COLLECTING FINE WHISKY
While Whiskies of the Glen does not publish a whisky investment guide, is not a whisky investment fund, and does not offer whisky investment advice, we appreciate that whisky (especially single malt whisky) has become one of the best medium to long term investments out there, and that many of our loyal customers buy their whisky with one eye firmly fixed on capital appreciation. For this reason – and probably a little to do with our name – we are often asked the question, “How to invest in whisky successfully?”. We hope the following musings are of interest to those seeking a deeper insight into the capital growth opportunities presented by a good single malt whisky investment.
As part of our continuing series uncovering some of the more preferred approaches used to collect and invest in wines and spirits, we take a lingering look at the advantages of purchasing En Primeur or Pre-Order wines and spirits.
En Primeur is one of the more well-known methods favoured by investors who buy and collect wine. Buying En Primeur essentially means buying wine at a very early stage, usually while it is still in the barrel. There can be huge savings and deep discounts on offer to collectors choosing to buy their wines En Primeur. Investors and collectors that use this approach will secure and pay for their wine anywhere from one year to eighteen months before it is bottled and released to the general public.
A whisky or spirit that can be pre-ordered may be considered to be as collectable an item as an En Primeur wine, as it offers the investor or collector fundamentally the same benefit. The whisky or spirit is offered for sale at a specially discounted Pre-Order price, and is available to purchase ahead of its release to the general public. Essentially the investor is securing their rare whisky or spirit today at a much lower Pre-Order price in comparison to the price it will be released at in the future. One of the main ingredients of a successful investment appears to be managing to secure the desired item at a good price, preferably below the market rate, thereby leaving more headroom for growth – products with prices that are specially discounted to Pre-Order fit this criterion perfectly.
SO, WHAT DOES THE PRE-ORDERING PROCESS ENTAIL?
As with buying En Primeur, the Pre-Order process is simple – secure and buy ahead of release and receive your Pre-Ordered whisky when it is ready for delivery in the future. Some companies out there ask for the entire Pre-Order price to be paid upfront, while some companies are happy to accept a deposit payment to secure the whisky at the discounted price, with the balance payment of the Pre-Order price becoming due when the whisky is ready to be delivered. With discounts of fifteen to twenty percent to be had, buying single malt whisky at specially discounted Pre-Order prices seems to make good financial sense, which is probably why many single malt whiskies that are available to Pre-Order are regarded by many as some of the best investment whisky deals on the market.
En Primeur or Pre-Order buying strategies can be used by both drinkers and investors. If your wine or spirit is being bought to drink, you can rest assured that it has not zig-zagged across the globe or been stored on a shelf in a shop before reaching you. In fact as soon as the product is bottled, it is usually dispatched ready for you to enjoy. When employing an En Primeur or Pre-Order investment strategy, it is important to look for proven brands that already have established markets and a recognised value. The old saying, “Quality always sells”, is seldom proven wrong.
THE WORLDS SERIES 1 - GLENFARCLAS 30 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT WHISKY
With the introduction of its ‘Single Malt First’ option, Whiskies of the Glen is taking the guess work out of making a Pre-Order purchase. One such Single Malt First is the brilliant new Worlds Series of single malt whiskies. Beginning with Series 1, Worlds is a continuing series of fine, aged to perfection, whiskies, making it possibly the perfect introduction to collecting whisky. Series 1 is a 30 year old Glenfarclas single cask, single malt, produced in very limited quantities ensuring that it is a highly desirable, collectable, investment grade whisky. The series features six unique world destination designs with a maximum of fifty decanters produced per design. Worlds Series 1 features the destinations of, London, Sydney, Kyoto, Moscow, Singapore, and New York.
THE WHISKY
All of the fundamentals of this great single malt whisky are in place. Hand-picked for the Worlds Series by Glenfarclas's very own George Grant, the extravagant Worlds Series 1 Glenfarclas single malt was distilled in 1990 and carefully nurtured and matured in a sherry hogshead cask for a generation to the age of 30.
THE BOTTLING
There are really only two names we associate with fine Scotch whisky decanters, Lalique, and Scotland’s very own award winning Glencairn Crystal. Series 1 will be bottled at cask strength into crystal decanters uniquely created by Glencairn Crystal. Each decanter is numbered and hand-engraved with one of six unique world destination designs, making it a unique piece of history.
THE PRE-ORDER DISCOUNT
Series 1 was available to Pre-Order exclusively through Whiskies of the Glen at the specially discounted price of £5,940. The release price was £7,425. The final set available sold at a staggering £8,000! Not bad appreciation in a little over a year.
Unlike an En Primeur wine investment, at Whiskies of the Glen there is no lengthy twelve to eighteen months wait for release. We are determined to bring our customers the best possible wines and spirits at the best possible prices.
To this end Whiskies of the Glen has developed a number of different options – our ‘About Us’ page explains these in more detail. https://www.whiskiesoftheglen.com/about-us/