A Success Story
As whisky producers get more innovative and buyers more enthusiastic, sales of Scotland’s national drink are on the up
IWRITE at the very tail-end of a decade that’s seen Scotch blasted into new dimensions. Propelled, at times, with a hyperbolic charge of vapour-trail velocity. In terms of growth, innovation and value, the continued meteoric trajectory of our national drink is an awe-inspiring spectacle.
This is a good time to take stock of three very recent developments that epitomise the jowljuddering rate of change of the last 10 years.
First up is the announcement from The Glenlivet that they had unveiled a Capsule Collection of glassless cocktails. “Enjoying them is simple. The capsules are popped in the mouth for an instant burst of flavour, and the capsule is simply swallowed,” said the PR.
From green tea to cocktails, over the last few years we’ve charted – and indeed showcased – how Scotch and has become increasingly versatile in inventive and ever-experimental consumer markets.
We even (almost) forgave David Beckham for his unfathomable tendency to drown perfectly good whisky with cola, taking into consideration the mitigating fact of the positive attention he’s brought to distillers, past and present, at Haig.
But all the fanfare associated with these new capsules, which would look more at home in a washing powder doorstep challenge, is simply white noise in my book. The joy of Scotch is very much in the anticipation.
You can’t beat nosing a dram, taking in all those alluring aromas before a myriad of complex flavours burst onto the palate. Give me a good, open tumbler that I can get my hooter into – ideally accompanied by good craic and a west coast sunset any day.
One of the most recent developments in the water of life’s long history symbolises an evolutionary growth spurt that would give Darwin a nosebleed.
Behold a single bottle of Macallan 60 year old 1926 – sold for a record £1.5 million. Staggering stuff. Even more so when you consider that 10 years ago, the world record was held by another Macallan, the 64 year old, which sold for $464,000 (£358,000). The eye-watering new record led some sections of the media to dub the bottle the “Holy Grail” of malt. Macallan 60 year old 1926 – although undoubtedly a sublime dram – is as much the Holy Grail as the Waverley is Noah’s Ark.
The hard, very much secular, fact of the matter is that this sale is all about global supply and demand. Simply put, with more
global demand there’s less of the oldest and rarest vintages around. Couple this with a growing taste for high end malt among the super-rich in markets like Asia, Russia and America, the rare malts become even rarer, increasingly sought after – and expensive.
News of these sales tend to elicit very real questions from readers across the nation. “Should I sell that limited edition bottle I have in my drinks cabinet?”
My rule of thumb – do your homework. It really depends how truly limited said limited edition is.
There are reputable auction houses and specialist online sites that can advise. If it turns out you can turn a tidy profit, I’ll drink to that.
But if that special bottle isn’t going to make a material difference to your life by selling it – life’s too short. Don’t leave it gathering dust on the shelf . . .
So as you weigh up what dram to have on Hogmanay, whatever your choice, savour it. Our industry isn’t one we should take for granted.
Try not to, for heaven’s sake, drown it or, indeed, down it. And if it turns out you can afford it, mark 2020 by opening that good bottle you’ve been holding onto. Ideally, with the people you love. The memories will be priceless.
Slàinte mhath.
“The joy of Scotch is very much in the anticipation”