It’s calculated that the value of a whisky cask doubles every 5 years. However, this value increases exponentially with every year that the spirit remains in the cask. As the spirit needs to mature in the cask for a minimum of three years, even the youngest casks on the market already store value. Here, The Macallan is king: a whisky brand owned by the spirits giant Edrington, which resonates worldwide. Often, that doesn’t mean the whisky is better (in fact, at Braeburn we have identified the investment potential of many lesser known brands) it does mean, however, that the big Speyside, Islay or Island whiskies have that intangible brand value that translates into higher prices. Brands that have built a reputation will jealously guard their stock and protect their brand by ensuring that all the liquid from their casks ends up in their own bottles. Building a successful whisky brand is a long, and often expensive, process. This inherent rarity is priced into the value of every older cask, making them one of the most tantalizing and exciting investment opportunities available anywhere.Īs we can see in the figures from the latest Whisky Cask Market Overview, investors are increasingly aware of the scarcity and value of whisky casks from the top distilleries, which continue to perform at a rate unmatched by any other traditional asset.Īs Scotch whisky continued its conquest of global markets, and large corporations began to snap up distilleries, the importance of the brand became a determining factor in the price of casks. Eventually, there won’t be any left at all on the private market. There is now a finite amount of premium whisky casks sitting in warehouses throughout Scotland, and every time one of them is bottled, there are even fewer. They were soon followed by other prestigious distilleries like Dalmore and Laphroaig, who decided to hold on to their precious stock. Consequently, the most prized casks were soon all in the hands of private collectors, making them extremely rare, and therefore significantly more valuable. The Macallan, which many regard as Scotland’s premier whisky brand, stopped releasing its casks at the end of the 1990s. However, as whisky started to become the tipple of choice in a growing economy, stock began to struggle to keep up with demand and it was no longer in the distilleries’ interest to sell their casks on the open market. Releasing casks for sale was a good way to generate the income they needed for their day-to-day operations. So, what makes some casks worth more than others?īefore the great whisky boom of the 1980s, Scotland’s distilleries often struggled to make ends meet due to the economic challenges of manufacturing a product that takes years to come to market. From simple, New Make Casks from lesser known distilleries, available from as little as £2000, to highly prized, decades-old Blue-Chip casks from renowned distilleries that can easily fetch six-figure prices.īut, as in all markets, price is a complex determination of value based on both subjective and objective factors.
There is an enormous range of casks available to investors at diverse prices. These ‘super sales’ are just a symptom of a market that is booming, with casks of rare single malt becoming one of the most coveted assets for investors looking to protect their wealth in a volatile market. In 2019 a 30-year old cask of The Maccallan was sold by Bonhmans in Hong Kong at auction for $572,000, an eye-popping amount for an ex-sherry hogshead of single malt. This is a true connoisseur’s dream.įirst published on sky’s the limit when it comes to the price of the rarest casks of liquid gold. There was just 70 bottles of this extraordinarily rare Irish whiskey produced. Chapter Two is a 46-year-old single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1973. Old Midleton Distillery operated from 1825-1975. It was made in the Midleton Distillery, Co. The Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection Chapter Two was the second release in Ireland’s oldest ever whiskey collection. Just three bottles of this rarity went on sale this month for €40,000 each. The sale of this whiskey ushered in a new era for ultra-rare luxury Irish whiskey. The Most Expensive Irish Whiskey – Midleton Very RareĪnd of course we have the most expensive Irish whiskey. It was left to age in a cask of English oak from the Queen’s Sandringham Estate. The whiskey itself is a blend of grain and malt whiskies, all distilled in 1952.
Only 60 bottles were ever made, making this limited-edition whiskey very valuable. It is held in a diamond-shaped crystal decanter made by Baccarat, with a silver collar set with a half-carat diamond.
Assuming that there are 28 drams in a bottle, that’s around $8,590 grand a dram. Johnnie Walker Diamond Jubilee Whiskey is a snip at $240,500 per bottle.
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