Introduction
We have been established in the industry for over six years - but how did we get here? Walk through the company's history with us as we explore the origins of Cask Trade.
The Very Beginning
A passion turned business plan! It all started with our founder, Simon Aron, a small dram of Chivas Regal and a conversation with his father. This conversation sparked a huge interest in discovering and collecting whisky bottles, eventually leading to the creation of a cask marketplace.
“My first taste would have been with my father when I was 18 or 19 years old. It was a dram of Chivas as that was what my Dad used to drink, I liked it immediately. I never really liked coke so didn’t drink it with a mixer, although I thought Canadian Club with American Ginger Ale was very nice. My Dad had a habit that before he would fly he would always get a whisky and ginger ale; I remember how he would say to me how sweet Canadian whisky was compared to Scottish whisky and go through the different flavours with me,” remembers Simon.
It’s been over three decades since this moment and in 2018, Simon launched Cask Trade. He already had thousands of bottles in storage and at home so the next logical step was to buy a cask. Most people back then didn’t know that you could buy a cask, it was a closed market to industry professionals. As a result that became our mission; to give easier access to whisky investment opportunities so that everyone can enjoy the process, not just those in the industry.
The Plan
After his own experiences in the industry Simon saw a market to create an open cask marketplace built on honesty and transparency. The end goal was always to balance the importance of both selling and buying casks.
With his previous experience of creating a marketplace for computer spare parts he knew he could replicate the model through cask whisky.
Simon says: “It was the easiest business plan I could write. To do everything for new customers of casks so they could avoid what I had to suffer. And it really started by doing everything correctly. Setting up a registered company in the UK, getting all licenses so we were starting from a good point, a computer system where we could catalogue all the casks, look after them and manage them. All of that was done from day one.
While it sounds very simple, other people didn’t do this, they were just selling a commodity,” says Simon, who continues: “The one thing I always knew is that I didn’t want to be a broker because you don’t have full control. You have to own the stock in order to check it and the main cause of my pain was the brokers, who were selling someone else’s stock. I had 101 different reasons to do things in a different way.”
Being one of the first companies of its kind to make casks available to individuals, Simon successfully identified a gap in the alternative investment market and committed to building a culture of education and transparency in the relationships Cask Trade hold with their customers.
Achievements & Milestones
Cask Trade’s growth since 2018 has been exponential. Here’s a look at our achievements to date:
We are also proud to have a continued partnership with The Drinks Trust and in 2024, we celebrated with a limited edition bottling of Speyside 2015, selling the bottles at our summer event to raise money for the trust. Here’s a snippet from Simon’s interview with The Drinks Trust:
All these achievements to date and beyond are a testament to the knowledge and hard work of the team behind Cask Trade.
The Future
Looking ahead to the future, Cask Trade are excited to welcome customers and prospective clients up to the new Speyside Warehouse. With a brand new tasting room and adjacent bottling facility, customers will be able to watch their whisky travel from cask to glass, alongside enjoying the beautiful countryside that Speyside has to offer.
We are are also thrilled to continue our charity partnerships with The Drinks Trust and Tusk, ensuring we support causes close to our heart, both in the industry an further afield.
What Can You Expect If You Work With Cask Trade?
Starting your cask ownership journey can come with questions - many people wonder “how safe is whisky investment?”. At Cask Trade you’re not just purchasing a cask, you’re partnering with passionate whisky experts who care. From the first enquiry to exit, we offer honest guidance and personal support every step of your journey.
Start your whisky investment journey today by registering now.