The Owners Of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Are Releasing 10 Ultra Rare Single Casks
This year’s hyper-luxe showcase includes a 31-year-old Macallan, a 30-year-old Laphroaig, and a 34-year-old Mortlach.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s parent company Artisan Casks is releasing ten incredible single cask whiskies for 2026, including Macallan, Laphroaig, and Mortlach casks. If you want a bottle, though, you’re going to have to buy the whole cask.
The program, which launched in 2025, sells these incredible whiskies not by the bottle ,but by the cask. That means that every last drop of liquid is yours to do with as you please. Artisan Casks come to the company through sales — the company buys these barrels from the distilleries speculatively, hoping that the liquid inside becomes a gem over time. It’s a daunting task to walk into a warehouse and pick the winners from a seemingly endless number of barrels, which is why that responsibility falls on the practiced palate of James Mackay, Private Client Director at The Artisanal Spirits Company.
“When created with the highest levels of care and craft, I believe Scotch whisky is one of the world’s true luxuries,” says Mackay, “which is why it’s so rewarding to connect each year with whisky lovers internationally. We’re looking forward to bringing more people together this year for some truly unforgettable whisky experiences.”
The 2026 portfolio of casks vary in price based on age, distillery, and the size of the cask itself, but all are at least 20 years old. Estimates place these casks between $80,000 and well into the six figure range. The 2026 Artisan Casks portfolio includes Bowmore, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Glen Garioch, Glen Grant, Laphroaig, Macallan, and Mortlach. In addition to the single malts, the collection includes a “highly characterful 34-year-old single grain Scotch whisky from North British distillery in Edinburgh, as well as ‘Speyside Symphony’, a 33-year-old ‘teaspooned’ blended malt Scotch whisky.”
While Mackay and the Artisanal Spirits team of experts believe that these casks are showing incredible character, you have some flexibility as a buyer in when you put the liquid into a bottle. Cask owners can choose to age their casks longer (to reach a certain age or to wait until a particular milestone) and they can also choose to pull up to two bottles per year of a sample as their cask continues to age.
They’ll receive those bottles from Artisanal Casks alongside a “whisky-maker’s maturation statement and evaluation” updating them on the state of their spirit. If you’re interested in securing one of these one-of-a-kind casks, there’s a showcase in New York on June 4. You can find more information on the rarefied casks here.
G. Clay Whittaker is a Maxim contributor covering lifestyle, whiskey, cannabis and travel. His work has also appeared in Bon Appetit, Men’s Journal, Cigar Aficionado, Playboy and Esquire. Subscribe to his newsletter Drinks & Stufffor whiskey reviews and trends, perspectives on drinks, and stuff.