New Member - seeking some advice.

[dfrbrowne]

Hello all,

I should have joined the forum a long time ago as I have been collecting single malts now for over 10 years and have a decent collection, my favourite distillery is Ardbeg and I have about a dozen various bottles. I am a member of their committee so have had some limited release examples as well.

In total my collection is over 35 bottles. Now here is my dilemma...

I am moving to the US in the new year and have been told I cannot take my whisky with me, I cannot import it into the states. Anyone know if this is true?

If that is the case then I would be faced with putting it in storage and I could be in the US for years if not permanently.

Or try to sell it or auction it.

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks and Slainte
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Mostly an Ardbeg fan and collector. but have a fair collection of rare limited edition bottles.

[albo]

Welcome to the forum!

I don't know the answer to your question, but at a guess, I'm pretty sure you can import them into the US, especially as they are, to all intents and purposes, for personal consumption.

If this isn't true and you want somewhere to store them for a few years, you can use my house, though the angles will doubless take a fair share of the contents of the bottles

[Keith]

Hi dfrbrowne and welcome to the forum.

You should be able to put whisky in your checked in baggage at the airport, i think there is a limit on the amount, check with the airline you will fly with but you should be able to take a few bottles in an extra case but there would be a few pounds to pay for your luggage being overweight. You would have to declare them and pay duty in the US when you arrive. Just remember to pack it well as baggage handlers aren't known for handling with care.

Also whisky shops such as The Whisky Exchange still ship to the US so you should look into what courier will do that, it could be expensive and i think there is a limit of 8.5 litres and there will be customs charges. I believe you cannot ship to US Military Bases, Massachusetts, Nevada and New Hampshire.

If you do not intend to drink it and you are definitely coming back to the UK then it may be cheaper to store it as you could end up paying custom charges in both directions and that could be expensive.

Basically you need to get some prices for taking whisky in your luggage, shipping by courier and storage in the UK then assess the value of each bottle, money wise and to yourself and decide which are worth taking and which are not.

[Quaich1]

Might have an answer for you dfrbrowne . Check this out.
http://www.pridebaltimore.com/docs/PrideAlcohol4PersonalUseRequirements.pdf
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"Always carry a large flagon of whisky in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake."
W.C. Fields (1880-1946)

[Alastair]

You cant use royal mail but spme courier companies will do it for you and they should take care of customs/charges/taxes, i suggest calling around for prices and make sure they take care of customs and get it to the final destination for you and it isnt left sitting in some dock or warehouse in the US expecting you to collect it.

[dfrbrowne]

Thanks for the advice so far guys its been very useful.
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Mostly an Ardbeg fan and collector. but have a fair collection of rare limited edition bottles.