Whisky industry defies economic turmoil with exponential growth-boosting favourability with investors  

Pandemic pushes investors towards cask Irish whiskey and Scotch   

• The Irish and Scottish whisk(e)y industry is predicted to grow at a high CAGR in the next five years in spite of the coronavirus economy, driving higher investor interest
• Irish whiskey exports have grown by 300% in the past decade, with the US market worth $1bn alone 
• A third of investors are looking to cask whiskey investment amongst other ‘alternative investments’ to protect their wealth during the pandemic
• 55% of investors would turn to cask whiskey to hedge against economic uncertainty and spread risk once informed with potential returns being the biggest driver  

Eighty-nine percent of investors are changing their approach to their portfolios by turning to alternative investments to spread risk, at a time when the UK economy plummet by a fifth. According to the 2020 Cask Whiskey Buyer Report, with premium cask’s whiskey becoming increasingly appealing.

New research by cask whiskey investment leader,Whiskey & Wealth Club also reveals that investors largely favoured longer established options such as art (31%), antiques (28%) and wine (24%) with interest in cask whiskey investment rising to 55% in the current environment.

Over two-thirds of investors cite the potential returns on cask whiskey investment as the main reason to invest. While 57% are willing to invest in the spirit to diversify their portfolios as the pandemic affects financial markets.

Commenting on the report findings, Whiskey & Wealth Club founder, Jay Bradley, said:

“The more ‘traditional’ alternatives, such as art and, antiques and watches are the most sought-after. Yet cask whisky, is becoming popular as an ever-appealing prospect for investors looking to negotiate this period of financial uncertainty and meet their changing needs.”

The appeal is especially with younger investors. Over half of those aged between 25-34 are more likely to invest in the spirit over their older counterparts, reflecting recent trends with whiskey’s growing popularity with younger drinkers.

Whiskey’s growing investment appeal 

Globally whiskey’s popularity has soared in recent years and is set to continue increasing the demand for aged spirit. Currently, the Scotch whisky secondary wholesale market is estimated at $40m according to the IWSR, the global benchmark for wine and spirit data. Last year alone, exports grew to a record £4.9bn.

Irish whiskey is also amid a resurgence following its fall from grace as the in the early twentieth century. Exports have grown by 300% in the past decade, with the US market worth $1bn alone. 

Cask whiskey investment is a developing market that has largely been unexplored, having previously been available to a select few. The market is now more accessible, with investors able to purchase casks of premium spirit from leading distillers via brokers. The investors receive full ownership of the casks they purchase, while distilleries receive an injection of capital.

Bradley concludes: “As the cask whiskey buying market matures, the key differentiator is the cachet of premium spirit. Investing in a whiskey from a premium distillery or brand — with a limited run— offers the potential for significant return on investment. When it comes to whiskey, quality and rarity will always count.”

Research methodology

Whiskey & Wealth Club commissioned research in summer 2020 from Censuswide of 505 individuals with capital of £100,000 or more available for investment –full methodology.

About Whiskey & Wealth Club

Whiskey & Wealth Club is a wholesale whiskey company that connects individual investors with authentic and premium Irish and Scottish distilleries. The distilleries make casks of new make spirit available to Whiskey & Wealth Club at a wholesale rate that are then released to private individuals at significantly discounted rates.

Whiskey & Wealth Club manages storage and insurance as standard, allowing the whiskey to mature in maintained, government bonded warehouses. Investors can then decide when is best for them to sell their mature whiskey or bottle to enjoy themselves.

The autumn leaves drift by my window  

Authentic collection

Here we are finally at the doorstep of autumn, beholding its glorious colours and stories to tell of a summer that seemed to pass quicker than we always think. Autumn is an interesting in-between season of many happenstances, and I do have to say that our autumn release will echo these warming thoughts very well. As usual, we hope that all of you have been able to relax, sit down, and pour a dram of your choice over these recent times. Of course, it is crucial to keep you fine people supplied and to reflect the current season of a variety of flavours and colours, so let’s take a good look at the outside and see whether you can find your new favorite.

In this new upcoming Authentic collection- release we have a good variety of ages and different maturations, which will surely intrigue your eyes and taste buds! For instance, if you are looking for something older, but are in between peated and non-peated; we are going to have a 25-years-old Longrow and a 31- years-old Fettercairn. Both of these drams are obviously different in their profiles, yet will satisfy a friend of well-rounded mature flavours; Fettercairn will provide chewy fruitiness, whereas Longrow’s soft campfire blessed toffee apples will dance on your tongue.

