VERSION 1.1 · EFFECTIVE 2026-09-26
These terms apply when you buy a whisky cask from its owner through The Whisky Index resale marketplace. They're different from buying a new cask from us, so please read them before you buy. You'll be asked to confirm you've read them at checkout.
1.1 "We", "us" and "our" means THE WHISKY INDEX LTD, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 17216416, whose registered office is at 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ, trading as The Whisky Index.
1.2 "You" means the buyer. "Owner" means the person selling the cask. "Cask" means the specific whole cask on the listing. "Warehouse" means Castlelaw, where the cask is held. "Stripe" means Stripe Payments UK Ltd and its affiliates, who process and hold your payment.
2.1 You're buying the cask from its owner, not from us. The contract of sale is between you and the owner. We run the marketplace and the process around it, but we're not the seller and we never own the cask.
2.2 The listing tells you whether the owner is selling privately or as a business.
3.1 Before a cask is listed, the Warehouse confirms to us directly that the owner is its registered owner, and that there are no holds, charges or unpaid amounts on it. We also check the owner's identity, age and sanctions status. We check these details again before your payment is taken, and if anything has changed, the sale won't go ahead and you won't be charged.
3.2 Every listing shows what the owner paid and when, and a label comparing its price per litre of alcohol with our comparable new casks. That label is a comparison with current asking prices, not a valuation, and it doesn't account for age.
3.3 The cask's details come from its record with us, which shows what has been confirmed and what was provided by our supplier. We don't guarantee the cask's condition, contents, strength, volume, quality or future value.
3.4 The owner promises that they're the sole owner, have the right to sell, and that the cask is free of any charge, lien or claim.
4.1 The price shown at checkout is the full price. There are no fees or commissions on top for you.
4.2 You pay in the currency shown at checkout, for the exact amount shown.
4.3 Your payment is processed and held by Stripe, our payment provider. It's only released to the owner once the Warehouse has confirmed the cask in your name and your 14-day cancellation period has ended.
5.1 Before listing, the owner signs a transfer authority addressed to the Warehouse. When you buy, we notify the Warehouse under that authority, and it transfers the cask into your name and sets up your own direct account for the cask.
5.2 Any storage and insurance included with the cask, and not yet used, passes to you. Otherwise, the Warehouse charges its standard storage and insurance rates to you directly from the date of transfer.
5.3 If the transfer isn't completed within 10 working days of your purchase, for any reason that isn't caused by you, you can cancel for a full refund. We'll also refund you in full if we cancel the sale because the owner hasn't met their obligations.
6.1 You can cancel within 14 days of the Warehouse confirming the cask in your name, for a full refund, in the same currency and amount you paid. You don't need to give a reason.
6.2 To cancel, contact us within the 14 days. You'll need to instruct the Warehouse to transfer the cask back to the owner, and you must not have sampled, moved or altered the cask, or created any charge over it.
6.3 This right is in addition to any other right you have by law.
7.1 We're responsible for running the marketplace and the process described in these terms with reasonable care and skill, and for making sure your refund is paid when these terms say it will be.
7.2 Your rights about the cask itself, its description and the owner's promises are against the owner. We'll help you raise any problem with them.
7.3 We're not liable for any loss of profit, loss of opportunity, or any indirect or consequential loss.
7.4 Nothing in these terms limits or excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for anything else that can't be limited or excluded by law. If you're a consumer, nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights.
8.1 We don't give investment, tax or legal advice. Nothing on The Whisky Index is a promise about what a cask will be worth. Value can fall as well as rise, and there's no guarantee you'll be able to sell it later.
9.1 To complete the sale, we share the information needed with the owner, the Warehouse and Stripe. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your information.
10.1 If something goes wrong, contact us first at toby@thewhiskyindex.com or +44 7564 226927. If we can't resolve it, our Complaints page explains the alternative dispute resolution route available to you.
10.2 These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction. If you live outside England and Wales, you keep any protection given by the mandatory laws of your country of residence.
