How to Join
To be eligible for Membership of the SWA the applicant must be a limited company (and any other form of body corporate as the SWA Council may decide from time to time), a distiller, blender or owner of a proprietary brand, if engaged in the wholesale Scotch Whisky trade, or a broker, if solely engaged in the wholesale Scotch Whisky trade.
Scotch Whisky retailers, cask investment companies or suppliers of goods and services to the Scotch Whisky industry are not eligible.
Applicants should also be able to demonstrate that they have sound financial standing. This can normally be satisfied if they can produce audited accounts for the previous two financial years. If an applicant isn’t able to provide these and they meet the exemption criteria as outlined here then we can proceed with an unaudited set of accounts.
If you are interested in joining the SWA and think you meet the criteria outlined above, please complete the form below providing some background on your company. A member of our Corporate Services Team will be in touch to help process your application.
For more information, contact:
The SWA Corporate Services Team (Email: applymembership@swa.org.uk Tel: 0131 222 9200)
Eligibility Criteria
To check your eligibility to apply, answer the following questions:
|
1 |
Is your organisation formed as a limited company? |
Yes – go to Q3 |
No – go to Q 2 |
|
2 |
Is your organisation formed as another type of incorporated body? |
Yes – go to Q3 (and provide further information about your organisation’s form below) |
No – see Statement 1 |
|
3 |
Have you been trading for at least 2 years, and can you produce 2 years of accounts (audited if appropriate)? |
Yes – go to Q4 |
No – see |
|
4 |
Are you a Scotch Whisky distiller, verified by HMRC under the Spirit Drinks Verification Scheme and currently distilling spirit? |
Yes – see Statement 2 |
No – go to Q 5 |
|
5 |
Are you a Scotch Whisky blender? |
Yes – go to Q6 |
No – go to Q7 |
|
6 |
Is Scotch Whisky blending a significant portion of your business? |
Yes – see Statement 3 |
No – go to Q 7 |
|
7 |
Do you own a Proprietary Brand of Scotch Whisky, listed as a verified brand on HMRC’s Spirit Drinks Verification Scheme? |
Yes – go to Q8 |
No – go to Q10 |
|
8 |
Does your Proprietary Brand of Scotch Whisky constitute a significant portion of your business? |
Yes – see Statement 3 |
No – go to Q9 |
|
9 |
Do Scotch Whisky activities (ie blending and brand ownership) taken together constitute a significant portion of your business? |
Yes – see Statement 3 |
No – go to Q10 |
|
10 |
Are you a traditional broker, solely engaged in the wholesale Scotch Whisky trade (ie you have no retail brokering sales) |
Yes – see Statement 3 |
No – see Statement 1 |
Statement 1 – based on the information provided, you are not eligible to apply for membership of the SWA. However, if you would like to discuss this further please email applymembership@swa.org.uk with additional information about your business.
Statement 2 – you should be eligible to apply for membership. Please request an application pack by emailing applymembership@swa.org.uk.
Statement 3 – you may be eligible to apply for membership. Please email applymembership@swa.org.uk to provide further information about your business and trading activities.