OAK & EMBER PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: 07/10/2025

Oak & Ember (“we”, “our”, “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your data when you visit our website, make a purchase, or sign up for our newsletter.

1. Who We Are

Oak & Ember is a UK-based brand specialising in whisky and spirit accessories.

If you have any questions about this policy or how your data is handled, you can contact us at:

📧 Subscriptions@oak-and-ember.com

2. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal information:

• Contact information – such as your name, email address, postal address, and phone number.
  
• Account and order details – including delivery address and order history (processed via Shopify and Amazon).
  
• Marketing and communication preferences – such as your consent to receive emails from us.
  
• Competition and giveaway entries – including your Instagram handle and any information you provide to verify eligibility.
  
• Device and usage data – automatically collected through cookies and analytics tools on our Shopify store.
  

We do not collect or store payment card information — all transactions are processed securely by Shopify Payments or Amazon Pay.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data to:

• Process and fulfil your orders.
  
• Send order confirmations, delivery updates, and customer support messages.
  
• Send marketing emails and newsletters (only if you have opted in via Shopify).
  
• Administer giveaways and competitions.
  
• Improve our website, products, and customer experience.
  
• Comply with legal or tax obligations.
  

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data under one or more of the following lawful bases:

• Consent – when you sign up to receive marketing emails or newsletters.
  
• Contract – to process and fulfil your purchases or competition entries.
  
• Legitimate interest – to communicate relevant updates and improve customer experience.
  
• Legal obligation – to maintain business records and comply with tax laws.
  

5. How We Store and Protect Your Data

Your data is securely stored through Shopify’s encrypted servers and other GDPR-compliant systems.

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse.

6. Sharing Your Information

We will never sell or rent your personal data.

We may share limited information with trusted third parties who help us operate our business, including:

• Shopify, for order management and email marketing.
  
• Amazon, for order fulfilment and customer service.
  
• Payment providers (Shopify Payments, PayPal, Amazon Pay) for secure transaction processing.
  
• Delivery couriers, to ship your orders.
  
• Analytics and marketing partners, to help improve our website performance and campaigns.
  

All partners are GDPR-compliant and only process data in accordance with our instructions.

7. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary:

• Order data – up to 6 years (for accounting and tax compliance).
  
• Newsletter data – until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
  
• Competition entries – deleted within 3 months after the competition ends.
  

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  
• Ask us to correct or delete your data.
  
• Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time.
  
• Object to processing in certain circumstances.
  
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been mishandled.
  

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at Subscriptions@oak-and-ember.com

9. Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies through Shopify to:

• Enable website functionality.
  
• Understand how visitors use our site.
  
• Improve your browsing experience.
  

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and the “last updated” date will be revised accordingly.

11. Data Protection Compliance

Oak & Ember complies with all applicable data protection and privacy laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Our data handling practices are overseen in accordance with guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent authority for data protection.