Written by Colin Hampden-White
The king is just about hanging onto the crown, but it is closer than it has been for many months. Macallan has risen a little and Springbank remains strong. As predicted, Ardbeg has risen up a little and may well rise further but these percentages tell only half the story. The big change over the last few months is the value of the bottles being traded. In the past the big-ticket items, commanding high retail prices were the ones to invest in, but it seems they have had their day and the retail prices, even for very rare whiskies are no longer lower than the secondary market prices. My advice, for now, would be to stay clear of bottles over 5K and find the sweet spot which seems to be around £250 to £1500. I don’t think it matters much about the ranking at this level, and one is best to think long term. As with all investment portfolios, diversify. If you can collect a number of bottles in the top 10 from different distilleries within the sweet spot of £250 to £1500, and hang onto them for at least five years, you shouldn’t do badly.
The Dalmore 2%
Bowmore 3%
Macallan 1%
Springbank 1%
Clynelish 5%
Karuizawa 1.5%
Rosebank Official Bottlings 2%
Yamazaki 0.5%
Ardbeg 2%
Bunnahabhain
Bottles to Watch
As a pointer this month I am going to suggest Springbank as one to concentrate on. Some of these limited releases have different ABVs depending on release and are not listed here.
Springbank 16 year old Local Barley
The local barley release sells out in seconds, so if you see one you’re very lucky! Always sought after and very collectable. Also, absolutely delicious!
Springbank 9 year old Gaja cask
This is a bit of a sleeper for me. It’s not expensive, but it will be limited and lovely. I reckon this will rise quickly despite its young age.
Springbank 19 year old Sherry Cask
19 years old is unusual for Springbank, which singles this expression out. Being in sherry will also help its appeal, and will be looked for by collectors. At this price, for Springbank it’s a great deal.
Springbank 21 years old 1990’s
This is a rare find, and already has some age to it. Only one bottle here shows how rare these things are at retail. Bottled I the 1990’s, the distillate will be 1970’s and a wonderful look back in time.
Springbank 15 years old 1990’s
Another 1990’s bottling giving a view into the late 1970’s or early 1980’s. Again, a rare bottle and one worth hanging onto.
As with March, April and May’s Whisky Investment Indexes, any bottles mentioned are just suggestions, I don’t pretend to have a crystal ball, but it will point you in the right direction to do your own research and start you on your journey in whisky investment.