Continuing our series to introduce you to the hard-working individuals at the Cotswolds Distillery, meet Connor, our Events Coordinator.
Have a read on our latest blog to learn more about Connor’s role and to find out his favourite pubs in the Cotswolds for a bite to eat!
Pic – Greg Macvean – 06/09/19 – 07971 826 457
Founder of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Pip Hills, outside The Vaults, with the 1937 Lagonda classic car he used to transport the first-ever cask of SMWS whisky. This week the historic building in Leith, Edinburgh welcomes whisky-loving SMWS members from all over the world to celebrate ‘The Gathering’.
Pip is pictured holding bottle 1.1 from the first-ever Scotch Malt Whisky Society cask.
FURTHER INFO
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is hosting ‘The Gathering’, a week-long celebration of its Leith origins that will bring members together to discover and share wonderful whisky experiences. The festival is taking place from Monday 2 to Sunday 8 September at The Vaults and other iconic Leith venues. ‘The Gathering’ encapsulates what it means to be a member of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, with a jam-packed week of fun-filled whisky-themed events. Festivities include a fascinating walking tour of Leith’s illustrious whisky history, an exclusive whisky and Leith food pairing, tasting and film screenings at renowned Leith venues, as well as member events in the courtyard of the spiritual home of the Society, The Vaults.
Will there be a Russian whisky tidal wave?
Is Russia silently producing vast amounts of whisky? If so, will it ever be seen in the west? These are written down thoughts from Paul McLean with input from his pal in Moscow; Tim. Paul and Tim have toured Scotland many, many times together, Paul as driver, they are good friends and Tim is much more of an expert than Paul, he also arranges a whisky festival in Moscow and has a great collection of whisky, maybe a book on the way? Meanwhile Paul continues his whisky education taking guests on whisky tours, one other friend worth a mention here is Ingvar Ronde, Paul and Ingvar also doodle around Scotland researching and photographing all to do with whisky! In his latest book; Malt Whisky Yearbook 2019, he states (page 262) Russia is the largest player in the Eastern Europe (non EU) with volumes of whisky going to Poland and Latvia eventually arriving in Russia.
Russian-made whisky appeared in the late 1940s in the USSR and was produced under two brands – “Soviet” and “Whisky-73”. These malts were sold at the price of a cheap brandy, and in taste they resembled a herb-seasoned bourbon. Obviously, nobody went to study whisky technology in Scotland! Nowadays, about 95% of the whiskies sold in Russia have no relation to Russia whatsoever. These are whiskies imported into Russia by a so-called bulk, (large tanks) and here they are just bottled there. The duty on bulk alcohol is slightly less than on finished products – around US$ 2 per liter. From a litre of bulk (at strength of 63%) one can get 1.5 litres of diluted commercial whisky, the bottle is cheaper in Russia, the label is cheaper, this saves about 30% compared to importing the finished product from Scotland. Because of this, whisky already occupies around 15% of the Russian alcohol market, and this figure can only grow. The fact is that a drink poured in Russia is nearly half price than in Scotland. Bulk price – from 400 Russian rubles ($6), the average cost of a bottle is 700-800 rubles ($11-12). So far, only two distilleries in Russia produce their own new make spirit. The first one, the Praskovey winery, has been producing its own whisky distillates for many years, but not in large volumes. They claim to produce a whisky similar to Irish whiskey. The second one is a new whisky production distillery located in Dagestan (Kizlyar city). This place is similar to Scotland in terms of climatic characteristics; a double distillation process is employed there too. They also pay a great deal of attention to the wood (barrels) management policy to mature their whisky.
