Tips: This article focuses on the malt whisky investment collection, titled "27 character classic", that is, "big brand, find a limited quantity, chase the suit, meet the vanishing, search for new factories, find the theme, wrap the whole barrel, find the IB, explore the grain". The text is supplemented by a large number of cases, providing ideas and directions for players at all levels to invest in collecting whisky. This article is 15317 words long, it is recommended to collect it first and read it later.
Before you start investing in a collection of whiskies, you need to know:
1. The essence of whisky is a drink, 90% of the world's whisky is not suitable for investment collection;
2. It is never too late to invest in whisky collection, and the present is the best era of whisky investment collection;
3. The investment collection of whisky is not the patent of the rich. With a little foresight, the poor can also play with the investment collection of whisky;
4. This guide is suitable for players of all levels, especially novices;
5. This article focuses on malt whisky. Bourbon is written separately, so stay tuned.
The essence of whisky is a drink, and it is produced to get people to drink it. In the age of not having enough to eat, a bottle of whiskey was not as solid as a bag of barley. Karuizawa, Japan, which now sells sky-high prices, was distilled for the last time on December 31, 2000, acquired by the Kirin Group in 2007 (which owns Kirin Beer and Fuji Gotemba whisky), sold all of its inventory (364 barrels in total) to Ichiban, closed by the Kirin Group in 2011, and completely leveled in 2016, not because of poor sake quality (on the contrary, Karuizawa insisted on using 100% gold promise barley, Oregon pine wood fermentation tank, Small stills are distilled in direct fire, mostly in European oak sherry barrels, producing premium but expensive whiskies) and because they were not in time: Japan's 20-year economic depression, which began in the 1980s, led to the inability to drink it at all.
Ajisawa Steaming Plant
Karuizawa was demolished to the ground
Historically, many whisky distilleries have oscillated back and forth between shutdown and restart, or have been acquired back and forth, or shut down completely to become "vanishing distilleries", for no reason other than that they cannot withstand the impact of the economic crisis.
But in the era of economic boom, people who have eaten enough to eat have begun to seek everything that can paralyze emptiness, and alcohol has borne the brunt of it. Whisky ushered in another golden age in its own history. Existing distilleries are running at full capacity, shutting down breweries and restarting motors, new breweries are in full swing, and even breweries are starting to switch to whisky production. The endless stream of wines is starting to pour into the market, and the whisky collection has ushered in its best years.
The Branla Distillery, which was closed in 1983, resumed production
The investment collection value derived from the scarcity of high-end limited rare whiskies has begun to become the object of excess capital pursuit of the rich. As a result, there is an increasingly popular whisky investment trading market. Its ultra-high return on investment makes it a luxury asset highly respected by capitalists.
Sotheby's auction
According to the Rare Whisky Icon 100 Index released by Rare Whisky 101 (RW), an authoritative whisky economic and analytical company, the rare whisky 100 price index has increased by 536.68% in the past 12 years (December 29, 2008 to November 30, 2020), far exceeding the high-end wine, gold, AND FTSE 100 index in the same period.
Rare Whisky Icon 100 Index
This is true of high-end limited-edition rare whiskies, as well as some conventional liquors that have been poured into people's mouths with large glasses. In 2015, Yamazaki 12 YO was only more than 200 yuan, and now it is more than 1700 yuan. In 2015, Yochi 20 YO only 3,000 yuan, the current international average price of 3534 US dollars and a bottle is difficult to find.
Yamazaki 12 years old
Because of this, both rich and poor people have begun to be eager to invest in the collection of whisky, and they can't resist the desire in their hearts.
The next question is, how do whiskies start investing in collections? Hence the article: "Whisky Investment Collection '27 Words' Sutra, A Complete Guide for Players of All Levels." The so-called "27 characters" sutra, that is, "big name, find a limit, chase a suit, meet the vanishing, search for a new factory, find a theme, pack a whole barrel, look for IBs, explore grain", represents the 9 key points and directions of whisky investment collection, it is suitable for players at all levels. For new players, it is more informative.
Before getting to the point, a few more reminders:
1. Investment is risky, and you need to be cautious when starting;
2. Do what you can, small articles can also be big;
3. Try to collect your favorite whiskies. Even if it doesn't appreciate, at least you can get your favorite wine.
Below, cut to the point - whisky investment collection "27 words" sutra:
First, the big name
The so-called big names refer to those big brands with very high market popularity. The biggest advantage of the wine of the big name winery is that the market is hot, the transaction is more active, and the liquidity is strong. In addition, the price insulation ability is strong, and the price is relatively firm.
Another point is that big-name manufacturers often launch some "head" products with great market detonation, causing a whirlwind in the auction market or investment collection circles, and constantly promoting the market price of their related products while continuously improving their market popularity.
McAllen Spiritual Home
As Legendary Scottish whisky writer and master of binaural cup keepers, Charles MacLean, puts it, "Super Vintage Whisky can create a halo effect that looks cool." ”
The ultra-high vintage whisky or high-end scarce wine of the big name factory is too high for ordinary whisky collectors, but for the rich investment collectors, they are always the best choice, and their appreciation speed is very fast, and the return on investment is amazing.
For example, in 78 years, the highest year in the McAllen Red Collection launched in 2020, 92,500 pounds (77,100 pounds before tax, equivalent to 104,400 US dollars) was auctioned on October 25 of the same year, and the current international average price (pre-tax) has reached 127,800 US dollars, rising by more than 20% in one year.
McAllen Red Series 78 years
Bowmore's second edition in 1964 (launched in 1994 was priced at a pitifully low price of just £80,110), with a record of £9,500 ($13,134) in 2017 and £11,900 ($16,452) in 2018, and the current international average price (tax) is as high as $30,441. The price doubled in 3 years.
