Simon Aron

Description

With an extensive background in technology, commercial property and agriculture, angel investor and serial entrepreneur Simon Aron has turned his obsessive hobby of more than 25 years into his life’s focus with Cask Trade.

Aron has collected, graded, traded and invested in bottles and casks of Scotch whisky for more than a quarter of a century. With unprecedented gains in the value of single malt whisky outstripping many other top performing luxury investments over several years, he decided the time was right to build a marketplace not easily available to buyers and sellers previously.

Aron and his team take care of every cask through each stage of its life-cycle, from the date the whisky is distilled, to the day it has been aged to perfection. Whether you seek to enjoy a wee dram or a great alternative investment – or even both, Aron is steadfast in the belief that whisky can provide a fulfilling experience.

‘Similar to art, there are limited quantities of the good stuff – and demand worldwide outstrips the supply,’ says Aron. Partnering with some of the world’s foremost whisky masters, including Keeper of the Quaich Sir Colin Hampden-White, Aron has built a considerable stock of fine and rare casks over the past two years, as well as an open sales platform and the world’s first online-only auction for casks.

‘We’re not brokers, but stockists,’ explains Aron. ‘Our aim is to build a true, safe marketplace.’

With whisky becoming an asset class traded among both investors and enthusiasts, Cask Trade doesn’t just sell just the liquid or offer up fractional ownership. Clients own their casks outright, based on the firm’s belief that purchasing a portion heightens investment risk.

‘There are real trust issues in this market, with too many companies offering guaranteed percentage returns,’ says Aron. ‘Over my 25 years of collecting, I encountered all sorts of false promises.’ But there are no such concerns here.

Cask Trade’s expert team are able to guide clients as to when casks are at their optimal value, and even aid in enhancing their desirability. As Aron says, ‘We are 11 experts covering all angles of the cask whisky trade, and we have clients from around the world. Having traded thousands of casks, our knowledge of whisky and its value is our greatest asset.’