A wee bit more research and I stumbled on these bits and bobs; Russia took a first step towards joining the list of whisky-making countries when a distillery project in Kaliningrad received the OK to start construction. The $14.6 million project is meant to build a distillery capable of producing 5 million litres of spirit per year, and is projected to create 200 jobs between its construction and operation. Praskoveyskoye Distillery in the Stavropol territory. Owner: Unknown or not registered – does this mean it’s a government operation? Homepage: Praskoveyskoye Email: info@praskoveya.ru Spirits produced by Praskoveiskoe JSC are whisky produced from young cognac distillates. Whisky five-year grain “Praskoveysky” is developed from selected barley, which generalizes the centuries-old traditions of Ireland and the experience of Masters of Praskovey brandy production. Obtained by double distillation and aged in oak barrels for more than five years. Whisky grain six-year “Praskoveysky” is developed from barley. Obtained by single fractional distillation and aged in oak barrels for more than six years. Russia’s first whisky distillery to be built in the Kaliningrad region, local news website Kaliningrad.ru reported the project was announced by Igor Kudryavtsev, general director of the Alliance-1892 winery and cognac distillery, the company behind the move. Whisky consumption has not fallen in Russia despite the country’s economic recession, according to Kudryavtsev. He said the new product will fulfil up to 35 percent of Russia’s demand for the beverage and will also be exported to India, China, Africa and Latin America but seemingly not Europe or USA. “The distillery will offer a domestically made product, which will be comparable to the world’s best,” Kudryavtsev said. He added that a number of foreign companies have offered to collaborate in the project. Who? The question begs (Diageo by any chance?). Investment in the new distillery will total 13 million euro ($14.6 million). The manufacturing of whisky became possible in Russia only last year after Russia legalized the production of distilled beverages from grain.
Although Russia already has home grown whisky brands, these are based on sourced, imported whisky and not domestic production. The government opened the door to a Russian whisky industry by legalizing production in July 2015. Kaliningrad is a heavily militarized zone nestled between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Seacoast. It was created when the Soviet Union annexed part of the old territory of East Prussia from Germany at the end of the Second World War. Stoli Whisky. A Russian liquor company intends to introduce its own low-priced whisky and undercut foreign imports, according to an article that appeared in Kommersant. The single largest constraint for Russians who prefer whisky to vodka has been the crash in the value of the ruble, but Russian import bans against the likes of Jack Daniel’s, bourbons, and other types of whisky have been a problem as well. According to Eastern European Distribution Company, the new brand will be named “Stoli,” and will be priced at 600 and 650 rubles (roughly $11) per 750 ml bottle. Praskoveiskoye, costs 950 rubles (about $17) a bottle.
Whisky Live Moscow debuted in October 2018 with great whiskies. St Andrews whisky festival is also offering whisky lovers a chance to try many great drams.
My next thoughts; are there more distilleries (whisky) in Russia than we know, and – will there soon be a flood of this heading our way? PAUL MCLEAN, PERTH 2019
A personal blether from Paul McLean. http://whiskytours.scot/
Is Edinburgh the new whisky capital?
Edinburgh is thinking of itself as a whisky destination with four new distillery projects and the multi-million-pound Johnnie Walker experience. Scotch whisky tourism is at an all-time high in 2019. Figures from back in 2017 show there were almost 2 million visits to distilleries – tourists from all over the world, who spent almost £61 million between them. Whisky producers across Scotland have at last – for many of them – realised the value of the tourist pound and have invested – and continue to invest – in incorporating visitor facilities at their distilleries. Of the 800,000 tourists visiting Moray (Speyside) each year, three out of five visit a distillery for a tour, cup of tea, bite to eat or shop. The density of distilleries in the region – there are 51 operational sites – along with outdoor pursuits, visitor attractions and breath-taking scenery, make Speyside a popular destination with international whisky enthusiasts, as well as those as yet unfamiliar with the drink. But what about Edinburgh – the second-most visited city in the UK, attracting over two million overseas visitors each year – the Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile has been the city’s only real whisky visitor attraction. Glenkinchie is the closest malt distillery, a 15 mile confusing drive from the Royal Mile is no an easy visit for tourists. Thirty odd years after the Scotch Whisky Experience opened there are now four new distillery projects underway, a major revamp for Glenkinchie in the works plus the construction of a multi-storey Johnnie Walker whisky experience.