Bowmore 1964, second edition
In June 2020, Yamazaki 55 YO, the highest year in the history of Suntory in Japan, was listed, and on August 21 of the same year, it successfully sold 6.2 million Hong Kong dollars (after tax, including commission, equivalent to $799,400) at the Bonhams auction in Hong Kong. To the surprise of a friend who participated in the auction on the spot, the hammer price far exceeded its psychological price (HK$3 million). However, the current average international price (before tax) of the wine has reached 950,000 US dollars. In more than 1 year, the increase is as high as 20%.
Yamazaki 55 years old
For example, Japan's Hanyu (Hanyu) Ichiro full-deck playing card series, in 2015 auctioned more than 3 million yuan, in 2019 auctioned 7.19 million Hong Kong dollars, has been amazing, but no one thought that in 2020, the same set of products again auctioned 11.9 million Hong Kong dollars, a year of soaring 4.17 million Hong Kong dollars, an increase of 60%.
Hanyu (Hanyu) Ishiro full set of playing cards
Big-name factories are generally larger and have a long history, but Japan's Chichibu Distillery is an exception. The distillery was founded in 2007 by Ichiro Akuto, the grandson of The founder of Habu. The distillery is very small, with only 14 employees, 1 pair of stills, and an annual output of 90,000 liters. However, thanks to the brewing process of the fat earth Ichika, the distillery has long been famous at home and abroad. In 2012, it was named The Japanese Whisky of the Year by WhiskyAdvocate, an authoritative American whisky magazine. It has also won the world's best of the world for 4 times (the world's best single barrel whisky in 2017, and the world's best blended limited whisky in 2018, 2019 and 2020 for three consecutive years), and the whisky it produces is short in age, but it is highly sought after, and the wine is wildly robbed as soon as it is listed, the wine is extremely difficult to buy, and the second-hand price is amazing.
For example, the distillery's first officially released "The First Ten", the 10+year-old wine of the sake brewery released in November 2020, has a limited edition of 5,000 bottles in the global market (each bottle has a unique code) and an official suggested retail price of 19,800 yen (including tax, equivalent to 1,250 yuan). Due to the global "crazy rush", on the same day of listing, its second-hand price (Japan's Yahoo auction) has risen to 130,000 yen, and the highest is even 230,000 yen, soaring to 6-11 times.
Chichibu 10 years old
……
Because of this, in recent years, international famous manufacturers or whisky dealers have continuously launched extremely rare whiskies. For example, after the launch of the Red Series set, McAllen launched a more rare anecdote series (limited to 13 sets) and the McAllen Legend series (currently launching the first volume, limited to 350 volumes, with a circulation price of $80,000).
Anecdote series of the McAllen era
The first volume of the McAllen Legends series
Dalmore also launched the rarest collection in the history of the distillery, consisting of six bottles of rare single malt whisky spanning six years (distilled in 1951, 1967, 1979, 1980, 1995 and 2000), the only one set in the world.
The Darko Series set
Gordon & MacPhail, a well-known independent bottler in Scotland, has continuously introduced super high vintages that challenge the human imagination with its strong stock of old vintages. In October, the highest vintage in history was introduced: Generations Glenlivet 80 year old 1940, distilled on 3 February 1940 and bottled in just 250 bottles.
Glenwitt 80 1940 single malt whisky
The whisky boss Diageo is also not willing to show weakness, and recently launched the Brora triple set of the Vanishing Distillery and the second edition of the Prima & Ultima series, the former priced at £30,000 ($41,450) and the latter for $32,720 (only 376 sets in the world).
Brora triptych set
Second edition of the Prima & Ultima series
The nearly depleted Karuizawa was also launched this month by renowned whisky collector Mahesh Patel, the Karuizawa 1981 "Legend of Asamayama" set, limited to 30 sets worldwide.
Karuizawa 1981 "Legend of Asamayama" set
Many ordinary whisky collectors see this place and may express despair of the "big name". Indeed, the above wine may not be available even if you have money. However, responsibly, the poor also have many opportunities to buy the wine of the big name distilleries, depending on whether they can seize the opportunity.
The opportunity to enter the second edition of bowmore 1964 (currently at $30,441) for £80 ($110) in 1994 is not to be mentioned. In 2010, Glenfiddich launched the Glenfidich Snow Phoenix to commemorate the shocking collapse of the cellar caused by heavy snowfall, which sold for just $89.99 and has now risen to $927. The increase in 11 years has reached as much as 900%.
Glenfiddy Snow Phoenix
That same year, Balvenie launched the first version of the 1401 Batch 1,401, which sold for just £100 and has now risen to $7,267, an increase of more than 50 times in 11 years.
The first edition of Baifu 1401 barrels
In November 2012, The 10-year Macallan 10 yo Cask Strength, which McAllan had issued 333 milliliters, sold for just 37 euros at its first auction, and in August 2019, it rose to 841 euros, a 22-fold increase in seven years.
Macallan x Sir Peter Blake – Anecdotes of Ages Collection, launched in February 2021, sold for £750, fetched £3,400 in March, just one month after its launch, an increase of more than 400%.
The Macallan x Sir Peter Blake - An Estate, A Community
Ordinary consumers invest in collecting big-name factories and there is also a "lazy practice", that is, buying a bottle of the same bottle every year, never interrupted, and holding it for a long time. According to the BBC, a Father in the United Kingdom has bought a bottle of Macallan 18 YO for his son every year since 1992, when his son was born. As of last year, it had accumulated to 28 bottles with a market capitalization of more than £40,000. The father spent a total of £5,000 on this.
