Your own private cask
A cask of new make spirit, distilled at our distillery on Harris and filled into a carefully selected first-fill Kentucky bourbon cask.
Each cask typically holds up to 200 litres and is filled at approximately 63.5% ABV.
The Private Cask Experience
Your Harris Cask
Our Private Cask Programme offers the opportunity to own your very own whisky, unique to you — from the moment our new make spirit is filled into our carefully chosen casks, to its years of maturation on the Atlantic coast of Harris.
Rooted in the Island
Made with the softest water in Scotland and Scottish malted barley, our spirit is distilled here on Harris before being filled into first-fill Kentucky bourbon casks.
Freshly emptied of Kentucky bourbon and used for the first time to mature Scotch whisky, the cask will have a deep but subtle influence on the flavour and colour of your whisky.
Your spirit will then be carefully looked after in our warehouse in Ardhasaig, tucked between the Harris hills, where the cask, the island and the passage of time will all play their part in shaping its character.
A Whisky Shaped Over Time
Your cask will be filled with new make spirit at approximately 63.5% ABV and will typically contain up to 200 litres of spirit.
Once filled, your cask will be individually marked with the year of distillation, cask number and your chosen name or inscription. You’ll receive a certificate of ownership confirming your place in our private cask community here on the Isle of Harris.
Your cask will remain in our warehouse on Harris throughout its maturation, carefully monitored and insured. Natural evaporation means that the volume of spirit will reduce over time, with the cask, its location, filling strength and length of maturation all influencing the eventual yield.
Samples will be taken at around four, seven and ten years, allowing you to taste your whisky as it develops and follow its progress over time.
What’s Included
Your cask, your inscription
Once filled, your cask will be individually marked with the year of distillation, cask number and your chosen name or inscription.
You’ll receive a certificate of ownership confirming your place in our private cask community here on the Isle of Harris.
Up to ten years’ storage and insurance
Your cask will be stored at our warehouse in Ardhasaig on the Atlantic coast of Harris for up to ten years, with storage and insurance included in the cask price.
Throughout its storage, we’ll periodically inspect the cask for signs of leakage and carry out repairs where necessary.
Follow its maturation
We’ll take samples from your cask at around four, seven and ten years, allowing you to taste the whisky as it develops.
Your whisky must mature in Scotland for at least three years before it can legally be called Scotch whisky. Your cask must remain in our warehouse for at least this period.
Bottle when it’s ready
Once your cask has matured for at least three years, you can request for your whisky to be bottled. You can choose when you feel the whisky is ready, subject to available bottling slots.
Bottling takes place by or on behalf of Isle of Harris Distillers at the distillery and cannot be carried out by a third party.
Create your final bottling
When you’re ready to bottle, we’ll provide a Bottling Preferences Form covering the available bottling options, presentation and labelling.
Your whisky will be bottled in our proprietary bottle and the label can be personalised within our guidelines.
Bottling, delivery, taxes and duties are charged separately and will be confirmed closer to the time of bottling, when the final number of bottles from your cask is known.
Make it yours
Preview your cask inscription
Try up to 15 characters and see how your own words could look on the cask end.
A guide to the finished cask-end stencil.
This is an imaginative preview only. The Private Cask team confirms the final wording, placement and production details with you.
When you are ready
The next step
If you would like to find out more about our Private Cask Programme, our team will share the current offer, order form and terms with you. These include everything you need to know about the price, availability, payment, storage, sampling, bottling, duty, tax and delivery.
Starting a conversation with us doesn’t commit you to anything — it just gives you the opportunity to find out more before deciding whether a Private Cask is right for you.
The Private Cask Relationship
