Frequently asked questions

CaskMatch is not a checkout, escrow service, or broker taking a commission. We are a private marketplace and introduction platform. Access is free Beta until 1 December 2026, then membership is subscription-based. Buyers browse verified cask inventory, review valuation data, and place bids through the platform. During this stage, both buyer and seller remain anonymous. If both parties agree on a price, identities are revealed and a direct connection is opened, usually by email or WhatsApp. From there, the buyer and seller handle invoices, samples, payment, legal transfer, and warehouse logistics directly.

No. CaskMatch does not process payments, hold funds, or take hidden brokerage fees. The platform helps serious buyers and verified sellers find each other, negotiate around data, and make a clean introduction once a deal is agreed. The transaction itself happens offline between the parties.

Every seller is vetted before listing. CaskMatch does not allow ghost listings or speculative brokered stock. Sellers must own the casks they list and must be able to provide proof of ownership, including a valid Delivery Order where required. This keeps buyers connected to the actual decision-maker rather than a chain of intermediaries.

No. Brokered stock is not allowed on CaskMatch. Every cask listed must be directly owned by the seller offering it. This is one of the platform’s core trust rules and is designed to remove duplicate listings, inflated pricing chains, and uncertainty around who actually controls the asset.

Each listing is read against the CaskMatch Benchmark, CaskMatch’s proprietary reference for that cask. Distillery, vintage, wood, age, and fill all matter. Sellers see their ask against it: 1.0 is at the Benchmark. The figure is a signal to negotiate against, not a promise of the sale price.

The CaskMatch Benchmark is CaskMatch’s own pricing reference. It is the 1.0 sellers see their ask against when they list. It is trained on more than 10,000 cask data points drawn from real industry lists. Where enough independent asking prices exist for the same kind of cask, those lists pull the Benchmark toward the market, but not all the way. When members on the platform have already agreed a price on comparable casks, that agreed price pulls more strongly than a list. Unusual or thinly traded casks stay closer to our internal model. It is not a sold index, and it is not a guarantee of what a cask will sell for.

Yes. Free Beta until 1 December 2026. There is no subscription charge and no commission on deals during this period. Paid memberships for Buyer, Seller, and Trader plans start on 1 December 2026.

Yes. CaskMatch is tailored to industry trade: Scotch whisky cask buyers and sellers transacting on the independent market. You can trust that the counterparties exploring the pooled cask inventory and bidding are within the industry and are not representing private clients, enthusiast collectors or hobbyists. This is a trade-only platform.

For sellers and high-volume trade users, CaskMatch may request business registration details, proof of ownership, WOWGR documentation where relevant, and supporting warehouse or cask records. This protects the marketplace and keeps the supply side professional, compliant, and credible.

To list a cask, you need to prove direct ownership. A valid Delivery Order is the key document. You should also have the technical cask details ready, including distillery, spirit type, vintage, cask type, wood type, current ABV, bulk litres, OLA, RLA, and the latest regauge date. Accurate regauge data is especially important because trade buyers often price bids on litres of alcohol rather than bottle count.

The Buyer tier is for buyers who want market visibility, valuation data, and bidding access. The Seller tier is for owners who want to list casks and receive valuation insight, but who do not need to browse or bid on other people’s stock. The Trader tier is for users who need both sides of the marketplace: buying, bidding, listing, and managing higher-volume commercial activity.

Yes. You can upgrade or change your subscription as your needs change. If you start on the Buyer tier and later want to list casks, you can move to a Seller or Trader plan. If you need to both buy and sell actively, the Trader tier is the correct fit.

During free Beta until 1 December 2026 there is no subscription to cancel. After paid memberships start, you can cancel at any time through your billing settings via the Stripe Customer Portal, or by contacting us at admin@caskmatch.com. Once you cancel, paid access remains active until the end of your current monthly billing period, and no further charges will be made.

Because our subscription model provides immediate, real time access to active Scotch whisky cask inventory, comprehensive valuation intelligence, and matchmaking tools, we do not offer pro-rata refunds for voluntary mid-cycle cancellations. However, we will gladly issue a full refund in the event of a verified billing error or duplicate charge. For full details on consumer cancellation rights, trade exclusions, and how to request a billing review, please see our Subscription Terms.

If you cancel mid-month, your account will not be downgraded immediately. Your access to professional valuation data, bids, and listings will continue uninterrupted until the end of your current monthly cycle. At that point, your paid subscription will end, preventing any future renewals, and your account will automatically revert to free preview status or be deactivated depending on your role.

No. CaskMatch is a trade-only platform built for registered businesses and professional operators with repeat cask activity. If you are selling one personal cask outside a commercial trade context, CaskMatch is not the right route.

Once a bid is accepted, both parties are introduced directly. At that point, the buyer and seller can arrange samples, request a fresh regauge, confirm warehouse details, agree payment terms, and complete the transfer offline. CaskMatch does not interfere with the commercial terms after introduction.

CaskMatch does not manage financial recourse because it is not an escrow provider. That said, reputation matters in the whisky trade. If a party walks away from an agreed price without a valid technical reason, it damages trust. CaskMatch is designed to encourage serious bids from serious buyers.

Yes. Once both parties are introduced, the buyer can request a sample directly from the seller or warehouse. Samples are usually handled offline and may depend on the seller’s policy, warehouse procedures, and whether the buyer is covering costs.

Yes. A fresh regauge is often sensible before completing a significant purchase. Because casks naturally lose alcohol and volume over time, current RLA, ABV, and bulk litres matter. Buyers and sellers can agree whether a new regauge is needed before funds are transferred.

No daily cap. Every bid reaches the seller. Bids far from the ask land in Low bids rather than being auto-rejected. Seller accounts cannot place bids because that tier is for listing only. Trader accounts can both list and bid.

No. CaskMatch does not take commission on completed deals. Access is free Beta until 1 December 2026. After that the commercial model is subscription-based. This keeps incentives clean: the platform is paid for access, data, and introductions, not for pushing transactions at any price.

Yes, provided they can complete the transaction legally and work with the relevant warehouse, seller, and tax or import requirements. CaskMatch can introduce buyers and sellers, but users are responsible for understanding local regulations, duty, delivery rules, and ownership transfer requirements.

Casks remain in bonded warehouses and are not moved simply because they are listed on CaskMatch. Each listing should include the relevant storage context where appropriate. After a deal is agreed, the buyer and seller can coordinate transfer of ownership or continued storage with the warehouse.

You are buying the cask as a maturing asset, not finished retail bottles. Bottle yield can be estimated, but the true commercial value depends on RLA, ABV, age, spirit quality, wood, storage, bottling costs, duty, packaging, and market demand.

Yes. CaskMatch supports the way different trade desks work. Buyers can bid in pounds per RLA, pounds per bottle, or total cask value. The goal is to keep pricing legible across brokerage, bottling, and trading workflows while negotiations stay private.

Anonymity keeps the negotiation focused on the cask. Before a price is agreed, buyers and sellers are protected from bias, pressure, trade politics, and unnecessary exposure. Once both sides agree commercially, identities are revealed and the relationship can move offline.

No. CaskMatch provides marketplace access, valuation intelligence, and data-led context, but it does not provide personal financial advice. Casks are specialist physical assets. Buyers should do their own due diligence, understand liquidity risk, and seek professional advice where appropriate.