McAllen 18 years
Big names, and then you'll become big names.
Attached: Rare Whisky 101 Collectors Index – Ranking of the Most Traded Scottish Wineries:
Macallan, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Highland Park, Laphroaig, Glenfiddich, Springbank, Lagavulin, Glenmorangie, Port Ellen (closed in 1983), Balvenie, Glendronach, Glenfarclas, Bruichladdich, Glenlivet, Arran, Caol lla, Dalmore, Clynelish, Bunnahabhain, Talisker, Brora (closed in 1983, currently restarting), Aberlour, Mortlach, Rosebank (closed in 1993 and currently under reconstruction), Glen Grant, Glenrothes, Glengoyne, Buhrady Peat Monsters ( Octomore ), Port Charlotte and others.
Rare Whisky 101 Investor Index – Ranking of the Best Performing Scottish Wineries:
Genting, Rosebank, Brownla, Ben Wyvis (vanished winery, founded in 1965 and permanently demolished in 1976), killyloch (founded in 1965 and closed in 1970), Dalmo, Pomo, Glenwgie (closed in 1983), Lochside (closed in 2005), Port Ellen (closed in 1983), McCarran, Saint Magdalene (closed in 1983), Krinilliky, Millburn (closed in 1985), Craigduff, Dallas Dhu, Glenlochy, Abbe, Laffer, Glen Ord, Coleburn, Glen Albyn, Glenury Royal, Convalmore, Moohe, Brackla Royal), Grand Crown, Grand Dona, Longrow.
Rare Whisky 101 Japan 100 Index Sake Articles: Hanyu, Karuizawa, Yamazaki.
Ireland's winery capable of offering super vintages: Midleton.
Second, find a limit
Scarce things are precious, and they are applicable to all over the world. "While you drink whiskey, the whisky faces death." Whiskey is a magical thing that you can easily drink at any time, but suddenly it becomes extremely rare. This is especially true for limited editions or commemorative editions.
Many wineries will release some limited editions, limited editions or commemorative editions because of specific times, specific occasions, specific people, specific events, etc. Undoubtedly, such a limited amount of wine and a story, undoubtedly more investment collection value.
For example, to commemorate the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, Macallan launched a yearless labeled whisky in 1981, blended with the original wine distilled from the birthdays of the prince and princess in 1948 and 1961, which was only £20 at the time, and the current international average price has reached $7964.
McAllen's wedding in 1981
Similarly, in 2011, when Prince William and Catherine Middleton were married, McAllen launched a commemorative model, using the original wines from the birthdays of the prince and princess in 1996 and 1999, limited to 1,000 bottles, which were sold for 150 pounds at the time, and the current international average price has reached 8037 US dollars.
McAllen wedding in 2011
Also McAllen, the first global limited edition whisky in the "Distil Your World" series launched in 2020: "Macallan London Limited Edition", with an alcohol content of 57.5% ABV, limited to 2000 bottles, an issue price of 2630 pounds, only 1 year, the current international average price has reached 11895 US dollars.
McAllen London
Of course, many people will say that many limited editions and commemorative editions are very expensive, and it is difficult for ordinary people to get started. In fact, there are many wineries that launch very affordable limited editions or commemorative editions, but their investment collection value is not low, and the rate of return is not inferior to that of large factories such as McAllen.
For example, in 2021, in honor of the glorious retirement of Mickey Hydras, Ardbeg on the island of Ere, Scotland, launched the distillery's first whisky, Ardbeg Arrrrrrrdbeg, cured in 100% rye barrels, with an issue price of £145 and a current international average price of $443, with a return of more than 1 times in a matter of months. Abbe launches a member edition of limited liquor every year, which is often inexpensive, but has become a collector's treasure for many collectors, and the price in the secondary market or auction market can basically double several times.
Ardbeg Arrrrrrrdbeg
The most terrifying thing is Riwei. Japan's Suntory launched the 2021 Yamazaki Single Malt Limited Edition in May this year, the former launched again after a gap of 4 years, and the Hibiki Blossom Harmony, the first time ever mixed with mature whisky in a cherry blossom barrel, with a release price of just £53 (8,000 yen), At present, the international average price of the former has reached 1628 US dollars, and the latter has reached 1379 US dollars. Yes, you read that right.
Yamazaki 2021 Limited Edition
Ringing cherry blossoms
Many ordinary enthusiasts may say that the limited edition of a big brand manufacturer is not easy to buy or the price is not low. This is generally the case. If you can buy a limited edition of a large processing factory at a relatively cheap price, of course, it is the best. If you don't have this condition, you can turn to some small factories or unpopular wineries with more characteristics and potential, and seek their limited editions or souvenirs. Don't give up buying a new distillery's limited edition or souvenir or debut whisky, it will be a great opportunity for the poor to become rich. On this point, put it in the fifth point of this article "search for new factories".
Scotland and Japan have many small factories or unpopular wineries with great potential for development, and their popularity is not high, but the limited edition or commemorative models launched still have great appreciation potential.
For example, Scotland, such as Glennallachie, Brnriach, Glen Garioch, Balblair, Tamdhu, etc., has made frequent moves in recent years and has developed very strongly.
Granaritch is rapidly growing into a superstar distillery under the leadership of legendary winemaker Billy Walker. In 2018, the distillery also incredibly became the brand with the largest increase in total turnover and total number of transactions in the auction market that year (both increased by more than 200%). At present, Billy Walker is almost retired, and the prospect of limited edition wines run by him is very promising.
