Casks
Irish Whiskey Assets’ casks are typically American Oak and are first used to mature Bourbon whiskey in the US. Each cask holds 200 litres and is filled with newly distilled Irish malt whiskey spirit and water, for stability.
The spirit used is always premium single malt. Once the spirit has been triple distilled and the cask filled, it is given a unique identifying number. This number is detailed on the cask owner’s Certificate of Ownership & Provenance. The filled cask must be left to mature for a minimum of three years and one day, before the contents can be classified as Irish whiskey.
Documentation & Ownership
Once your whiskey has been distilled and your casks filled and secured in the Bonded warehouse, your documentation is issued. Each cask owner is issued with a Certificate of Ownership & Provenance, which details your individual cask numbers, the date your whiskey was distilled, and confirmation of the origin and provenance of the whiskey. These are the title deeds for your casks. The cask owner holds the Title Deeds of their casks, and backup records of cask ownership are secured in the Cloud. The casks are the property of the cask owner, and Irish Whiskey Assets simply act as warehouse tenants for your casks.
Bonded Warehouse
Once the casks are filled, they are carefully loaded onto pallets of six and are stored securely in a Bonded warehouse. Bonded warehouses are highly regulated and secure environments, and the casks are insured for general damage, fire, and theft. The casks are very secure, as Bonded warehouses operate under strict security protocols. Irish Whiskey Assets are approved with the Irish Revenue Commissioners as Tenants with several Bonded warehouses, allowing us to store casks on behalf of our clients. Cask owners are notified as to where their casks are warehoused.
Maturation
Once the casks are filled, the whiskey begins to mature in the Bonded warehouse. Casks of Irish whiskey are unique, in that they are appreciating assets. As the whiskey matures, its smoothness increases. The taste becomes richer and more complex, and the whiskey grows in value. In recent years, casks of rare Irish whiskey reached record prices at auction. Many savvy investors plan to allow their casks to mature for decades until they are rare, and much sought after.
Angel’s Share
Natural evaporation occurs during the maturation process, also known as Angel’s Share. This is at its highest during the early years of maturation, then slows over time. Climate affects evaporation, and Ireland is considered ideal for maturing whiskey. Over the lifetime of a cask, it may lose around 2% each year due to Angel’s Share. However, while the volume may decrease, the value of the whiskey will continue to increase, which more than compensates for any natural losses.
Yield
Typically, after five years of maturation, each cask will yield around 380 bottles of 700ml each, at a 40% Alcohol By Volume (ABV). The whiskey may also be bottled at cask strength, which would result in a lower bottle yield, but with a higher alcohol strength. For cask owners that decide to bottle and label their own whiskey, we can help with this through www.ownlabelwhiskey.com
Brand
The casks do not start out as brands, rather the branding takes place at a later stage. The content of the cask is considered a commodity, and only when the whiskey is finished and bottled will it become a ‘brand’. In this way, more options are open to the cask owner when it comes to selling their casks. The branding process may involve finishing the whiskey in another cask, such as sherry, rum or stout, or it may be blended with a grain whiskey. It may be branded as a private label, or for one of our associate brands such as McCarthy’s Irish Whiskey, Glencree Irish Whiskey or Peadar Kearney’s Irish Whiskey.