Advice on buying whisky

[mtbeatle]

I am keen to start buying whisky to collect.

I like drinking the stuff but I would also see it as an investment opportunity.

What I would probably do is buy two bottles, keep one and drink one. The one I keep would ideally pay for the one I drink in the long term. Maybe I'm just dreaming?!?!?

My question is............

How do I do about identifying whiskys which are likely to double or treble in value in a few years time? I realise there are no guarantees in this or else everyone would be doing it but any tips would be appreiciated.

I was advised for example the Mid Winters Night Dram by Glenmorangie may be worth a punt so I've got a couple of those. Its that sort of thing I'd be interested in

Thanks

Craig

[Quaich1]

Everyone here wishes they had the answer to your question. Buying a reasonably priced limited edition release or other and expecting large gains over a relatively short time is like winning the lottery really. Does it happen? Yes. Most of the time, it does not.

I have been shone upon more than once where the increase was fast and furious within a few years of purchasing the dram, the most memorable going up 900% on my original investment of multiple bottles of the same expression. In both cases I'm speaking of, it was based on a "gut feeling" and my knowledge or rather my sense of the "psychology" of marketing in the whisky world and what qualities the dram itself presented.

Spending a lot of money on rarer bottles does not necessarily guarantee success either. Some bottles that were highly regarded at one point sometimes lose their lustre among the whisky hoards at a later date. In many ways, selecting the "winners" is like playing the stock market, a risky business at best. However, it is fun and sometimes profitable to check out the whisky scenery regarding new releases and current limited editions to see what has some allure and lasting interest rather than just a flash in the pan. So ends my rather long convoluted answer to a direct question whose answer is not quite so simple.


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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)

[opelfruit]

I don't invest in whisky. The fact that people do, and speculate and flip bottles pushes the initial release prices of such bottles up higher for those of us who actually want to drink the stuff. I've got bottles I bought to drink that are now worth a lot. To quantify, bottles purchased at about £150-£200 that (partly due to luck) are worth between £500 and £1k mark.

Will I sell what I have? Nah, it's getting drunk.


Best bit of advice I can give you if you do have a dabble; don't spend more than you can afford to loose and buy whisky that you are prepared to drink. That way you're always going to end up with someone worthwhile at the end of it and if prices fall then it's not a total loss - you've got whisky to drink.
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"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough."

[Rexmundi]

Hi Craig, thanks for posting your question as I was interested to read the replies. I have also bought a couple of bottles of the mid winter dram as a potential first investment. Decided to do this due to it being only a limited edition, only available in the UK, and it's a fine dram! If they don't go up in value I'll happily enjoy it myself.
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Slange

[JustHch]

Hello Craig,



Briefly:

You need to buy good quality liquid. Price isn't always a factor but generally better quality whiskies are more expensive. I would say aim for the £100-£200+ mark and your return in the long run will not only be lager but will be more likely a success.

Do some research and watch the open market (Auction) because at the end of the day that is most likely where you will be selling your second bottle.

If you ever buy a bottle and really enjoyed it and it also had good reviews, don't be shy on buying several more bottles. But remember don't keep all your eggs in one basket.

Hope this helps in some way
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Old Whisky is the best Whisky