Granaritch
Benjak's peat whisky is unique in scotland's Spencer appellation, and in recent years its new wines have frequently received high scores from authoritative media such as Whisky Advocate, and have repeatedly entered the world's best, inexpensive price and good quality.
Benjak
Penn Suntory has decided to invest £6 million in the renovation of its GranGeree, including rebuilding flooring and reintroducing traditional production processes such as direct-fire heating. With the blessing of The Penn Suntory, a large consortium, The Grand Garey will regain its gem-level winery.
GranGerry
With just 9 employees, Barbriel is one of Scotland's oldest wineries. The distillery has been adhering to the traditional production process, and the whisky produced has been rated as "completely first-class whisky style" by Dave Bloom, author of the World's Whisky Map, and neil M. Gunn, a well-known whisky.M author, has also commented that "it will give you a glimpse of the kind of majesty that belongs only to the north". In recent years, the distillery's wine has been selected as one of the Whisky Advocates' Top 20.
Barbrier
If it weren't for the fact that several whiskies have won WWA Best awards in recent years, Tando may not be very well known. In fact, it is a completely large factory, with huge output, but it has been silently providing blended base wines for The Famous Grouse, Cutyy Sark, Dunhill, etc., like a ghost winery. The winery is now thriving after being acquired by Ian MacLeod.
Tandu
For example, in Japan, there are things like FujiGotemba and Mars (including Tsujin Tsunuki).
Strictly speaking, Fuji Gotemba, built in 1973, is already another peak of Japanese whisky, with Japan taking away four of the 5 world's best single grains at the WWA World Whisky Awards. The four winners are all from the same distillery, Fuji Gotemba. It is a comprehensive distillery that produces both grain whisky (mainly) and malt whisky, and is matured, blended and bottled in the distillery, large and innovative, but very low-key. The winery's small batches of single malt, single grain or limited editions are very collectible.
Fuji Gotemba
Both Shinshu and Tsukan belong to Hombo Sake Brewing.com. Sent Masataka Takezuru to Scotland to learn whisky making was the owner of honmei sake brewery, Kiichiro Iwai. When Bamboo Crane returned to China, he officially handed over the Whisky Internship Report (commonly known as "Bamboo Crane Notes") made by the Scottish study, but he put it in the database. Shinshu Distillery was built in 1985 and Tsukan was built in 2015, making it a new factory. Thanks to honmei's profound brewing skills and strong strength, Shinshu and Tsunatsu can become a big-name japanese whisky factory.
Shinshu
Jinguan
In recent years, the distillery has released various special restrictions and single barrels, such as Chichibu Matsuri, Fukuoka Whisky Festival, Nagoya Whisky Festival, Tokyo BarShow Limited, etc., as well as limited mass production komagata vintage versions or Shinshu special sets, such as Shinshu Plant Sets (remember dandelion, gentian, cherry blossoms...). ), Shinshu animal sets (butterfly series) and lucky stray cat sets, etc., are good investment collections.
Mt. Komagata
Find a limit, the money is immeasurable.
Third, chase the suit
The so-called set refers to a set or series of limited edition or commemorative edition whisky, with several bottles, dozens or dozens of bottles as a set (series), and the lack of one bottle is not a set (series). In addition, the suit is generally accompanied by a certain theme or story or character, which is of great commemorative significance. This is also the reason why the set collection is more investment collectible.
The most typical example is the above-mentioned Hanyu (Hanyu) Ichiro full deck of playing cards series, a full set of 54 playing cards (a total of 54 kinds of wine, of which the big ghost is a mixture of 14 barrels of original wine, a total of 3690 bottles, the rest are single barrels, all bottled only a few hundred bottles. It is also worth noting that there are two versions of Spades A, Q of Red Peaches, Plum J and Block K, and in 2005, one version was first listed for the test market, and 100 bottles each were sold. Therefore, the total number of playing cards included is 58), and the release time is as long as 10 years, so there are very few collectors who can keep a full set of 54 cards in hand, and according to conservative estimates, there are only 4-5 sets in the world, and it is even rarer to collect 58 playing cards.
Ichiro poker
The collection of fading sake breweries such as Habu and Karuizawa is extremely valuable because it never lasts. The extravagant sets offered by existing distilleries, such as the above-mentioned Anecdote Series of the McAllen Era (co-created and launched by McAllen and the well-known British pop art master Peter Blake, a full set of 13 whiskies, all distilled in 1967), the Macallan Red Series (40+50+60+71+74+78, each bottle of wine labels is illustrated by Javi Aznarez), the Dalmer Series Set (only 1 set in the world, each bottle from a generation, telling a story), The second edition of the Diageo Prima & Ultima series (Prima's choice of the first barrel of significance for the distillery, Ultima including the last barrel collection of the winery's important period), etc., are among the top works of the current golden age of whisky, with a very high investment collection value.
McAllen Red Series
The extravagant suits of big brands, whether they were launched before or now, are basically "not afraid to buy expensive, as long as they buy the right one". Of course, this is only suitable for local tycoon-level Tibetan friends, which is simply out of reach for ordinary Tibetan friends.
So, for ordinary Tibetan friends who do not have enough money, how to "chase the suit"?
The first is the civilian suit of a big name factory. McAllen will also introduce some civilian versions of the set. For example, Last year's Macallan The Edition Series, which has come to an end, no.1-No.6, a set of 6 bottles, last year's domestic set price was around 15,000 yuan (this year has risen to 25,000, the increase is also very high).
McAllen Annual Limited Edition Series
The Macallan Concept series, which has also been finalized, concept No. 1-3, a set of 3 bottles, thousands of yuan, is the cheapest McAllen set, and it is also suitable for ordinary Tibetan friends.
