21 November 2023
The Artisanal Spirits Company plc
("The Artisanal Spirits Company", "ASC", "the Company" or "the Group")
Grant of Options
The Artisanal Spirits Company (AIM: ART), the owner of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), the leading curator and provider of premium single cask Scotch malt whisky and other spirits for sale primarily online to a discerning global membership, announces that on 21 November 2023, it awarded options over new ordinary shares of 0.25 pence each in the Group ("Ordinary Shares") to certain employees and directors of the Group under the Artisanal Spirits Company plc Long Term Incentive Plan. This includes awards to William McCarter and Chris Leggat as set out below.
| Name | Title | Number of Options Granted | Exercise Price |
| William (Billy) McCarter | Chief Financial Officer | 55,250 | £0.0025 |
| Chris Leggat | Business Development Director | 10,000 | £0.0025 |
These options have been granted in line with the Group's Remuneration Policy and are in the form of nominal cost share options each exercisable at the nominal value of an Ordinary Share of 0.25p ("Nil-Cost Awards") and vest after three years, subject to continued employment with the Group and achievement of performance related vesting criteria relating to the share price of the Company, the achievement of revenue targets and the achievement of EBITDA targets.
Following the grant of these options, Billy McCarter is now interested in a total of 106,650 share options in the Group, and Chris Leggat is now interested in a total of 10,000 share options in the Group.
Following this grant there are a total of 4,260,143 share options granted over unissued Ordinary Shares granted to directors and employees, representing 6.04% of the Group's current ordinary share capital of 70,559,774 Ordinary Shares.
The below notifications made in accordance with the requirements of the UK Market Abuse Regulation provide further detail:
| 1 | Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated | |||||
| a) | Name | William McCarter | ||||
| 2. | Reason for the Notification | |||||
| a) | Position/status | Chief Financial Officer | ||||
| b) | Initial notification/Amendment | Initial notification | ||||
| 3. | Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor | |||||
| a) | Name | The Artisanal Spirits Company plc | ||||
| b) | LEI | 213800KX7VF2YZQW1892 | ||||
| 4. | Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted | |||||
| a) | Description of the Financial instrument, type of instrument | Options over Ordinary Shares of 0.25 pence each | ||||
| Identification code | GB00BNXM3P96 | |||||
| b) | Nature of the transaction | Grant of a conditional award under the Artisanal Spirits Company plc 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan | ||||
| c) | Price(s) and volume(s) |
| ||||
| d) | Aggregated information: · Aggregated volume · Price |
N/A - single transaction
| ||||
| e) | Date of the transaction | 21 November 2023 | ||||
| f) | Place of the transaction | Outside a trading venue | ||||
| 1 | Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated | |||||
| a) | Name | Chris Leggat | ||||
| 2. | Reason for the Notification | |||||
| a) | Position/status | Business Development Director | ||||
| b) | Initial notification/Amendment | Initial notification | ||||
| 3. | Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor | |||||
| a) | Name | The Artisanal Spirits Company plc | ||||
| b) | LEI | 213800KX7VF2YZQW1892 | ||||
| 4. | Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted | |||||
| a) | Description of the Financial instrument, type of instrument | Options over Ordinary Shares of 0.25 pence each | ||||
| Identification code | GB00BNXM3P96 | |||||
| b) | Nature of the transaction | Grant of a conditional award under the Artisanal Spirits Company plc 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan | ||||
| c) | Price(s) and volume(s) |
| ||||
| d) | Aggregated information: · Aggregated volume · Price |
N/A - single transaction
| ||||
| e) | Date of the transaction | 21 November 2023 | ||||
| f) | Place of the transaction | Outside a trading venue | ||||
For further enquiries:
| The Artisanal Spirits Company plc Andrew Dane, Chief Executive Officer Bill McCarter, Interim Finance Director
| via Instinctif PR
|
| Liberum Capital Limited - Nominated Advisor and Broker Edward Thomas Dru Danford Miquela Bezuidenhoudt
| Tel: +44 (0) 20 3100 2222
|
| Instinctif Partners (Financial PR) Justine Warren Matthew Smallwood Joe Quinlan |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7457 2020 |
About The Artisanal Spirits Company
The Artisanal Spirits Company (ASC) are curators of the world's favourite, single-cask and limited-edition whisky.
Based in Edinburgh, ASC owns The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) which was established in 1983 and currently has a growing worldwide membership of over 39,000 paying members.
SMWS provides members with inspiring experiences, content and exclusive access to a vast and unique range of outstanding single cask Scotch malt whiskies and other craft spirits, with current stocks sourced from over 100 distilleries in 20 countries and expertly curated with diligence and care.
Since producing the Society's very first cask, we have created around 10,000 different whisky releases, producing a constant flow of unique and exciting one-of-a-kind whiskies.
With proven e-commerce reach and new brands like J.G. Thomson, ASC is building a portfolio of limited-edition and small-batch spirits brands for a global movement of discerning consumers - delivering c.£22 million in annual revenues with over 80% of revenue generated online and over 65% from outside the UK, with a growing presence in the key global whisky markets including UK, China, USA and Europe.
ASC has a pioneering business model, a substantial and growing addressable market presenting a long-term global growth opportunity and a strong and resilient business primed to deliver growth.
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