WHISKY INVESTMENT - PORT ELLEN ?

by **Deactivated Member** » Sat May 21, 2005 7:00 pm

I've decided that, from time to time, I'm going to 'salt away' a bottle of malt as a future investment. Is Port Ellen the best bet?

by **bernstein** » Sat May 21, 2005 7:30 pm

Port Ellen? Depends on what you’re expecting, eelbrook. They are at the higher end of the price tags already. In 30-40 years you (or your heirs

) might get a very good price for it. But that might be true for a lot of things. Brokerage is and - I’m afraid – will ever be some kind of esoteric business for my kind of naive person. Pity though, but I can’t help - it it’s not my kind of thing.

Although personally I would very much like to taste a Port Ellen one of these days. Read a lot about it. And there’s quite a hype about Port Ellen nowadays, I understand.
Anyway - I’m more busy investing in experience than in stocking gems for the future to come. But who knows? Maybe in 30-40 years, I will sit down in my monorail-hypermagnetic-wheelchair on Mars, sent out all the busy electronic nannys and doctors and pour a decent dram of 2005 Glenlivet 12 – and I will be really, really happy about this witty investment of mine…

by **Aidan** » Sun May 22, 2005 1:01 am

I think Port Ellen is a very good investiment. Look at the price rise already. Scotch is the best for investment in general for steady gains as it is the sector with the most liquidity.

Most Port Ellens are priced under EUR 200, making them a very liquid investment. These will be easy to shift on in a couple of years, and I think for a good profit. Original bottlings and independent cask strength bottlings are best for investment, I think.

The advantage with other markets, like Irish whiskey, is that because the liquidity is not as great, there are some real bargains to be picked up. You might have to wait longer to get the right price for them so.

I have been making a few bob buying and selling Irish. I really only do it to finance the whiskeys I do want to keep.

Anyway, for me, good investments in the scotch whiskey market are old Ardbegs, Port Ellens .... and, to a lesser extent, Rosebanks.

by **Lawrence** » Sun May 22, 2005 1:30 am

Well said Aidan, I think Port Ellen will be one of the collectibles of the future, it's very popular now and will only increase in popularity. I think it's fair to say that most (but not all ) of the closed distilleries have their following. I have salted away a few Port Ellens but for drinking later, not for the investment value.

by **Deactivated Member** » Sun May 22, 2005 5:16 am

I have three unopened bottles of Port Ellen and hope to buy more. Like Lawrence, I expect to reap a non-financial reward.

I guess the best thing about speculating in the whisky market is that, if your investment doesn't pan out, you can always drink it! Now that's liquidity.

by **Deactivated Member** » Mon May 23, 2005 12:26 pm

Thanks for your posts.

I have to say that I'm first and foremost a whisky drinker.

However, with savings interest rates so low, it struck me that it would be rather fun to 'invest' in a bottle or two.

My first acquisition is the official bottling of the "Port Ellen 25yo". This was a limited release of just 5,100 bottles.

And, as someone said earlier, if the investment doesn't work out then it's there to savour later on.

by **Admiral** » Tue May 24, 2005 4:17 am

making them a very liquid investment

I thought Mr T was the only person contributing bad puns around here? :wink:

Cheers,
Admiral

by **Deactivated Member** » Tue May 24, 2005 6:40 pm

Thanks for your further comments.

Yes, the "Port Ellen" 25yo was expensive. Having said that, Islay whisky is very much in vogue and this 'closed' distillery seems to be almost iconic to many drinkers.

As I said, nothing lost even if it doesn't increase in monetary value. In years to come, I can always open it and taste history.

by **Deactivated Member** » Wed May 25, 2005 12:26 pm

I have no great experience in investing, but I imagine that there are two types of investment - one for bottles that taste good and are intended for drinking, and one for bottles that are rare and designed for collecting. I imagine that the former has a natural price ceiling, and that the latter can command very high prices for ordinary whisky (e.g. Loch Dhu, Ben Wyvis, Old Comber, etc.). In the latter catergory, I would go for closed distilleries in original bottling and with attractive packaging. To this end, the current Littlemill bottling looks ideal. The distillery is demolished, so no chance of it coming back. The price is low and the packaging has not changed since the 1970s, making it already look antique. Even though the whisky is supposed to be pretty poor, the price over time must surely rise.

by **Deactivated Member** » Thu May 26, 2005 4:34 pm

Further to my last message - if you do get a bottle of Littlemill, please don't be tempted to open it and sample the wares. Anybody who has ever said that there's no such thing as a bad whisky will find Littlemill utterly refutes his argument. It is sweet, malty like Glenmorangie but in a rather more sickly way, and an aftertaste that is dirty, bitter, confused but still sweetly cloying. Yuck. Only 65cl to go.

Also to be posted on tasting notes forum.

'S beag Littlemill orm!

by **Deactivated Member** » Fri May 27, 2005 9:04 am

I too found "Littlemill" horrid. I can't really find the words to describe it. I guess that 'soapy' comes closest.