McAllen Concept Series
For example, the Balvenie Stories series is also a civilian set that is very suitable for ordinary Collectors to invest in collections. It has launched 12 years of Sweet Toast of American Oak, 14 years of A Week of Peat, 19 years of The Edge of Burnhead Wood, 21 years of the second red rose, 26 years of dark barley. "12 +14+19+21+26" and other 5 wines currently have a domestic price of about 16,000 yuan, and ordinary Tibetan friends can still "bite their teeth" to start.
Baifu Story Series
However, the set's current highest vintage, The Tale of the Dog, has appeared, and the price of this wine is estimated to make ordinary Collectors "cut their teeth".
The second is the exploration or experimental series of big-name factories. For example, the Local Barley series launched by Genting since 2016, known as the most representative wine in the history of Genting, has now become an annual offering, and has issued 6 models, each with an issue price of less than 100 pounds (the problem is that it is difficult to buy), if it continues to gather, there is a lot of room for appreciation.
Genting Local Barley Series
For example, Buchradi's Black Art series, as Buhradi's innovation and challenge to the traditional whisky brewing process, all germination, saccharification, fermentation, distillation, aging processes, all according to experience, all brewing secrets, only the winemaker can know, never revealed to the outside world. As a very topical winery in recent years, Buhradi Star Chart still has a good collection value.
Buhradi Star Chart Series
The third is the first set of the new winery. For example, Akkeshi, Japan, built in 2015, began releasing the 24-season series of whiskies in 2020 (a total of 24 wines, planning to release 3 to 4 models per year, and it will take a total of 7 years to release the complete set). Up to now, three models have been issued: cold dew, rain and mango seeds. As a nascent Japanese sake brewery with great potential for development, Atsugi's debut set also has a very good collection value.
Atsugishi 24 solar terms
Chasing suits, what is trapped is the wallet, and what is trapped is the force.
Fourth, the encounter disappears
Disappearing wineries are divided into two categories: one is the wineries that have completely disappeared. For example, in the Case of the Karuizawa Distillery, the equipment was auctioned off, the sake brewery was bulldozed and completely disappeared. The other is the winery where production is shut down but the plant equipment is still preserved, and with a little repair, production can be restarted immediately, such as Porter Allen, Brownla and so on. At present, both of these companies have been restarted by Diageo and have begun to distill into barrels.
Porter Allen
The big brand factory that has completely disappeared has a very high collection value, and the big guys see a bottle and collect a bottle! Listen to me. Of course, some of the less well-known vanished wines in China, such as Ben Weevis, Killy Locke, Gran Jugjie, etc., are not very good at circulation in China at present, so it is prudent to start.
For closed distilleries such as Rosebank, Porter Allen, Brownla, etc., although production has been restarted, the inventory of old vintages before the shutdown still has good collection value.
Porter Allen 37 years
There are also some vanished distilleries, which are not listed on the Rare Whisky 101 index due to the very small amount of market release, such as Littlemill (the oldest former distillery in Scotland, founded in 1772, closed in 1996, and the rest of the equipment has long been dismantled except for two factories), Ladyburn (under the william gran father and son, has only been operating for 9 years, from 1966 to 1975, and has only released two batches. Hailed as one of the hardest single malt whiskies in history) and so on, every release of their very small stock of original wine will be a good opportunity for players and collectors to get started.
The hardest single malt ever found – Reddy Peng
It is no longer possible for the average consumer to buy a bottle of obsolete distillery wine from a dusty liquor store shelf at a very low price. This section can be skipped.
When it disappears, it is the distillery that disappears, and what persists is history.
Fifth, search for new factories
A new factory is a new winery. In the past 10 years, with the advent of another golden age of whisky, many new wineries have sprung up around the world. Some distilleries have shown excellent development potential since the beginning of their establishment, and their new wines and newly issued first whiskies have very good investment collection value.
Map of new wineries in Scotland over the last 10 years
One is new wine, that is, wines that have just been distilled from the distillery, have not yet aged in barrels (called New Make in English) or have only a short barrel age (not reaching the statutory minimum age of 3 years, only spirits Spirit). Since the legal minimum age of barrel age has not yet been reached, it is rare for wineries to bottle it on the market, but there are exceptions.
For example, a set of 4 new bottles of wine launched by the Chichibu Distillation Institute in Japan in 2008, the barrel aged for only 3 months, namely Muzunara barrel, hogshead barrel, double barrel (Double Maturned), Bourbon barrel, etc., the listed price of the whole set is only a few thousand yuan, and the current auction price of the whole set last year has exceeded 70,000 Hong Kong dollars.
Chichibu Shinjo series
Japan's Atsugishi Distillery launched the distillery's first standard bottle, a whisky that has matured for three years, and has also launched six new 200 ml wines, also known as the New Born series, and the current market price has already doubled several times.
Akasa Freshman Series
The second is the first launch, the first whisky launched by the new distillery. Some of the new wineries with great potential for development are probably the best way for the average whisky lover to collect, as it has the lowest bar. Of course, getting it is not easy.
For example, the first batch of Nagahama single barrel sets issued by Nagahama Distillery in Japan, a set of 3 bottles, namely bourbon barrels, sherry barrels and water lintel barrels, are strong single barrels, limited to 218 sets, the issue price is only 45,000 yen (equivalent to 2803 yuan), and now the market has risen more than 10 times.
