ASC acquires US-based Single Cask Nation

By James Bayley

Published: 08 January, 2024

The Artisanal Spirits Company (ASC), owner of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), has acquired the US-based independent bottling brand, Single Cask Nation.

Single Cask Nation, which was founded in 2011 by Jason Johnstone-Yellin and Joshua Hatton, joins ASC’s family of brands alongside the SMWS and J.G. Thomson & Co.

The acquisition is driven by ASC’s ambition to expand its portfolio of exceptional quality brands which are aimed at a growing global community of discerning whisky and craft spirits consumers.

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Today, Single Cask Nation caters to a market of over 10,000 whisky drinkers across the globe, with the US being the largest market for the business.

Johnstone-Yellin (right) and Hatton (left) will continue to run Single Cask Nation as a distinct business within the ASC group. Whisky industry veteran Steve Hawley, president of the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission and former VP of global marketing for Westland Distillery in Seattle, has also joined the team and will work closely with Single Cask Nation to provide strategic and tactical support.

Andrew Dane, CEO of ASC, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Single Cask Nation to our family of brands at Artisanal Spirits Company, alongside The Scotch Malt Whisky Society and J.G. Thomson & Co.

“This acquisition aligns with our ambition to thoughtfully expand the portfolio while staying true to our core mission to captivate a global community of whisky adventurers with rare and exceptional bottlings.

“This is also very much an investment in Jason and Joshua themselves who have cultivated a global following and stellar reputation as thought leaders in the world of whisky. They will both add a tremendous wealth of knowledge, experience and passion to our business and we’re looking forward to welcoming them and their followers to the family.”

Single Cask Nation’s co-founder Johnstone-Yellin added: “In a way, by joining Artisanal Spirits Company we’re coming full circle in our whisky journey. It was actually The Scotch Malt Whisky Society that first inspired us to start an independent bottling business in the first place. We’ve admired them (and their whiskies) for years, so to be a sister brand to them now is pretty wild.”

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