Frequently Asked Questions

Wm Cadenhead is Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, founded in Aberdeen in 1842 and based in Campbeltown since 1972. We purchase casks from distilleries, mature them in our own warehouses, and bottle them under our own name. Read our history.

No. We are a bottler, not a distiller, so there is no Cadenhead’s distillery to tour. What we do have in Campbeltown is our warehouses and bottling hall, and we run warehouse tastings there. If you want a distillery tour, our sister distilleries Springbank and Glengyle run their own. See what’s on.

Yes. Cadenhead’s and Springbank Distillery share a parent company, J & A Mitchell & Co Ltd, which bought Cadenhead’s in 1972. J & A Mitchell also owns Glengyle Distillery. We bottle spirits from distilleries all over the world, not just Campbeltown.

Our warehouses and bottling hall are in Campbeltown, on the Kintyre peninsula in Argyll. We also have shops in Campbeltown, Edinburgh and London. Visit us.

Cadenhead rhymes with “said”, not “seed”: CAD-en-head.

No, that is the whisky behaving as it should. We do not chill-filter, so the natural compounds that cause a haze are still in there. Add water or ice, or leave the bottle somewhere cold, and it can turn slightly cloudy. Why we don’t chill-filter.

Because we bottle a lot of our whisky straight from the cask, without diluting it, and no two casks come out at the same strength. One release might be 54.2% and the next 48.7%. The exact figure is printed on every label.

Entirely up to you, and with a cask strength bottling it is worth trying both. A few drops will open up the nose and soften the alcohol. There is no correct answer, only the one you prefer.

One of our Enigma bottlings. Sometimes a cask is sold on condition the distillery’s name stays off the label, and sometimes the labelling rules will not let us describe the spirit the obvious way. The label still carries everything we are allowed to tell you: strength, cask type, region, and an age or vintage where we can give one. More about Enigma.

Our labels typically carry the distillery or region, the age or distillation year, the cask type, the bottling strength, and the bottle size.

It depends entirely on the cask. A single cask might give a few hundred bottles, sometimes far fewer. When the cask is finished, that bottling is gone for good.

Almost never. Each single cask is bottled once and is not repeated, so if you find one you love, that is the one. Our continuous products, like Seven Stars and Classic Rum, are the exception and are made to a consistent profile that we all know and love.

Upright, out of direct sunlight, somewhere that does not get warm. Unlike wine, spirits do not keep maturing in the bottle.

From this website, from our shops in Campbeltown, Edinburgh and London, and from stockists around the world.

We ship across the UK and to much of Europe, and to selected states in the USA and to Alberta in Canada. The full list, with prices, is on the shipping policy.

UK orders usually arrive within 3 to 5 working days, international orders usually within 14. Every order is tracked and we email the tracking number when it leaves us.

Yes. Someone aged 18 or over has to receive the parcel, and the driver may ask for ID. We cannot leave alcohol in a safe place or with a neighbour.

Orders outside the UK are sold without UK VAT, and local duties and taxes are paid on arrival. The USA is the exception: those are paid at checkout. Full detail on the shipping policy.

Yes, within the period set out in our returns policy, as long as it is unopened and in its original condition. Faulty or damaged bottles are replaced or refunded.

Some releases are a few hundred bottles worldwide, and popular ones go in minutes. Joining the Cadenhead’s Club gets you earlier notice.

When a release is in much higher demand than we have bottles, we run a ballot instead of selling first come, first served. You enter, and if you are successful we take payment and ship the bottle. Entering runs an authorisation check on your card to confirm it is valid. It is not a charge, and you will not see money leave your account. Full terms.

Please get in touch and we will talk it through.

We are not able to value bottles. For a valuation we would suggest approaching a specialist auction house.

Our membership scheme, and a one-off payment of £75 for life. Members hear about new releases about a week before everyone else, can buy Club-only bottlings, and get two free tastings a year, for life. More about the Club.

£75, paid once. Membership lasts for life and there is nothing to renew.

Amongst other benefits, Club members receive:

– Two free tastings per year (in Campbeltown or London).

– Around a week’s notice of new releases before anyone else.

– Access to Club exclusive bottlings and tastings.

Generally around a week before the general public.

Campbeltown, Edinburgh and London. Addresses and opening hours are on Visit Us.

Yes. We have tasting experiences available in both our Campbeltown and London shops. See what’s on.

Booking ahead is strongly recommended, as tastings sell out. Details and booking are on the tasting pages.

Yes. You can nose everything, and we will give you a drivers dram pack to enjoy once you are home. We operate a zero tolerance policy on drinking and driving.