Nagahama debuts single barrel set
For example, the Dornoch distillery in Scotland, built in 2015, is dedicated to recreating the fruit flavors of the 60s and 70s that have disappeared, very harshly retro full set of old craftsmanship, from old varieties of barley, floor germination, to a variety of old varieties of brewing yeast, super invincible long fermentation times, and even direct fire distillation. In November 2020, the distillery launched the first single malt whisky, which originated in the distillery's number "1" barrel, matured in First-Fill EX-Oloroso Sherry Butt, aged 3 years and limited to 893 bottles. The official suggested retail price is £95. At present, the secondary market price of the wine has risen to 2,000 pounds.
Dono single malt whisky
For example, the Isle of Raasay, founded in 2014, released its first single malt whisky, The Isle of Raasay Single Malt- Inaugural Release 2020, which matures in the first Fill tennessee Bourbon barrel and finishes in the First Fill Bordeaux Red Wine Barrel in a limited edition of 7,500 bottles for £99 ($131), The price of the secondary market has now risen to 404 euros.
Lassey Island single malt whisky
Search for new factories, new in the own golden house.
New wineries worth noting:
Scotland: Annandale, Arbikie, Ardnahoe, Ardnamurchan, InchDairnie, Isle of Raasay, Ncn'ean, Dornoch, Torabhaig.
Japan: Akkeshi, Shizuoka, Nagahama, Tsunuki, Kanosuke, Matsui.
Ireland: Dingle, Waterford.
Taiwan: Nantou Omar.
Nordic: Mackmyra, Stauning.
Australia: Adelaide Hills, Archie Rose, Bakery Hill, Belgrove, Great Southern Distilling Co, Hellyers Road, Lark, Starward, Sullivan's Cove.
England: Lakes.
Sixth, look for the theme
Tracking some hot people or whisky with hot topics (such as organic, single farm, biodynamic planting, blockchain, artificial intelligence, etc.) as the main line of investment collection can often receive very good results.
One is to track down hot people.
Billy Walker, for example, has been very hot in recent years. He single-handedly revived three wineries in Benriach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh, and during this period, he launched acclaimed and popular wines such as The Grandona 1972 and the Gran Graço Collection, which are very popular in the collecting world.
Billy Walker
In 2016, he packaged and sold the three wineries and cashed out $280 million. After 1 year, I bought the very humble Glennallachie. The distillery's inventory was magically blended by him, and he frequently won awards in the market, instantly becoming the darling of market collectors. In 2021, the 4th edition of its 10-year barrel strength was awarded the "World's Best Single Malt Whisky" at the WWA World Whisky Awards.
Granaritch 10 years barrel strong 4th batch
Take, for example, Jim McEwan, a whisky master whose Scotch whisky circle is red and purple. In Scotland, Jim McEwan is the character who, along with Darmou's master winemaker Richard Paterson and The Rich Brewer David Charles Stewart, is known as the "Three Saints" of Scotch whisky. He was the manager of the Bomo Distillery, and during his tenure the Black Bomo series has become a hot topic in today's auction market. Legend has it that yamazaki and Shirashu whisky have improved by leaps and bounds, also because they had transferred Jim, who worked at Pomo, to Japan for a period of time to teach him to solve his problems.
Jim McEwan
After leaving Pomo, Jim went to Bruichladdich and launched a number of topical products, such as the 16-year Bruichladdich 16 YO First Growth, the collector's favorite "Star Map" and the highest value of the peat phenol in Scotland, "Octomore".
Octomore
He's currently working on a new distillery, Ardnahoe, which is also likely to be the last stop of his whisky career in his 70s, do you think there will be any whisky collectors who would want to miss out on his work here?
Ardnahoe distillery
After Jim McEyn left Buhrade, independent bottler Dramfool partnered with him to bottle part of his private collection into a standalone bottled whisky collection called Dramfool's Jim McEwan Signature Collection. The series is expected to contain a total of 9 sets of wines, each of which contains 3 wines, or a total of 27 wines. Three series have been launched. Will it be the darling of the market collection? Haha, bullshit!
Dramfool’s Jim McEwan Signature Collection
Bill Lumsden, chief winemaker at Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, is also a master figure well worth tracking.
Bill Lumsden
His Glenmorangie Private Edition, which launches a new wine every year, explores new ways to play whisky, such as barrel aging in different flavor barrels (including the first use of rye whisky barrels from the United States in Scotland), new barley varieties, wild yeast fermentation, etc., each edition is full of surprises. The pricing is not high, but it is personally operated by the master, it is topical, the quality is good, and it is also a complete set of products, which can be said to be a "light collection" series that is very friendly to entry-level collectors.
Granger 'Glenmorangie Private Edition'
Recently, Scotland's first distillery focused on single malt whisky experimentation rather than production, Glenmorangie Lighthouse, was officially put into use. In layman's terms, granger lighthouse is the distillery's creative director, Dr Bill Lumsden, "if... What if...? "The idea was put into practice by an experimental winery. Here, Dr. Bill Leungston can use his imagination to redefine every aspect of whisky craftsmanship. Meanwhile, to mark the opening of the lighthouse, Granger is launching a soft and fruity whisky, Glenmorangie Lighthouse, limited to 3,000 bottles and sold only in limited distilleries for $85.
Glenmorangie Lighthouse
The second is to track hot topics.
Take organic whisky, for example. Ncn'ean, Scotland's first 100% organic distillery, launched its first single malt whisky in December 2020, number 1, sold for over £40,000 at a charity auction.
Ncn'ean organic whisky
For example, Single Farm whisky and biodynamic grown whisky. Ireland's Waterford Distillery's experimental series, the Arcadian Series, offers a wide range of single-farm whiskies.