Can Edinburgh become the centre of Scotch whisky tourism? NO (Paul). Edinburgh as our capital attracts tourists aye, but in the main not the dedicated whisky geek. Susan Morrison, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Experience, welcomed around 400,000 visitors in 2017. No bad you think, but let’s see what Edinburgh Castle and the National Museum of Scotland – the top tourist attractions outside of London – both suck in over two million visits annually. Diageo’s multi-million-pound, seven-storey Johnnie Walker whisky experience was given the all systems go by city planners within the former House of Fraser store on Princes Street, right in the city centre, the attraction will feature a ‘multi-sensory’ experience guiding visitors through the art and science of whisky making as well as the 200-year history of the blended Scotch brand. A rooftop bar – which is yet to receive approval – will offer views of Edinburgh Castle and across the city skyline, while a ground-level shop will provide tastings and whiskies from the Johnnie Walker and Diageo range. The attraction forms part of a £150m investment by Diageo in improving its whisky visitor experiences. Cristina Diezhandino, Diageo global Scotch whisky director, says the group expects the Johnnie Walker Experience to attract the same level of interest as its Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, which welcomes 1.71m visitors each year. Aiming at opening in 2020, the brand will create a welcome for whisky fans around the world… meantime, the revival of John Crabbie, one synonymous with Edinburgh’s 19th century blending heritage, is well underway. Brand owner Halewood International began distilling single malt spirit at Chain Pier, a small site at Granton Harbour in December 2018, although plans are to relocate its core single malt production to a larger premises in Leith. The new £7m distillery, named Bonnington, is currently being built on Graham Street, near to John Crabbie’s original premises at Yardheads. This will be followed by Holyrood Distillery. Situated in the renovated Engine Shed on St Leonard’s Lane, a 15-minute walk from the Royal Mile, Holyrood distillery has been built with the visitor experience at its heart. With an interactive distillery tour, bespoke cask ownership scheme, and expects 45,000 visitors in its first year, building up to 200,000 by year five. The unique vertical Port of Leith distillery on the Firth of Forth is expected to commence imminently, the £5m scheme will be the first Scottish whisky distillery to be built vertically, with the production process laid out from top to bottom. The rooftop bar and restaurant with views across the Firth will no doubt attract a less experienced crowd.
All this is grand aye, but the real whisky geeks like myself will still flock to Speyside and Islay, not to mention Skye, with three to visit now and superb scenery. Just think of the west coast; fabulous scenery, distilleries all along the coast and islands. Perthshire with many diverse distilleries including my favourite Edradour, will continue to draw the whisky crowds. So, will Auld Reekie be number one whisky location anytime soon? NO.
A personal blether from Paul McLean whiskytours.scot
What’s going on with Johnnie Walker?
Johnnie Walker has launched yet a new dram, this time a variation of Green Label blended malt, this one with a greater influence of smoky whisky from Caol Ila distillery on Islay, this unaged blend includes Clynelish, Glenkinchie and Cardhu (it sounds very Game of Thrones!). JW Island Green will be available in one-litre bottles for around £40. What does that price tell me about this whisky? That it’s no that good, it’s cheap!
Then we come to the Johnnie Walker Black Label Origin Series (not Black or Double Black) – a range from the ‘four corners’ of Scotland. This limited-edition range (limited to what? 20,000 bottles of each? Diageo wouldnee say on the quantity of the ‘limited edition’, only that the range will not be repeated, they probably won’t need to after a flood!) comprises Islay, Highlands, Lowlands and Speyside expressions, all 12 years of age. The Islay, Highlands and Speyside Origin whiskies are all blended malts, while the Lowlands Origin is a blended Scotch whisky, combining malt with grain whisky from Cameronbrig (Haig). All are 42% abv, RRP of £35 per one-litre bottle, more cheap stuff. The whole range will be rolled out globally in 2020. The Islay Origin expression uses 100% refill casks to avoid ‘too much woodiness’ (less taste eh!), while the Highlands Origin expression features ex-European oak and ex-Sherry casks.
So, just how many different JW bottlings are there out there? Not only these, but the existing stuff, all the usual suspects, travel retail/duty free and Game of Thrones. A vast super loch that could fill Loch Ness! Johnnie Walker brand is the globally best-selling Scotch, output in excess of 20 million cases per annum. For years Johnnie Walker offered Red Label and 12-year-old Black Label, but now also includes Double Black, Gold Label Reserve, Platinum and Blue Label – a number of bottles have escaped, including a King George V edition, remember Jane Walker? A 2015 Limited Edition, Explorers’ Club Collection, which includes The Spice Road and The Gold Route. Johnnie also has ‘Houses’ in a number of Asian cities, such as Shanghai, Beijing, Mumbai, Seoul and Taipei, with another destined for Edinburgh. Which way is Johnnie walking now? Paul McLean, Perth 2019.
