I see lidl have that “Abrachan” scotch back in stock. It was good value at 24.99 last time round.
Many years ago when I was doing a brief stint as a private detective I was employed to get photographs of imitation Scotch Whisky on the shelves of Irish off licenses
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Catcher in the rye…
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I’m now undecided. I was of that opioion but the last time I had yellow spot I was simply overwhelmed.
I think you should have that one as God intended. if you’re planning a few more you could miss about with one of them?
I’m only having the one (according to my missus)
Whisky casks to be auctioned and make liquid gold for Scotch lovers
Lucy Bannerman
August 11 2018, 12:01am, The Times
Andy Bell, a whisky buyer and collector. Many Scotch lovers are maturing their own casks of whisky — and can expect an excellent return on their investmentROBERT PERRY FOR THE TIMES
Owning a bottle of rare malt is all well and good. But if you want real bragging rights as a whisky collector, buy the whole cask.
In the giddy market for “liquid gold”, the world’s most expensive bottle of whisky has sold for more than £800,000. However, whisky lovers are not only outbidding each other for the most sought-after bottles, they are increasingly buying Scotch by the cask, happy to wait years while their investment matures in a warehouse, confident their patience will be rewarded with a handsome profit when their barrel finally comes of age.
Choosing how long to wait to bottle your whisky — long enough to boast of its grand old age but not so long that evaporation known as “the angels’ share” leaves little to drink, or worse, the alcohol content drops below the legal threshold for Scotch (40 per cent abv), rendering it worthless — is all part of the thrill for the cask-collecting connoisseur.
Next month, ten “hogsheads” of whisky will go on sale at Mulberry Bank Auctions in Glasgow in the first auction dedicated solely to casks. Estimates range from £7,000-£9,000 for a cask of Tomatin 2008 to up to £200,000 for a cask of Macallan 1989. The sale will take place on September 19, with a tasting on September 12.
Stewart Smith, whisky specialist at Mulberry Bank Auctions, said the sale was opening up the cask market — traditionally restricted to private trade among specialist brokers — to a new breed of collector, who wants to be more involved in developing their own whisky.
He said: “Enthusiasm for whisky is at an all-time high. With a bottle, you are often buying great whisky but it is always the final product. With a cask you can take control as the flavours and aromas are still developing. And of course a cask has a lot more whisky.”
The auction was an exciting opportunity for self-confessed “whisky geeks”, such as Andy Bell, a collector from the isle of Islay. When he turned 21, his parents asked if he would like a cask of whisky or driving lessons. “Now I’m a 38-year-old man who can’t drive,” he said. He does, however, own a cask of 17-year-old Bruichladdich, which is gaining value in an Islay warehouse and is worth “an awful lot more” than the £750 his parents originally paid for it.
Today, even an entry-level cask starts from about £6,000, while the average price of a bottle of whisky sold at auction is a record £328, up from £286 last year.
At the last check, Mr Bell’s cask held about 87 bottles’ worth. “For me, it’s the absolute joy of ownership. It’s a wee piece of history that belongs to me. The name Bell is imprinted on the cask. The joy of owning a cask is that I can decide when to bottle it, whether it’s for my wedding anniversary, or my 50th birthday. I can have my own bottles and my own labels, which gives it a magical feeling,” he said.
He expects the value to soar considerably when the cask reaches 21. He hopes to get it bottled and then sell it.
Andy Simpson, of Rare Whisky 101, a whisky analysis agency, said the boom in cask sales was linked to “exceptional” increases across the market. More than £16.3 million of whisky was sold by UK auctions in first half of this year, compared with £11.2 million over same period. “It’s just brilliant seeing the evolution of your own cask. They’re almost like your children. You watch them grow up,” Mr Simpson added.
Rich returns from risky investment
Recent price gains in the premium whisky market are enough to make investors’ heads swim (Hugo Cox writes). The Apex 1000, an index of rare Scotch whiskies, rose 26 per cent in the year to June, far exceeding the 9 per cent return from vintage wine or the paltry 2 per cent from the FTSE 100.
Supply-demand dynamics look good — the fast-growing ranks of the super-rich have a thirst up: as well as bragging rights, casks provide enough whisky to trade and drink, so enthusiasts can be drinkers, collectors and investors.
Leading distillers, keen to keep prices high and reluctant to pass up the greater profits available from selling bottles, release few aged casks and are increasingly reluctant to distil new whisky for individual investors.
The risks will soon sober you up, though. Thanks to the angels’ share — an evaporation rate of 2 per cent — you’re banking on the price appreciating a fifth in the decade it takes for a Scotch to reach a good state.
Evaporation is an even bigger problem in the secondary market, a larger one for investors, since it occurs at a higher rate for older whiskies. Over-oaking, another hazard from the ageing process, will make the whisky undrinkable and worthless.
Money verdict: Good fun for a punt but only in the riskiest part of a portfolio; try to form a syndicate so you can buy several casks.
Pfft I like chilled red wine
Teeling small batch. Definitely
A chilled gamay or Pinot is grand. That’s about it though for reds imo.
Nice tack, although a little lightweight and expensive. I just finished the last of the Redbrest there, another pleasant drop.
It’s 10 greenbacks cheaper than the redbreaat 12. I prefer it. Send me a bottle of each and I’ll submit a detailed report
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You’re right, for same reason I read that as Teeling Single Malt. Green Spot, Teeling Single Malt and Redbrest 12 are all around the same price here.
@ciarancareyshurlingarmy / @Fagan_ODowd - talk to me about the Aldi whiskey — Is it the Scotch one you were on about?
You are drinking a lot lately. Self medicating as you are daunted by recent news?
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I drink to enjoy the taste, bro. I dont get drunk tho - that’s peasant behaviour.
I have a therapist for any daunting issues.
So much for socialism. Tut tut.
Are you planning on opening it?