Watford Single Farm Whisky
The distillery also launched biodynamic: Luna 1.1, the world's first entirely biodynamically grown barley whisky, which was brewed from barley from three farmers who followed a biodynamic approach first proposed by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in 1924, such as sowing seeds according to specific stages of the moon, replacing machinery with a horse plow, and using horns full of fertilizer at certain times of the year to obtain fertilization benefits, and so on.
The world's first biodynamic grown whisky
Take blockchain technology, for example. The Ardnamurchan distillery, built in 2014 in the western Scottish Highlands, was one of the first distilleries to rely entirely on local renewable energy (the distillery also won the 2020 Whisky Magazine "Perpetual Distillery" award), and was the first to use blockchain technology, with the distillery's bottles providing scannable QR codes that can be traced back to the source of the bottle. In October 2020, the distillery launched the first single malt whisky, called AD09.20:01, limited to 16,000 bottles worldwide, which was snapped up as soon as it was sold, and the price of the secondary market has risen to 211 euros.
The world's first whisky using blockchain technology
Another example is artificial intelligence. Mackmyra, Sweden's pioneering winery with an innovative and experimental spirit, was the world's first distillery to produce "AI whisky". They worked with Microsoft to develop a "whisky algorithm" based on raw data accumulated over more than 20 years, Master Distillers, which automatically selects the choice of whisky's barrel, the time it takes to age and the ratio of blending.
Mackmyra
Looking for the theme, there are usually explosive models.
Seven, wrap the whole barrel
Wrapping a whole bucket, referred to as a bag bucket, is to buy a whole bucket of whiskey bags (buy). The barrel is nothing new to independent bottlers (commonly known as IBs) that have been around for more than 100 years. They live by drumming and then bottling them on the market.
But for individuals, the bucket is a matter of the last decade or so. Some whisky gournies or bigwigs, through their special social connections, buy some barrels, including The Macallan, Ardbeg, Springbank, Bowmore, and the discontinued Port Elen, Brora, Rosebank, and others. It's just that they rarely buy for investment, basically for consumption or gifts.
On a wrapped barrel of Buhradi is a message from a father to his son
Domestic Cai Hao bag barrel
Because the bucket is not only a very expensive thing (hundreds of thousands, even millions), but also a very professional thing (barrel selection, barrel buying, barrel storage, barrel barrel, bottle, etc.), so gradually there are professional barrel companies, such as The Last Drop Distillers, Rare Whisky 101, Cask Trade and so on.
In recent years, as the barrel has gradually become a game that some local tycoons are chasing, coupled with the continuous release of lower-age barrels to the market by distilleries, the threshold for barrels is getting lower and lower. For example, the package barrels launched by The Lake Romance Group to domestic players, some of which can even be started as low as more than 200,000 yuan.
Lake Roman package price
Most importantly, the winery also offers the so-called "single barrel pre-deposit" service. That is, you wrap a barrel, the distillery helps you keep this barrel of wine, when to start selling, when to start bottling is up to you. Lake Roman, like the one mentioned above, even offers a free storage period of 5 years, after which it can be kept for ten years at a very low management cost.
During this period, the winery delivery warehouse management team will check the barrels every year, and if leakage occurs during the storage period, the same standard oak barrels will be replaced in the factory. At the same time, they also provide a barrel transfer service, the original single barrel can be transferred to the flavor barrel storage for 1-2 years, by the collector to choose the flavor barrel, including the first bourbon, surtoise barrel, red wine barrel, Madeira, PX, Oloroso sherry barrel and so on.
As the barrel game becomes more and more in-depth, the market even has a special barrel-based trading market or auction market. This solves the problem of the circulation of the whole barrel. As a result, the whole barrel becomes an asset that can be invested in collections and traded liquidity.
For example, Sotheby's In Hong Kong has successfully auctioned several barrels of McAllen in recent years. In 2018, McAllen's 22-year oak barrel whisky rebate sold for HK$3.43 million, and in 2019, McAllen's 30-year Shirley's Head Original Barrel Whisky bond sold for HK$4.464 million.
McAllen 30 years Shirley Pig Head Original Barrel
From the perspective of investment collection, barrel investment is a kind of tangible asset investment, and the player has absolute control over the barrel, coupled with the quality control and quantity control of the winery, there is basically no risk of loss. But its subsequent appreciation space depends on factors such as the year of the whisky, brand endorsement and market trend.
A friend of mine wrapped a bucket of 22-year Glen Grant in the UK five years ago, and it cost less than £20,000 at the time. In the past few years, thanks to the "Whisky Bible" for the Grand Crown, the market has risen all the way. So far, the market value of the barrel wine has approached 50,000 pounds.
At present, the biggest risk of bucket investment is poor liquidity. At a time when the barrel-based trading market is far from very developed, it means that there is a certain difficulty in getting rid of or changing hands. Before that, you also need to invest a certain amount of management fees every year, and the financial cost is relatively high. Most importantly, the original wine in the barrel is reduced by evaporation every year due to the existence of angelic sharing.
Of course, the big deal is that you can bottle it. Judging from the current price of the bag, its cost performance is still very high.
For example, in August 2021, Macallan's 30-year 1991 original barrel of whiskey (Sherry barrel, 51.5% ABV) sold at Bonhams Auction House in Hong Kong for about 3.71 million yuan, and this full barrel of liquor can be divided into 202 bottles, with an average value of about 20,000 yuan per bottle. Compared with the current market price of mcallen 30-year sherry barrel at least 60,000 yuan, it still has a very high cost performance.
McAllen 30 years 1991 original barrel whisky
For the average whisky lover, the barrel gameplay is still under pressure, and this section can also be skipped.
Between you and high-quality humans, there is a bucket of whiskey.
