Unlocking new forms of ownership with SegMint

We’ve partnered with the formidable team at 

, by VanEck – global leaders in digital asset management, to bring a new form of shared digital ownership to the luxury cask spirits sector.

This is a partnership that’s been in the works for months, so we’re excited to share all the details. Not just its significance for the spirits industry, but also to the fact we’re launching with a very special one-of-a-kind Linkwood Scotch whisky cask which pretty much anyone, anywhere, now has the opportunity to own a part of.

Our CEO Rob Hollands sums it up nicely when he says, “bringing together our two progressive platforms revolutionises the ownership of luxury and rare spirits, making it simpler and more accessible for existing and new audiences.” The Spirits Business covers more of what Rob has to say about the announcement 

So, what’s involved and what does it mean for the industry? Here are the juicy details.

We’re bringing two powerhouse technology platforms together to open the doors for anyone to own a part of a luxury whisky cask. From whisky connoisseurs to curious newcomers, through to crypto enthusiasts and collectors, we’re making whisky ownership available to anyone, anywhere.

We can do this by digitally dividing this one-of-a-kind 2008 Linkwood cask into 100 ‘keys’ of ownership which are held in a secure digital vault allowing people to buy, collect and trade. The keys are 

, priced at 0.142 ETH (approximately £300), with each key representing two highly-prized bottles of this luxury spirit, redeemable in two years when the whisky has matured to 18-years.

What’s more, each bottle features exclusive artwork created by renowned photographer and whisky enthusiast Ernie Button. The ethereal image is a photograph of crystalised remains of the Linkwood liquid, taken from a sample from the cask. Beautiful.

Whilst the liquid looks great captured in this unique way in a photograph, it also tastes the part, too. Having been carefully selected by our experts for the listing, this 2008 Linkwood has a distinct flavour of ripe orchard fruits, sweet spices of cloves, whilst soft grassy and biscuity aromas provide depth and balance to leave a clean, lingering freshness. It originates from the highly-regarded, Diageo owned, Linkwood Distillery in Speyside.

The cask itself is stored in secure, bonded facilities, and tracked on our Proof 8 

distillery and warehouse management platform

. Once bottled, owners can take physical delivery of their bottles, each one numbered and embedded with an NFC tag, allowing the owner to ‘tap’ into the bottle to verify authenticity and discover its brand story.

This new approach to digital ownership means we’re unlocking new opportunities for brands, spirits producers and warehouses. It means reaching new audiences, enhancing liquidity and enabling faster and more transparent transactions for assets.

The SegMint platform has already made waves in Europe and Asia and been recognised for building a more inclusive and user-friendly digital asset ecosystem. Whilst, our Proof 8 technology has been widely acknowledged for transforming spirits' supply chains across Europe, the UK and US. We’ve made it possible for whisky producers and spirits brands to bring their physical assets to market through digitalisation, using blockchain technology. And it’s blockchain technology – and with it tokenisation - that is the key to unlocking this new approach. Blockchain provides the opportunity to create new forms of ownership by digitalising physical assets, often referred to as real-world assets (RWAs).

Beyond ownership, this new model utilises our blockchain-backed supply-chain platform to deliver full transparency and authentication of the physical whisky cask, which brings much needed accountability and proof of cask ownership for producers and consumers alike. We’re enabling producers to create ‘born-digital’ products where each asset is assigned a unique digital identity and is tracked throughout its lifetime – from the very first ingredient, through to the final bottle.

As Rob says, “Spirit producers and brands are looking for innovative solutions to deliver improved supply chain transparency, unlock new models of ownership and to meaningfully connect with consumers with verified and authentic experiences.

Proof 8 supports this vision for the industry’s future by connecting every stage of the product journey from creation, right through the supply chain and into the homes and hands of the consumer.”

These are exciting times for spirits producers. We’re meeting spirits businesses at the intersection of where tradition, craft and innovation meet and forging a new path ahead.

Matt Bartlett, Head of Web3 at Vaneck and CEO & co-Managing Director at SegMint GmbH, sums things up when he says, “The coming together of our technology platforms opens up exciting possibilities, and we see many benefits for collectors and spirits brands as we get ready to launch more unique sales together in the coming months.”

 to find out what we have in store next with SegMint.



“This exciting partnership with SegMint brings together two progressive platforms to revolutionise ownership of luxury and rare spirits, making it simpler and more accessible for everyone”

Platform

Marketplace

Connected Products Coming soon

About

Team

Careers

Introducing a new model for shared digital ownership

Introducing a new model for shared digital ownership

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Platform

Marketplace

Connected Products Coming soon

About

Team

Careers

Introducing a new model for shared digital ownership

More from Proof 8

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