A personal blether from Paul McLean whiskytours.scot
Maclean brothers on a whisky challenge over the Atlantic
Three brothers plan to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic launch their boat in Loch Lomond. Lachlan, 21, Ewan, 27, and Jamie MacLean, 25, from Edinburgh, will take part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge in December, rowing from the Canary Islands to the West Indies. First they plan to row to the distilleries of Scotland’s west coast, collecting whisky to raise money for charity. From August 3-10 they’ll be rowing around the west coast, including Arran, Islay and Jura, Talisker etc, dad’s [Charlie] contacts in the whisky industry will come in handy, they’re all donating a couple of bottles or a case or two. At the end of the row Charlie will blend all of the whiskies together and they’ll sit in a cask, then auction the whole lot off and for charity. Well you can add our name to the list who will buy bottles!
Charlie is well known to us here and we wish the boys all the very best for their challenge. Charlie; “I’m very, very proud of them and terrified in equal measure, I’m almost losing sleep about it, but I think they are so positive and it’s been an incredible learning curve.” They have raised more than £50,000 to buy their rowboat with help from sponsors including the James Dyson Foundation, Nairn’s Oatcakes and Glasgow University. In total, the brothers hope to raise £250,000 for their chosen charities through the ocean crossing; Children 1st and Feedback Madagascar. The race is expected to last for more than a month and contestants expect to face 40ft waves and the risk of capsizing.
SCOTLAND’S NATIONAL CHILDREN’S CHARITY exist to prevent abuse and neglect, to protect children and keep them safe from harm. Together we can help children in Scotland live in safe, loving families and build strong communities. We help survivors of abuse, trauma and other adversity to recover and we work tirelessly to protect the rights of children in Scotland. https://www.children1st.org.uk
https://www.feedbackmadagascar.net Feedback Madagascar contributes to sustainable development goals by exploiting the many connections between primary needs and long-term conservation.
This only makes me even more proud of my surname; Paul McLean, Perth 2019
A personal blether from Paul McLean. http://whiskytours.scot/
SCOTCH WHISKY CONTRIBUTION to the UK ECONOMY GROWS to £5.5BN
The contribution of the Scotch Whisky industry to the UK economy has grown by 10% since 2016 to £5.5bn.
A new report by the Scotch Whisky Association, building on research carried out by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR), also reveals Scotland’s national drink generates two-thirds of all spirits Gross Value Added (GVA) in the UK. The industry has been buoyed in recent years by record exports, reaching £4.7bn in 2018, and several new distilleries beginning production and opening their doors to tourists. This success comes despite the industry continuing to pay the fourth highest duty rates in the EU, and one of the highest of spirit producing nations globally. Recent freezes to UK duty have helped the industry to reinforce its vital importance to the UK economy. Karen Betts, Chief Executive of the SWA, said: “This research shows the Scotch Whisky industry’s huge contribution to both the Scottish and UK economies. Significantly, the research shows that our industry’s GVA increased by 10% to £5.5bn between 2016 and 2018, as a result of Scotch Whisky companies’ continued export success and the industry’s consistent investment at home – with over £500 million going into production, distribution, marketing and tourism in the last 5 years. Despite the challenges of Brexit, this investment continues to flow, with further projects planned and more distilleries set to open – a sign that the Scotch Whisky industry remains confident about the future. This is great news for our many employees, our investors, our supply chain and, of course, for consumers all over the world who love Scotch. This report also highlights the high rate of domestic tax that Scotch Whisky faces in the UK. In the US, Scotch and other whiskies are taxed at just 27% of the rate that HM Treasury taxes us here at home. We will continue to press the Chancellor for fairer treatment for Scotch Whisky in our domestic market, which reflects the vital economic contribution the industry makes to the UK economy every day.”
Scotch Whisky provides £3.8bn in direct in GVA to Scotland – helped by regulations in place that requires all Scotch Whisky to be distilled and matured for at least three years in Scotland. This means Scotch Whisky contributes more than double than life sciences (£1.5bn) to the Scottish economy, supporting more than 42,000 jobs across the UK, including 10,500 people directly in Scotland – including MCLEANSCOTLAND Liz & Paul and our drivers, no to mention hotels etc and vehicle hire, calmac and everything else, and 7,000 in rural communities. The sector was found to perform a crucial role in driving productivity across Scotland. The manufacturer of beverages in Scotland – dominated by Scotch – produces £210,505 GVA per employee. Comparatively, the industry is more productive than the energy sector (including renewables) at £173,511 per head, life sciences at £93,735 per head, and creative industries at £60,712 per head. A summary of the report’s findings: The Scotch Whisky industry was estimated to provide £5.5 billion in gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy, up from £5bn in 2016. The direct impact of Scotch Whisky in the economy is estimated to be £3.8billion with additional indirect and induced effects of a further £1.7 billion. For every £100 of added value the industry produces, another £45 is generated in the broader economy. Scotch Whisky contributed 21% to the value of all UK food and drink exports and 1.3% of the value of all UK goods exported in 2018. For every £1 billion worth of goods exported from the UK, £13 million is Scotch Whisky. Without Scotch Whisky, the UK’s balance of trade deficit would have been £145.7 billion, more than its current level. In 2018, UK spirits excise duty receipts (saxon tax) accounted for £3.8 billion, over 31% of all alcohol revenues – a proportion which has steadily increased in recent years having overtaken beer receipts in 2016. In the last five years, excise (tax) receipts increased to HM Treasury (HMT) by 23% or by £735m during a period where the net increase to the excise rate was only 52p per litre of pure alcohol (LPA).