VIII. Seek IB
IB (Inpendent Bottling), or independent bottling, is relative to official bottling (OB). IB wine is a wine that is bottled and listed after independent bottlers purchase whole barrels of wine (hereinafter referred to as barrel wine) from some wineries. They form a competitive and cooperative relationship with the ob liquors officially bottled by the distillery.
Some wineries, which have grown or been acquired by giants, will reduce or even not sell barrels of wine to the outside world. Diageo, for example, announced that it would no longer sell its own barrel wine. Some independent bottlers will also take over some wineries as they grow (below).
In recent years, IB wine has exploded in the market. More and more capital is pouring into the IB market, launching an endless stream of IB wines. From the perspective of drinking, IB wine has a very competitive price compared to OB wine, and the cost performance of drinking is higher. But from the perspective of investment collection, OB wine is far more than IB wine. But there are exceptions to everything. As long as you have a unique vision, IB wine can still find a lot of wine with great investment collection value.
Compass Box 3 Years Old Deluxe
So, how to start with IB wine?
One is to look at the brand. Choose high-quality boutique wines such as small batches, rare barrels, special vintages and other high-quality wines launched by independent bottlers with strong strength.
For example, Cadenhead's, Scotland's oldest IB dealer, which began bottling in 1907. In the 1970s, Cadenhead's had some of the richest sources of original wine in the UK. In 1972, the barrels were sold in full, and the strength was greatly reduced. It currently owns two wineries (Genting and Grangoni). Its small batch cask strength is very hot, no more than 4 barrels of bottles at a time, the scarcity is extremely high, a bottle is difficult to find, and it is highly sought after.
Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection
For example, Gordon & MacPhail, another giant in the Scottish IB industry, has a stock of more than 10,000 barrels of original wine, including some big names and closed distilleries. The vintage span is also amazing, with its highest-end collection, Generations, being born in 2010 and now offering a number of ultra-vintage whiskies, including the 80-Year-Old from Glenlivet Distillery, the highest vintage in human history.
Generations 80-Year-Old from Glenlivet Distillery
In addition, since its inception, the distillery has purchased some new wines from famous distilleries every year, which are very interesting to put in their own cellars and slowly age. In addition, the distillery currently has a distillery, Benromach, and another distillery is under planned construction.
For example, Duncan Taylor, founded in 1938, has an extremely rich product line, from the low-yield, old and high-priced The Rarest, the Octave Premium Range, as well as Black Bull, The Big Smoke, Tantalus, Dimensions and more than a dozen product lines.
Signatory Vintage, founded in 1988, is the number one representative of emerging independent bottlers, and its admiration of "Single, Single, Single Malt" (single distillery, single batch, single original barrel bottle) shows its ambitions. Saint-Fli maintains a good working relationship with the major distilleries in Scotland, and the original wine is basically what you want. In addition, Saint-Frée purchased Edradour, the smallest distillery in Scotland, in 2002 and became an IB merchant with a factory.
Saint-Ferli
The second is to find characteristics. In the past ten years, while the veteran IB merchants have continuously launched very distinctive wines, many small independent bottlers with very personality and characteristics have emerged, and the wines launched also have good investment and collection value.
For example, Douglas Laing, another well-known independent bottler, is known for its original collections focused on craftsmanship, small batches and single barrel bottling: King of Scots, Premier Barrel, Double Barrel, McGibbon's and The Remarkable Malts. In 2013, Douglas Leung launched a single-barrel whisky collection called Old Particular, which selects barrels directly from the distillery and looks for those distinctive, high-quality single barrels of different eras to bottle.
Douglas Laing
Old Particular
For example, the Comic Label Whisky Company (That Boutigue-y Whisky Company), established in 2011, has launched nearly 150 individually bottled, small batches, high quality and rarity, excellent quality plus brilliant comic style wine label, has become the favorite of whisky lovers in recent years.
That Boutigue-y Whisky Company
The third is to find old wine. Independent bottlers have been around for hundreds of years. During this period, some of the long-standing, especially the out-of-print IB series, also had a very high investment collection value.
For example, the bottling plant Samaroli, founded by Italian Silvano Samaroli in 1968, is known for its exquisitely designed art labels. In 1981, the brand's floral collection was introduced, changing the culture of Scotch whisky collecting, and today, the floral collection has become one of the most competitive whiskies at auction.
Samaroli
Looking for IB, there are gold coins in the IB.
Nine, explore the grain
According to the RW101 Whisky Investment Annual Report, in 2019, 1,768 bottles of single grain whisky (144,000 for single malt) were traded for a total value of £274,000 (57.707 million for a single malt) and an average price of £154.8 per bottle (£401.04 for a single malt). The single grain market is still small compared to the single malt market.
However, over the past five years, all indicators of a single grain have moved in an upward direction: trading volume has increased by 658.80%; prices have increased by 906.02%; and average price per bottle has increased by 32.58%.
So will single grain whisky be the next big investment hotspot? While not necessarily, be aware of the rare single grain whiskies of high vintages, as the demand for single grains is growing significantly.
Fuji Gotemba single grain whisky
Grain Exploration, today's supporting role, tomorrow's superstar.
Thank you very much for reading here. At this point, the "27 characters" on the whisky investment collection have been elaborated. The "27 Character Classic" mainly provides a little idea and direction for your whisky investment collection. If you can help your whisky investment collection, the week-long efforts during the National Day period will not be in vain.
Thanks again for reading! If you can forward and share, thank you very much!
Dasu: WSET (International Wine and Spirits Education Foundation) Advanced Accreditation, SMWA (Scottish Single Malt Institute) Advanced Accreditation, dedicated to the education and promotion of wine and spirits. Welcome to follow.