Demand for fine, rare and collectable Scotch whisky is at an all-time high. According to Rare Whisky 101, the brokerage and analysis firm that publishes the leading indices on such things, the UK auction market looks set to double in value this year to over £20m – or more than 80,000 bottles. The vast majority of this whisky is traded in bottles, but as the thirst for hard-to-find whisky increases, some whisky lovers are taking things to the next level and buying their whisky not by the bottle, but by the cask.
Which is easier said than done. The demand for whisky with an impressive age statement means distilleries are now much more reluctant to relinquish mature stock than they were 15 or 20 years ago. Those that do sell casks often do so only under the radar (several I spoke to for this piece asked not to be named). It takes time, money and contacts to get hold of this stuff – which is exactly what makes it so alluring.
“We’re now seeing a growing incidence of people who are looking to put together a collection of casks from all the best distilleries,” says Rare Whisky 101 co-founder Andy Simpson. Some of his top clients have more than 100 casks maturing around Scotland (if a whisky matures anywhere else, it can’t legally be called Scotch).