The closed distilleries march on.
It seems that having been out of the running a few months ago, and now moving up the table, Karuizawa is moving up further. There have been some significant bottles at auction and quite a few of them giving the Japanese distillery a lift in recent weeks. Springbank and Bowmore have kept steady, and Brora has entered the fray.
Brora distillery could be an interesting prospect. Having been closed since 1983, the distillery has been rebuilt. Not just another distillery on the same site. The re-built distillery is almost an exact replica of the original. The original new make is no more, but Dr Jim Beverage can remember the profile and is certain he can recreate the magic of the past.
Whether this will bring old bottles out of the woodwork, or if people will hold onto them hoping the Brora brand will grow and grow, one doesn’t know. But my feeling is that if you can invest in old bottles of Brora, which already has cult status, you won’t do badly.
Macallan 1%
Bowmore 1%
Springbank 1.5%
Karuizawa 2.0%
The Dalmore 2%
Clynelish 3%
Brora 2%
Rosebank Official Bottlings 1%
Ardbeg 2%
Glen Grant
Bottles to Watch
The following bottles are from Brora. There are not many as Brora bottles are truly old and rare, and I would advise finding bottles at auction rather than at retail. As always, these are just suggestions but it will point you in the right direction to do your own research and introduce you to the possibilities of investing in whisky.
Brora 37 year old (Special releases 2015)
This bottle is from a release a few years ago and will likely improve over the coming years as well. An official bottling from Diageo, it will always be sought after.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 50.4%
Find here: US $1999.99
Brora 21 year old 1977
This 1977 is a lot less expensive than its older sibling from 1972, and therefore has a little more room to increase in value.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 56.9%
Find here: UK £1795
Brora 1982, bottled 2008 G&M Connoisseurs Choice
Independent bottles are frequently less expensive to buy, this can also be because they are also bottled at a lower ABV. However, with good ones, they can increase in value at the same rate as official bottles. This is a prime example.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 43%
Find here: UK £1200
To see how this whisky investment index is created, have a look at March and to see how August compares to July click here.