Spear’s Review

‘Nowadays, people are more curious, experimental and open to choice, which is a great thing,’  whisky adviser Simon Aron tells Spear’s.

With a background in technology, commercial property and agriculture, the angel investor and serial entrepreneur founded Cask Trade in 2018 to create a trusted marketplace for buying and selling whisky casks. Having collected whisky for more than 30 years, Aron recognised an opportunity to make the industry more accessible and transparent, and Cask Trade supports clients throughout the entire cask journey, from distillation and maturation to bottling. 

He emphasises that cask ownership should be viewed as a long-term commitment rather than a short-term investment vehicle, adding that purchases for personal consumption are becoming increasingly common with his clients.

Under Aron’s leadership, the company has expanded internationally, opening an office in Hong Kong to serve growing demand across Asia. 

Adviser Profile

Established in 2018, Cask Trade was set up when I realised there was a need for a reputable marketplace where cask owners could not only buy, but sell with confidence and connect with people across the globe. We are now internationally recognised as one of the biggest stockists of casks in the world, along with supplying a wide selection of ages, distilleries and cask types.

Growing from three to 25 staff, we sell cask whisky to trade and private clients globally, with an office and newly refurbished tasting room in Hong Kong, and joint ventures in Dubai, UAE and mainland China. We support the whole cask journey from cask sale through to exit, including bottling, providing clients with exceptional whisky knowledge and experience, including cask management, market insights and exit advice. We also offer a large consignment sales service, selling into private clients for their own bespoke label, as well as being a key supplier to independent bottlers all around the world.

In 2025, we opened our own warehouse in the heart of Speyside, Scotland, with the capacity for 25,000 casks, including a bottling facility and tasting room all for our clients. 

In 2020, we established auctionyourcask.com as the world’s first online cask whisky auction platform. It offers cask owners, whisky enthusiasts and trade the opportunity to buy and sell unique whisky casks with 0 per cent seller’s fees. 

In 2024, we were 24th in the Startups 100 Index and 147th in the FT1000 ranking of Europe’s Fastest-Growing Companies.

Alongside running Cask Trade, I continue to share my entrepreneurial experience with some of the country’s most exciting business owners – as a judge for the London regional EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 and subsequently attending panels and masterclasses hosted by EY. As a finalist myself in 2023, it’s a thrill to return and meet an exciting cohort of entrepreneurs.