Tony Hetherington is the Financial Mail on Sunday’s star investigator, battling readers’ corners, revealing the truth behind closed doors and winning victories for those left penniless. Find out how to contact him below.
Mrs. NP writes: I have been made aware of your article on bonds recommended by Nicholas James Finance.
The same people also sold investments in Boann Distillery whiskey barrels, and we are trying to determine if this is a scam as well.
NJF appears to be registered with Companies House, but I can’t find a record of them with the Financial Conduct Authority.
Tony Hetherington replies: Two weeks ago I reported on the trading of subprime loan bonds by Nicholas James Finance (NJF), which is not authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Legally, you can offer these corporate notes only to investors who do not need protection because they are experienced enough to judge the risks or are wealthy enough to withstand a complete disappearance. The evidence is that NJF illegally sold these bonds to investors who were inexperienced and wealthy, and the FCA is now investigating.
Quick measure: Whiskey company’s sales claims didn’t add up
I ended by saying that my own investigations were still ongoing. This is what I have discovered.
In addition to selling bonds with false marketing claims, it also sells investment whiskey barrels with false marketing claims.
NJF salesman Charles Griffin contacted you and told you to expect an average annual return of 10 to 12 percent from the whiskey. He added: “All purchases are made through Whisky&Co, one of the UK’s leading distributors and wholesalers of whiskey casks.”
What he didn’t add is that Whisky&Co is owned and run by Ashley Wilkinson, who also owns and runs NJF.
According to their website whiskeyco.co.uk: ‘Demand for whiskey has far outstripped supply, making it a very profitable investment. Your barrels will be stored in an HMRC bonded warehouse. Their sales agreement goes even further, promising that “their casks will be stored under bond at HMRC-approved distilleries in Scotland.”
From this sales pitch, you might have thought that Wilkinson’s company was offering Scotch whiskey. In fact, it sells casks of Irish whiskey. The spelling is different but, more significantly, the casks are not stored in Scotland, but in the Republic of Ireland, where HM Revenue & Customs has no jurisdiction or powers.
He invested £18,500 and obtained five casks of bourbon from the Boann distillery in County Meath. However, the distillery says the price for five casks is around £16,250.
Whisky&Co has not explained the difference, so presumably it is their commission.
Your purchase agreement says each barrel holds about 225 liters, the distillery says 200 liters – that’s a bit of a difference in what you get for your money!
Whisky&Co’s sales brochure says it “has strong relationships with some of the most active auction houses, such as Bonhams, in the whiskey industry.”
Bonhams, a famous auction house, has whiskey experts and organizes whiskey auctions, but told me: ‘Bonhams has no relationship with Whisky&Co. “We will investigate this further.”
I told all this to Ashley Wilkinson. He did not answer a single question, offer a single comment, or explain his false claims.
I contacted Boann Distillery and Sally-Anne Cooney, a member of the family who owns it, told me: “Whisky&Co Ltd is one of the companies we have a business relationship with and they are fully responsible for their own marketing.”
The bottom line is that you have invested £18,500 based on false claims. You could sue Whisky&Co to cancel the contract, but the company may not have the money to reimburse you – its 2024 accounts show it is worth less than £312,948. So you may be stuck with whiskey and can only hope for the best in ten years’ time when it has matured.
For anyone who may still be tempted by Wilkinson and his salesmen, his bonds and his barrels, I recommend a barge. A very large barge.
3 years to cancel Three’s broadband
Mrs. RE writes: In 2020 I signed a broadband contract with Three.
In 2022 I moved house and canceled it, but recently discovered I was still domiciling to Three.
I called and was told to cancel my payments and it would be investigated, but then I received an email saying my inquiry had been closed.

Conclusion: Three confirmed that the account has not been used since April 2022
Tony Hetherington replies: You I called Tres again and when he asked if they would refund him for payments made over the last 30 months, his call was put on hold before the line went dead.
Shortly after, an email from Three said it had not received the last month’s payment. He explained that he had canceled the account, but Three responded that he had to give 30 days’ notice and that he expected payment for those 30 days.
I asked Three to look into this. Their cancellation process is not simple: you may need a code to switch to another provider, a different code to cancel completely, etc.
Three told me: “We are not aware of Ms. E’s request to close her account in 2022. We apologize for the difficulties Ms. E has experienced, but we have now reached a mutual resolution.” Three confirmed that their account has not been used since April 2022 and has now refunded £787.
If you believe you are a victim of financial irregularity, please write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Due to the large volume of inquiries, it is not possible to provide personal responses. Please only send copies of the original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
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