The Artisanal Spirits Company LON:ART, a creator of limited-edition whiskies and experiences around the world – and also the owner of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Single Cask Nation & J.G. Thomson, has reported that its recent releases via the SMWS have received excellent uptake.
Based in Edinburgh, the ASC stocks whiskies from 150 different distilleries across 20 countries, which are sold to members as both individual bottles and whole casks. Single Cask Nation was acquired just over a year ago to unlock an impressive US distribution network of whiskey enthusiasts.
ASC delivered revenues of £23.5m in FY 2023, most of this from outside the UK. It is tapping into growth markets for whiskey in the US, China, European and Japan among others.
The Scottish Malt Whiskey Society
The SMWS creates and sells limited-edition whiskies and experiences around the world. The Society recently launched its new Creators Collection with its inaugural release of the series, The Peat Plants Collection, at the end of November 2024. This was followed by the recently launched Homecoming Collection.
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Complementing SMWS’ existing Signature and Heresy ranges, the Creators Collection is a new series from the Society that showcases the liquid art of whisky making and the visual art of illustration, which has curated some of its oldest and rarest whiskies and collaborated to design beautiful labels to create the ultimate in whisky flights.
The first two releases of The Creators Collection have been met with encouraging demand by members of the Society with strong trading results. The initial Peat Plants Collection having generated over £250k of sales, with the second Homecoming Collection proving equally as popular, with a particularly impressive take-up from members in the EU, resulting in 75% sell out in this market within the first 24 hours. It has generated confidence ahead of the remaining market launches (including the US on the 11th of February).
Andrew Dane, Chief Executive of Artisanal Spirits, explained:
“The level of demand for these initial launches is encouraging and we look forward to continuing to innovate and leveraging the future opportunity open to us to captivate a growing global community of whisky adventurers. We have entered FY25 on the back of a strong set of FY24 results, on track to deliver further profitable growth in FY25 and beyond, continuing to demonstrate the strength of our pioneering model through product innovation, growing revenue diversification and efficient cost management combining to help achieve our ambition of creating a high quality, highly profitable and cash generative premium global business.”
The company’s acquisition of Single Cask Nation in FY24 has delivered better than expected initial trading results, and allows it to incubate and trial new product propositions in a very low cost/low risk way, with the scope to expand in due course, whilst accelerating the important US operations
Likewise, the ability to innovate also extends to the company’s recently launched full bottling service for third party customers at its Masterton Bond Supply Chain Facility. Experience in sourcing and supply of dry goods, spirit preparation, bottling, packing and customer service, particularly with regards to smaller volume runs, makes the company well placed to take care of bottling and distribution requirements across the industry.
