I know we have the inflation now, but since I bought the majority of my single malt whsikeys in 2018 and 2019, prices have raised like crazy on single malt whiskeys to a point where I no longer feel it’s worth it to.
I do enjoy a good single malt whiskey, but I can’t afford paying crazy prices for my daily driver.
Lagavulin 16 is still priced pretty much like it used to be priced back in 2018 - perhaps raised by 15% or so, but some of the other whiskeys have raised in price like 2-300% since early 2019.
I remember the prices starting going up in mid 2019 on many of my daily driver whsikeys and it doesn’t seem to have stopped - and this was before the inflation, war in Ukraine and covid_19.
Is it the big venture capital companies that have caused the raise in whiskey prices ?
I’ve been a fan of OGD 114. Bought a case when it was rumored to be discontinued several years ago. Used it in my Manhattan barrel in my kitchen. Manhattans on tap….so good. Antica vermouth, one of the best imo was my go to
No, what is driving prices is very simple macroeconomics. Supply and demand. Supply is limited and takes a long time to bring if you need to have 12-25 years lead time. Demand is high. So relatively inelastic supply hits increased demand means high prices. The fact that more people are drawn to single malt scotch and other whiskeys over that past 15-20 years makes it hard on the real whiskey lover. Candidly I think much of the increase in demand is from people who don’t really like whiskey but drink it to fit an image of sophistication.
If you do that have a party, invite us over and I will bring the Macallan
25 and we can finally open the bottles. Anyone else got a bottle they want to bring?
The article underlines your point about supply vs demand. Because demand for Japanese whiskey skyrocketed over the past 10 years or so, there wasn’t enough supply at one point to make enough aged whiskey.
I remember buying Hibiki 12 around 2015 I think for 35 euro a bottle. Then the price more than doubled, and now Hibiki 12 is no longer made, because there isn’t enough old whiskey to make up the blend. It has now been replaced by Hibiki Harmony which doesn’t have an age statement (because the underlying whiskeys are too young).
Meanwhile a bottle of Hibiki 12 is reaching almost 1000 euro…
What with Japanese whiskey becoming too expensive (and crowded), I’ve been sampling some Indian whiskey recently. Both Amrut Fusion and Rampur Double Cask. They are both really good, and still somewhat affordable because Indian whiskey let’s face it is not well known.
Rampur is subtle, maybe too subtle for its price point. Would rather drink Chivas 13 Oloroso at almost half the price. The Chivas is perfect for lovers of subtle whiskeys, to be enjoyed pure or on the rocks. May even entice cognac drinkers.
The Amrut Fusion is a very good blend. It’s really made for whiskey drinkers who love adding some ice/water (or fresh coconut juice in my case…). But for drinking pure it’s probably too aggressive.
Of course, the “best” Scotch is the one you’d like to enjoy again.
That said, we’re on another point of the spectrum – smokey instead of barrels, so Ardbeg suits us fine, though we rely on Talisker. Speaking of which if you can believe reports of Diageo’s formulae for its two Blacks, Johnnie Walker Double Black at Costco is a very fair deal.
Who, besides yourself, would you describe as a “real whiskey lover”? The newbs who dislike it are taking your whiskey just to fit an image of sophistication? You may want to rethink that one.
But on a price per ounce the stereo isa much better value. When I read about that I honestly wondered how much better it is than a very well picked and set up stereo in the$5000-10,000 range. Now I can wonder how much better this whiskey is than a bottle of Pappy or a even a good bottle of OF BIB.
