UK gold, from
£1,200
The same three stages whether you buy a cask, coins or both, each handled by a member of the team. The price and every fee are set out in writing before you commit.
You receiveA written recommendation, by email. No charge, no obligation.
You receiveA written quote, then a bill of sale
You receiveA delivery order in your name, or a vault allocation receipt
After you buy, the two differ. A cask stays in bond in Scotland until it is sold or bottled. Coins stay in a London vault, or come to your door.
Whisky casks
Your cask rests in an HMRC-bonded warehouse, independent of us, until you sell it or have it bottled. No duty is due while it stays there.
UK gold
Your coins are allocated to you in a London vault and insured there, or sent to you by insured, signed-for courier. You can keep some in each.
Your account
We look after what you own for as long as you hold it. Your account keeps the record and every document, cask by cask and coin by coin.
Your casks
Example recordRefill hogshead, Speyside
Cask no. 1107
Your gold
Example recordSovereigns, allocated
Bag no. 0412
Your account lists what you hold and keeps every document. It does not show a valuation.
Three routes for a cask and two for coins. We set out each one with you and handle the paperwork for whichever you choose. The choice is yours.
Whisky casks
Funds usually within fourteen days
An offer from us, based on the current market for casks of that distillery and age. The simplest of the three.
Typically four to eight weeks
An introduction to vetted buyers and independent bottlers. We agree the price with them and handle the legal paperwork.
Roughly 250 to 700 bottles
An independent bottler bottles the cask at a licensed plant, under your label and at your chosen strength. Duty becomes payable at bottling.
UK gold
Funds usually within three to five working days
We buy back at the live gold price, less a dealing spread that we quote before you agree.
On your instruction
Sovereigns and Britannias are widely traded. We send your coins to the buyer you choose, or release them to you to sell yourself.
Capital at risk. What you receive depends on the market when you sell, which can be lower than the price you paid, and some casks take longer to sell than expected. Insurance covers loss and damage, not a fall in value.
Every figure is quoted to you in writing before you commit.
| Stage | Whisky casks | UK gold |
|---|---|---|
| When you buy | From £4,500For a full cask in your name. | From £1,200For a first holding. Each coin is priced against the gold price, and the price of each is set out in writing before you commit. |
| While you hold, first year | £0Storage and insurance for the first twelve months | £0Vault storage and insurance for the first twelve months |
| While you hold, after that | £40 to £80A year per cask, typically, for storage and insurance | £30 to £60A year for a vault holding, typically, with insurance |
| When you sell | 2%Of the sale price, on a buyback or a private sale. A bottling run is quoted separately. | A dealing spreadTaken from the live gold price when we buy back, and quoted before you agree |
Figures from the second year are typical ranges; yours are set out in your quote.
No. The questionnaire, the written recommendation and a call with the team are free, and you are under no obligation to buy.
No. It names specific casks or coins that match what you have told us, with their prices and fees. We are not authorised to give investment advice; for that, speak to an independent financial adviser.
The same checks as opening a savings account: your identity, your address and the source of the funds. We ask for them before you pay.
By bank transfer, once you have agreed the quote in writing. We confirm when your payment arrives, and the paperwork follows.
A cask is recorded in your name on the bonded warehouse’s own delivery order, carrying the cask’s stencilled number, and the warehouse confirms ownership in writing on request. Coins are allocated to you: specific coins, recorded against your name on the vault’s register and kept apart from other customers’ holdings.
Yes. You can visit your cask by appointment and draw a sample. Coins in the vault can be sent to you by insured, signed-for courier at any time. Your account keeps the record and every document.
A cask buyback usually pays within fourteen days, and a sale to a private buyer typically takes four to eight weeks. Gold sold back to us usually pays within three to five working days. What you receive depends on the market at the time.
Your cask is held at the bonded warehouse in your name, on the warehouse’s own paperwork, and your coins are allocated to you at the vault. Neither is an asset of ours. The warehouse or the vault would deal directly with you, or with an appointed administrator, to release what is yours.
Free guides
One for whisky casks and one for UK gold: what you own, where it is kept, the tax, the costs and how selling works. We send it by email.
A fifteen-minute call with a member of the team, without obligation. We answer your questions; the decision remains yours.