We are doing our share, taking guests on whisky tours every month. www.whiskytours.scot
One of Scotland’s oldest, Tobermory Distillery, is celebrating its’ return to production following a 24 month closure during which time the team have been perfecting a new expression – Tobermory 12 Year Old. Paul was invited along to the Glasgow launch. They revealed the new packaging, as well as the first tastings of Tobermory 12 Year Old. Using non-peated barley and water from the distillery’s private source, the dram (if I’m honest did not sparkle that much), good aye but I prefer the Ledaig from Tobermory. Anyhow, back to the Tob 12; fruit, orange and citrus notes’ and “caramel (although they don’t add this), vanilla – playing safe here – spicy cinnamon” said Paul. The whisky was issued to UK and Europe retailers from 28 March, priced at £46, if honest a wee overpriced.
The distillery, which has been closed for two years for maintenance, will resume production after the installation of a new pot still, christened ‘Big Mary’, has been completed. A new still room to create a collection of spirits has also been added, housing a 60-litre development still named ‘Wee Mary’ which has already produced Tobermory’s first gin. Now I’m no in favour of this. There’s no doubt about gin’s popularity in the UK they are jumping on the bandwagon. I cannee comment as I don’t like nor drink gin. It would have been better in my humble view if they had the gin still in another building away from the whisky – maybe done a deal with my pal Neil to house it in his pub 100 yards away!
We wandered about the strange event location in the far reaches of Glasgow to view two original pieces of art donated to the distillery by Catherine Ross and may good prints, who completed the first Artist in Residence programme at Tobermory last year. Her work ran alongside the pix of photographer Euan Miles who has captured the island well, which in turn has been used to create packaging across all the spirits produced at the distillery. This spring will not only mark the return of production but also see Paul there almost every month from April with guests, including Ingvar Ronde in May, he may find out a wee bit more on that visit. Find out more about Tobermory Distillery at www.tobermorydistillery.com
Distell
Distell is Africa’s leading producer of wines, spirits, ciders, scotch whisky and ready-to-drinks (RTDs) with a portfolio of close on 100 brands. Within the portfolio, Distell owns four single malts and a number of scotch brands produced across three distillery sites. The three distilleries include: Bunnahabhain on the Isle of Islay; Deanston in Doune, Perthshire and Tobermory based on the Isle of Mull. We have been to them all many times! Paul.
Paul McLean, April 2019.
BrewDog, Compass Box, Duncan Taylor and Zuidam have huddled together to release a new range of ‘boilermaker’ whiskies. The launch has been timed to coincide with the renaming of the brewery’s LoneWolf distillery as BrewDog distillery. The three whiskies in the new series have been created to bespoke recipes designed to pair with BrewDog’s beers as a boilermaker or hauf and hauf serve. Transistor, a blended Scotch by Compass Box’s John Glaser, is designed to partner with BrewDog’s flagship beer, Punk IPA. A blend, the whisky contains a ‘good proportion’ of grain from Cameronbridge, as well as malts from Linkwood, Teaninich, Dailuaine and Clynelish, with some maturation in French oak? Bottled at 43% abv, described as ‘pineapple, orange and lychee’ notes, with a sweetness that is cut through by the ‘spiky, tropical, hoppy bitter notes of the beer’. Who writes these notes?
Torpedo Tulip is a 100% rye whisky from Millstone, made at the Netherlands’ Zuidam distillery. Matured exclusively in ex-oloroso Sherry casks and bottled at 46% abv, the whisky is described as ‘rich stone fruit’ and ‘underlying spice’, and has been chosen to pair with BrewDog’s American pale ale, Dead Pony Club.