As the weather gets colder and rain drops down your window, there is nothing better than have something to warm you up and enjoy the cozy atmosphere of the moment. I think for occasions like these, sherry, port, and wine cask matures whiskies are the best. The darker, dry tones of these drams elevate you well above the seasonal darkness and wetness; a truly cheery bomb of aromas and tastes. Now you might be asking, what on earth do we have to offer this time?

First, of all, we have a wonderful Craigellachie, which has been finished in a fresh PX Sherry hogshead. Needless to say that this one here is thick as coffee chocolate, bold like a marzipan decoration on your aunties’ birthday-cake and delicately cherried.

Well, how about something that is sherry cask matured, but tells a different story? Well, I got you covered there as well, as you don’t have to look at any further than the 10-years-old Glentauchers that has been finished in Manzanilla sherry cask! This beauty here gives an incredible balance of sweetness and a hint of saltiness, reminding me of fruity cakes, salted caramel, and a hint of elegant spices.

There has to be a third one of course! And of course, it is a grain whisky, but please don’t stop reading there! This one here has been matured in a Madeira cask since 2017, and gives a blast of flavours! We are talking about the new Girvan 14-years-old grain whisky, which offers a great taste of somewhat plum-jammy loveliness, covered in rich vanilla and toffee; a nice little break from its malty siblings!

I wonder what autumn is like in Canada? I might never find out truly, but at least I can try and offer you some Canadian whisky! This 34-years-old gentleman has been matured in a bourbon barrel, giving it an intense set of flavours and character. It tells me a story of woody spiciness, hints of raisins, cola, and a groovy touch of creamy fruits! I think this autumn is the time to get a new friend and you will definitely find a friend in this bottle, what a great bottling!

However, if you want to keep things somewhat traditional and head your feet and backpack towards the west; towards the tides of Islay, we got you covered there as well! As the winds and rain ease down, on the horizon you shall see an 11-years-old Bunnahabhain, which will as expected is a surge of oily saltiness, dark chocolate mixed with layers of honey glazed nuts! This captain will make you get through the dampest of seasons for sure!

Then again, if you like spending time inside warehouses full of whisky, the profile of the 12-years-old Deanston is a must-have. It indeed provides that set of the aroma of dunnage warehouse and earthiness. The flavours are actually rather surprising turning into something sweeter, well described as fresh fruits, yet finishing in something dry like blackcurrants. All in all, a great dram to take your imagination to several places at once!

A Little Announcement

The release becomes available this Friday 23/10/2020

If you wish to reserve anything, please send us an email to the following address: wishlist@whiskytastingroom.com Please be aware that some bottles may be balloted. The release date on all the new Cadenhead’s bottlings is Friday 23rd October 2020. We are unable to allow pick up in store or ship until Friday 23rd October.

Fettercairn 31 years old – 54.7% – 70CL

Nose: Key lime pie, grapefruits, biscuit cereal notes.

Palate: Chewy. Pumpkin seeds, hoppy notes.

Finish: A pleasant sourness. Earthiness and honey comb.

Longrow 25 years old – 52.1% – 70CL

Nose: Red apples, coal dust, dunnage earth floors.

Palate: Campfire smoke, rock salt, plums and berries.

Finish: Soft toffee, marzipan, bramble jam and burnt toast.

Craigellachie-Glenlivet 12 years old – 53% – 70CL

Matured in PX Sherry cask since 2019

Nose: Brown sugar, cinnamon, gingernut biscuit, marzipan.

Palate: Very chewy and oily. Raisin and rum ice cream, coffee cake.

Finish: Flinty. Peppercorns, gingerbread, hard boiled cherry sweets.

Canadian 34 years old – 60.5% – 70CL

Nose: Pear drops, wet wood, yeasty, tree sap.

Palate: Rum spice, sweet, root ginger and cola.

Finish: Buttercream, pancake batter and molasses.

Bunnahabhain 11 years old – 57.3% – 70CL

Nose: Salty. Freshly cut hay, pebbles, barley water.

Palate: Oily with slight peppery notes, chocolate and golden syrup.

Finish: Soft marshmallow, cashews nuts, liquorice sweets.

Deanston 12 years old – 53.9% – 70CL

Nose: Dunnage warehouse, mild paprika, cloves and fresh cut grass.

Palate: Fruit crumble, icing sugar, Scottish tablet.

Finish: Blueberries, currants and chocolate profiteroles.

Glentauchers-Glenlivet 10 years old – 53.2% – 70CL

Matured in Manzanilla sherry barrel since 2019

Nose: Very sweet. Candy apples, fruit crumble and Madeira cake.

