Whisky curator reports solid start amid US uptick – Daily Business

Scotch Malt Whisky Society has seen a rise in membership

Whisky curator The Artisanal Spirits Company has posted a solid start to the new financial year with an uptick in the US and Asia.

The owner of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), Single Cask Nation, JG Thomson and Artisan Casks, said trading was in line with expectations and FY26 guidance is unchanged.

Cask sales growth, together with year on year revenue improvements in Asia and the United States are helping to offset a slower start in Europe, where consumer confidence remains subdued.

New membership for SMWS has started the year strongly, up by just over 20% in the first four months of FY26 compared with the same period in FY25, with particularly strong growth in China and the US.

Retention is holding steady at around 70% and total membership remains just under 40,000 members worldwide.

In late April SMWS launched the first of a series of limited‑edition World Cup bottlings, linked to the upcoming FIFA Men’s Football tournament, including a 35cl release which sold out within 48 hours. A further bottling is now available and an additional release is planned shortly.

Trading for SMWS America has continued the positive momentum from Q4-25, with year-to-date sales up by single digits, and strong recruitment performance (up over 30%), driving single digit membership growth in the early months of 2026.

ASC welcomed the announcement on 30 April that the tariffs on Scotch Whisky imports to the United States would be removed.

Andrew Dane: Positive momentum

As previously noted, chairman Mark Hunter has decided to step back from all formal business commitments for the foreseeable future due to health reasons and did not stand for re-election at the AGM.

Paul Skipworth, deputy chair, has assumed chair responsibilities on an interim basis until an independent c hair successor is appointed. Gavin Hewitt has also retired as a director after serving for just over 11 years.

Andrew Dane, CEO, said: “While macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges clearly remain, we are pleased to have delivered some positive momentum into FY26.”

He said this was most notably the impact of the three key areas of strategic focus for FY25, the work on growing SMWS recruitment, the focus on the US market, and the company’s launch of Artisan Casks which is starting to deliver a meaningful contribution.

He added: “I would also like to take this opportunity on behalf of the board to share my personal thanks to Mark Hunter for his leadership of the group since 2021, helping to drive the culture, strategy, governance and performance, with over 50% growth in revenue and membership delivered since IPO.

“Similarly, we are indebted to Gavin Hewitt for his significant contribution to the whisky leadership, insight and focus that he has brought to the group for over a decade. They both leave the business in good shape with a lasting legacy, for which we are sincerely grateful.”

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