Skeleton Key is a blended Scotch whisky created in collaboration with Duncan Taylor to pair with BrewDog’s Jet Black Heart stout or Zombie Cake porter. Containing a proportion of peated Bunnahabhain and a high ration of single malt, including whisky from Glentauchers distillery, Skeleton Key (46% abv) is described as having ‘bold, maritime and peat smoke aromas’ which pair with the chocolate and coffee notes in the beers.
All three no-age-statement expressions are available to purchase in all BrewDog bars as well as through its online retail site for £52 for a 70cl bottle – a wee bit high if you ask me. The brewery recently appointed ex-Johnnie Walker boss David Gates as its managing director of BrewDog Distilling Co., the company’s spirits arm. BrewDog opened its own distillery at its Ellon site in 2016, and following years of barley, yeast, distillation and maturation trials, has now settled on a recipe for its flagship single malt. Now known as BrewDog distillery, the site is set up to produce a number of spirits, including vodka and gin. The LoneWolf brand will continue to be used for BrewDog’s gin. How will Diageo etc react to this news re their drams? Paul McLean, Perth.
A personal blether from Paul McLean. www.whiskytours.scot
Investing in whisky; the good, the bad, the ugly.
Like us, have you ever thought of getting a piece of the whisky action? We have had a go, it is bloody hard to get right, much of what we did was luck, or being in the right place at the right time. We have so many of our guests/clients on whisky tours, asking us about investment, we say be careful. At the end of the day why is whisky made? To drink of course. Looking at this from another angle, if you bought a super doper E Type Jag 20 years ago, what is it worth now? Whisky; how long do you need to hold onto it before profit creeps up? A cask; many years. A bottle; depends on the bottle and luck, or is it skill? There are so many websites offering you a service, some are really helpful and worthy, some I’m sorry to say are not, just look at this … Available online as rare; Balvenie 40 year old £3,500.00 – it is available at Glenfiddich and many other outlets, it is on Amazon; The Balvenie 40 Year Old Single Malt Whisky FREE delivery, how is this rare? Another so called rare whisky website state: We specialise in excellence – we only stock rare malt whiskies. Every single bottle we present to you will be in some way significant: it may be a single cask edition or a one-time release bottling… but on this website it shows Glenfarclas Distillery Exclusive 2004 Port Cask £199.00 (it sold at auction for 85 quid) and Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 58 at £79.00 (same auction site 55 quid, sorry guys these are NOT rare or hard to find. Rare; adjective: rare; comparative adjective: rarer; superlative adjective: rarest. synonyms: infrequent, few and far between, scarce, sparse, scattered, thin on the ground, golden, like gold dust, as scarce as hen’s teeth; (of a thing) not found in large numbers and so of interest or value.
Phrases such as; specialising in Old & Rare Whiskies. Using passion, knowledge, experience we specialise in sourcing the rarest of world whiskies, but if you look at that site (not mentioning this by the way) it offers Yamazaki 12 Year Old for £149.00, BUT it’s available at Amazon – Suntory Yamazaki Whisky 12 Year Old 70cl for only £113.00. This is not rare or hard to find. Do your own homework. People, you have to be so careful when buying “rare or hard to find whisky”, with some bottles going for obscene prices at auction, this is creating a panic in whisky buying, forcing prices up, when there is no need for this. You can buy a bottle of Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Old whisky for $71. You could also, if you have have $11,000 in your back pocket buy a bottle of Macallan Fine & Rare 1990. A 750ml single malt 60 year old Macallan 1926 whisky sold at Bonham’s in Edinburgh for a record price of £848,800 or just over $1.1 million. WHO IS BUYING these bottles? Are they ever going to drink them? How large is the market for whisky of this ilk? Be careful when venturing into the whisky investment world, there are pitfalls like every other investment. AN INVESTMENT IS ONLY PROFITABLE WHEN SOMEONE OFFERS TO BUY IT! Otherwise it’s a white elephant. We have dabbled in this on a very small scale, some are duds and we have learnt the hard way, others we have had good luck. With these good luck sales, it has enabled us to buy “drinking whisky” to enjoy, not for a dusty cupboard or safe vault.
A personal blether from Paul McLean. www.whiskytours.scot