Palate: Vanilla, salted caramel, and a hint of black pepper.

Finish: Cinnamon, sour grapes then fading out with a lovely drying finish.

​

Girvan 14 years old – 54.6% – 70CL

Matured in Madeira hogshead since 2017

Nose: Fruit loaf, orange peel and gooseberry jam.

Palate: Stewed fruits, chewy toffee, pomegranate, red currants.

Finish:  Unusually long, Madagascan vanilla ice cream, grapes and burnt sugar.

Cadenhead’s London

Cadenheads Whisky Shop & Tasting Room
26 Chiltern Street, London, W1U 7QF

Live GlenAllachie Tasting With Billy Walker!

Thursday 12th November 7pm (UK GMT) | Live on Facebook | Billy Walker

Tasting Kits Available Now!

We are delighted to have available a limited number of tasting kits for this exciting online event where Master Distiller, Billy Walker, takes you through a flight of brand new GlenAllachie whiskies.

Including the wonderful 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch #4 at 56.1% and 3 releases from the brand new Limited Virgin Oak Finish series:- French, Spanish & Chinquapin.

The tasting kits contain 25ml samples of each whisky, offering a great opportunity to try each of them while Billy talks you through them.  A fun evening no doubt!

Shop – GlenAllachie Tasting Kit – £15 / $16.13* / €16.54*

Saturday October 24th, 5:30 PM:

Glenlivet Spectra with Dominic Venegas

Go on a journey of discovery with Glenlivet’s mysterious Spectra release, a series of three whiskies released without tasting notes, age or cask information! Whisky expert Dominic Venegas will guide guests through tasting and identifying each of our mystery whiskies. A challenge for Scotch lovers – what will you taste?

 Click Here to RSVP

In connection with this tasting, 

Glenlivet is 10% off with the coupon code ‘VIRTUAL’

The latest whiskies from Islay

From the rugged climate of the Isle of Islay, Scotlands most famous Whisky Island, come two new limited editions.  Kilchoman Distillery is one of the few Farm to Bottle operations in Scotch Malt production and their latest releases showcase two wonderful contrasts in flavour and style.

From the fruit laden Fino Sherry to the more traditional but robust Machir Bay cask strength, there are flavours aplenty for fans of Islay’s peated character.

Kilchoman Fino Sherry Matured Limited Edition

£75.00

Shop now

Kilchoman Machir Bay Cask Strength Edition

£57.99

Shop now

Inverurie Whisky Shop

1 Burnside, Inverurie, AB51 3RY, United Kingdom

mike@inveruriewhiskyshop.com

http://www.inveruriewhiskyshop.com

Welcome to this weeks episode of the show. This week I’m taking a look at the recently re-packaged Benromach core range.

https://youtu.be/J3HLQvFI9Ok

Paul John Whisky unveils newest addition to its

 Christmas Series – Christmas Edition 2020.

            Paul John Whisky unveils its newest addition to the popular Christmas Series – Christmas Edition 2020, an exotic 3rd limited Christmas release from the sunny shores of Goa.

Created from an exclusive blend of single malts matured in ex-Bourbon, Oloroso and Virgin oak casks; Christmas Edition 2020 greets you with delicate aromas of orange peel and honeycomb enhanced with sweet oak. The rich, long lightly peated flavours of creamy dark chocolate feels like you are sipping on a dram of Christmas itself.

Bottled at 46% ABV, this new limited release Christmas Edition 2020 will be available in select markets across USA, UK, Europe and India from October 2020.

Paul John Whisky released its first Christmas Edition in 2018 to delight whisky enthusiasts during the holiday season. With a blend of unpeated and peated single malts and finished in Oloroso casks, the expression was one of the most preferred whiskies of the year.

Last year’s Christmas Edition 2019 nosed aromas of luscious baked apples along with pleasant flavours of fine raisins and dry plum. On the palate, notes of light mocha and a lighter smoke led to a long Pedro Ximinez finish of spicy French toast and delicious smoked nuts. 

About Paul John Indian Single Malts

The Paul John Single Malts were launched in the UK in 2012 and were soon acclaimed to be equal to or even better than single malts produced elsewhere. Approval from single malt enthusiasts and innumerable global awards further proved our excellence and encouraged us to take our single malts across the world.

Craft, skilfully chosen indigenous ingredients, and the warm environs of Goa create the magic that is Paul John whisky.

A conscious decision was taken to create high quality single malts at affordable prices allowing us to introduce many more to the flavourful taste of single malts.

The range of Paul John Single Malts include an entry level expression, 3 flagship expressions, 4 select casks, and the occasional limited, single cask and special editions.

