On Whisky Cask Ownership: Share the dream, Share the dram
Share the dream, share the dram
If the past few months have taught us anything, it is that there are some things in life that we very much take for granted. Simple things that we didn’t think much about before have suddenly taken a new significance. We are having to be patient for things, live in the moment and not think too far ahead into the future. In many aspects of our lives, we have been used to instant gratification, but recently we have had to learn to wait. For everything; even the simplest of things like seeing family and visiting our favourite places for a coffee.
We have had a lot of enquiries over lockdown about whisky cask ownership. The most common reason for purchasing a whisky cask has been because people want to share it with family or friends. They have a connection with the Isle of Arran and they want to share that with the people that they are most connected to. Never has that bond been more significant for many people than now.
That said, we are sometimes asked what we think the expected returns on our casks will be, and whether or not we regard it as a safe ‘investment’. We can’t impress upon people enough that whisky cask ownership is not about financial investment but rather it is an emotional project that is hard to put a price tag on.
Our White Stag community is a testament to how friendship built up over time is worth more than any amount of money that you may or may not stand to gain from purchasing a cask of whisky. With a whisky cask purchase, there are costs that have to be met upfront and even then, your cask is not a finished product. It is a work in progress, much like ourselves. Patience is required whilst your whisky matures and extra savings a little further down the line are needed in order to bottle your whisky whenever it is ready. When you become a whisky cask owner, you are most definitely not in it for the short term….but that is the whole beauty of it.
You can’t put a price on being able to sit around a table, taste a whisky sample with your friends or family and listen to their thoughts whilst making a plan for a future time that you will share it together. This is where the real gains are to be had and where the real value lies.
Our Lagg Cask Society is something quite unique. It really is your once in a lifetime opportunity to get involved with a Distillery right at the very start of its story. To share in a brand-new island adventure with a pioneering company that has a proven track record of being able to nurture a Single Malt into a respected and worldwide renowned independent brand. There are some extra special benefits to being a Lagg Cask Society member, some of them are perfect for sharing with family. You have the golf pass which entitles you to play all of the golf courses on Arran and you have an overnight stay at The Lagg Hotel. Of course, you also have your beautiful metal engraved membership card and plaque for your cask which features the name that you choose to call your cask. You also get your name on a plaque that forms part of our Lagg Wall of Fame inside the Distillery itself. Your family name could literally be 'in with the bricks' forevermore at Lagg!
Probably the most exciting benefit of all is the gift of a bottle from Cask Number One when it is bottled at 10 years old. Cask Number One was filled in April 2019 and is the only Sherry Butt to be filled at Lagg Distillery so far. It is being specially held aside to be bottled for the 700 members of the Lagg Cask Society. You will be among the first to own a 10-year-old Lagg Single Malt, and the fact that it will have been matured in a Sherry Butt will make it stand out as being a truly unique Lagg expression.
This is an exciting journey and the story so far has been incredible. We have carefully constructed a building, incorporating meaningful and considered features into it every step of the way which makes it unique to Arran. We have filled it with passionate, knowledgeable people who really care about making our island legacy one to be incredibly proud of. The whisky is in good hands and we are so delighted to have so many Lagg Cask Society members already joining in on our journey with us.
So, if you are considering what you may have to gain by purchasing a cask of whisky, we are here to tell you that it’s about connection. In a world where everything has been distanced, bring yourself closer. Don’t think about what you might earn in 10 years time, think about what you will gain in memories along the way. The people you will hear from, the friendships you will enjoy and perhaps even the different cultures you will immerse yourself in through new friendships and shared interests. Those real-life memories are the ones that will still be there long after the last virtual hammer has fallen in an online auction.
