What an SMWS cask really costs
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has released 1,887 single-cask bottlings in the UK since January 2021 that we hold records for. Here is what they cost, and what has changed. All prices are the Society’s own published UK release prices for a 70cl bottle.
The short answer: the median SMWS bottle costs £74.50 and is 12 years old. Half of all releases sit between about £60 and £90.
Prices rose about 19% since 2021, then stopped
Comparing like with like (the same age band, year by year), median release price:
| Age | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 years | £52 | £57 | £66 | £62 | £65 | £60 |
| 10 to 12 years | £59 | £61 | £68 | £69 | £70 | £70 |
| 13 to 15 years | £65 | £73 | £86 | £85 | £80 | £80 |
| 16 to 20 years | £90 | £101 | £115 | £110 | £96 | £104 |
* 2026 covers January to October.
Measured as price per year of age, the typical bottle went from £5.48 in 2021 to £6.50 now, up 19%. Almost all of that happened by 2023; it has barely moved since. UK consumer prices rose by about 24% over the same period (ONS CPI), so in real terms an SMWS cask costs about what it did in 2021.
What has changed is the bottom of the range. In 2021, 42% of releases cost under £60. In 2025 it was 9%.
Islay costs more per year, Speyside least
| Region | Bottles | Median price | Median age | Per year of age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islay | 168 | £89 | 12 | £7.50 |
| Campbeltown | 40 | £65 | 9 | £7.25 |
| Lowland | 74 | £77 | 15 | £6.58 |
| Islands | 109 | £77 | 13 | £6.45 |
| Highland | 544 | £65 | 11 | £6.25 |
| Speyside | 791 | £71 | 13 | £5.78 |
Per year in the cask, Islay whisky costs about 30% more than Speyside. See every Islay code.
The dearest and best-value distilleries
Among distilleries with at least 20 bottlings, by median price per year of age:
| Dearest | Per year | Best value | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macallan (24) | £8.33 | Glentauchers (63) | £5.36 |
| Bunnahabhain (10) | £7.73 | Braeval (Braes of Glenlivet) (113) | £5.38 |
| Glen Scotia (93) | £7.25 | Glen Spey (80) | £5.38 |
| Bowmore (3) | £7.19 | Inchgower (18) | £5.41 |
| Caol Ila (53) | £7.11 | Glenlossie (46) | £5.51 |
The Society’s most-bottled distillery since 2021 is Caol Ila, with 80 releases, followed by Highland Park (66), Glen Moray (53) and Linkwood (52).
Are sherry casks really dearer?
A first-fill sherry cask bottling has a median price of £86, against £65 for first-fill bourbon. But the sherry bottlings are older: 14 years against 11. Per year of age the gap almost disappears, £6.33 against £6.11. You pay for the years, not the sherry.
How this was worked out
UK releases only (the Society’s GB product codes), 70cl, single casks; bundles and gift sets excluded. Medians rather than averages, so a handful of £2,000 Macallans don’t distort anything. 2026 covers January to October. “Per year of age” is each bottle’s price divided by its stated age, then the median of those. The data is the same as the rest of this site (open data); every bottle has its own page here with its own price comparison, reached from its distillery code. Prices are the Society’s published UK prices; this site is independent and unofficial.