Today, the Paul John Single Malt is present in over 38 countries.

AN ADVENTURE INTO THE ARCANE

Sometimes whiskymaking means asking questions and seeing where the answers take you. What would happen if a cask strength version of The Peat Monster was further matured for years in French oak custom casks? It was a mystery too tempting to leave unexplored, and we’re glad we embarked on the experiment as the results revealed a whole new side to this charismatic whisky.

BUILDING THE BEAST

Ten per cent of Peat Monster Arcana is the richly spicy, more subtly smoky version of The Peat Monster that emerged from the French oak custom casks. Malt whisky from the Talisker Distillery makes up the majority with notes of honey, green apple and log fire embers. Then there’s malt whisky from the Ardbeg Distillery, boosting the tarry and chocolatey smoke profile, perfectly extending the rich toasty notes of the French oak. To complete the recipe, sweet and citrusy malt whisky from the Miltonduff Distillery heightens the creaminess and perfume.

A NEW MONSTER FOR OUR BIRTHDAY 

Rounding off our 20th anniversary limited edition releases is, Peat Monster Arcana. The first Compass Box creation to include peated whiskies experimentally matured in French oak

HOW TO BRING OUT THE MONSTER

Serve Peat Monster Arcana neat and you’ll experience the interplay of spice and dry peat at its most intense. Adding a little water teases out greater oak sweetness and orchard fruitiness, while mixing it in a highball will emphasise its waxy texture. A whisky that certainly rewards repeat investigation.

DISCOVER MORE

Join our Founder John Glaser for a live interactive tasting dedicated to this new limited edition on 22nd November 2020 at 8pm (GMT). Please, click below to sign up and reserve your seat.

For availability of Peat Monster Arcana, please contact your local specialist spirit store or visit our online shop.

The Holiday Season is upon us, and we’d love to spend some quality time with you sipping drams and learning about these amazing brands. Greetings and welcome, whisky friends.  We are planning a fantastic virtual education series and we’d love for you to join us! Sit back and fill your glass while Joshua Hatton takes the next four minutes to take you through our new ImpEx Beverages Distillery Deep Dive Series.

Now that you see the exciting vision we have for this project, let us help you put all of these events on your calendar so that we can share some excellent drams while doing a deep dive on these amazing distilleries and independent bottlers.

Below you’ll find a list of the events and their times, in order of their appearance.  If you click the the date of the event you’ll be taken to the ImpEx Facebook page event, where you can RSVP.  Links to the Facebook live event will be posted in those pages closer to the event.

If you click the title of the event you’ll be taken to the YouTube streaming link, which will start at the indicated day/time.

And if you can’t make the live streams, you can still watch the videos on the ImpEx Beverages YouTube channel.

October 21 (Wednesday, 8:30pm EST, 5:30 PST)
Penderyn Distillery with Laura Davies

October 28 (Wednesday, 8:30pm EST, 5:30 PST)
GlenAllachie Distillery with David Keir

November 8 (Sunday, 5pm EST, 2pm PST)
Milk & Honey Distillery with Tal and Tomer

November 11 (Wednesday, 8:30pm EST, 5:30 PST)
Ohishi and Fukano with Chris Uhde

November 18 (Wednesday, 8:30pm EST, 5:30 PST)
Port Askaig with Oliver Chilton

December 2 (Wednesday, 8:30pm EST, 5:30 PST)
Single Malts of Scotland with Oliver Chilton

December 9 (Wednesday, 8:30pm EST, 5:30 PST)
Matsui Distillery brands with Chris Uhde

December 16 (Wednesday, 8:30pm EST, 5:30 PST)
Single Cask Nation with Jason Johnstone-Yellin

Laphroaig 16 Year Old “Limited Edition” Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Limit 1 per customer)  $139.99 View

The whisky’s maturation in ex-Bourbon barrels is said to have softened “the famously rich peat smoke” and added flavors of leather and sweet vanilla. John Campbell, Laphroaig distillery manager, said: “Laphroaig 16-year-old is the perfect illustration of how our rich whiskies mellow as they mature. Whilst this expression carries the iconic smoke of Laphroaig, this is married with sweeter notes of honey and caramel, creating a remarkable dram that’s perfect for the long evenings of late summer and into cosier nights of autumn. On the nose, the 16-year-old whisky has notes of sweet leather, oaky spices, vanilla, and wood character, while the palate is sweet with treacle and caramel, Manuka honey and thyme, but also intense wood smoke, creosote, lots of floral notes of heather and bergamot, and a chili mouthfeel”.