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Single cask whisky

Single cask whisky is bottled from one cask rather than a vatting of many, so each release has a finite outturn and differs from the next. This page lists the bottles in stock now, including Four Roses, Jack Daniel’s, Signatory Vintage and Gordon & MacPhail.

Most single-cask whisky comes from independent bottlers. American producers call the same idea “single barrel”, which is why bourbon and rye appear here. For barrel outturns, single barrel comparisons and consumer warnings on whole-cask schemes, see our guide to single cask whisky. Some tags are inferred from a bottler’s usual range rather than the label, so check the bottle page before assuming.

Many tagged bottles have no current offer; prices appear when the UK retailers we check have stock. For strength as well as cask provenance, compare cask-strength whisky.

Prices are the best current in-stock offer from the UK retailers we check (how we compare prices).

519 bottles in stock, with the best current price from the UK retailers we check.

Learn more on Whiskipedia

Questions

What is the cheapest single cask whisky?
The cheapest single cask whisky is Buffalo Trace Single Barrel (Barrel 89) - (Master of Malt Exclusive) Bourbon Whiskey (70cl), at £32.95 from Hard To Find Whisky. That is £38.90 delivered to the UK mainland for one bottle. Next cheapest: Jim Beam Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (£34.13) and The Epicurean White Port Edition Lowland Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (£39.95).
How much does single cask whisky cost?
Single cask whisky costs from £32.95 to £14,995.00, with a median of £150.00 for a full-size bottle. The dearest is Port Ellen 1981 Islay Festival 2008 Limited Edition Single Cask Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70cl.
What is the oldest single cask whisky you can buy?
Invergordon 1974 48 Year Old, Whisky Trail Cask #7844000054, at 48 years old, from £249.95.
What is a single cask whisky?
A whisky bottled from one cask, normally without being mixed with any other. The term has no legal definition, so a single cask may have matured in another cask first, as with a finish, and Whiskipedia notes that even several small casks emptied into one larger cask could still be bottled as a single cask.
How many bottles does a single cask produce?
Usually a few hundred: a 200-litre American standard barrel holds about 267 75cl bottles before evaporation, more if it is diluted. The number depends on the cask’s size, which in Scotland runs from the 50-litre bloodtub to casks of 500 litres or more (700 litres is the legal maximum), as well as how long it matured and how much evaporated.
What do the numbers on a single cask or limited release label mean?
Bottles from a single cask are usually numbered in sequence, and the bottle number is printed on the label. The label normally also gives the cask number, the cask type and the dates of distillation and filling.
Why does a single cask taste different from the distillery's usual bottling?
Every cask matures differently, so the same spirit tastes different from cask to cask. Standard releases are vattings of many casks blended to a consistent house style, while a single cask (the usual choice of independent bottlers) shows one cask’s character.
Is single cask the same as single malt?
No. Single malt means the whisky comes from one distillery; single cask means it comes from one cask. Most single malts are vatted from many casks, while a single-cask bottling can be a single malt, a grain whisky or a bourbon. Neither term is a quality grade, so compare the stated distillery, cask, age, size and strength.