Monthly newsletter for November 2022

Dear All,

Another month down and our portfolio continues to hold water in a very, very tough macro environment (hope nobody has been holding crypto in FTX). This month our portfolio has delivered +0.6% to our investors. No single bottle outperformed this month, just small upticks from a large portion of the portfolio. We will be looking to bottle a few more casks in the next 6 months allowing us maximise returns, so stay tuned for more news on that front. 

Naturally, with this level of stability in whisky asset prices, the media press cycle has restarted again in earnest. With some fairly well-balanced articles now being released on the benefits and risks between casks and bottles, age statements, geographies and price-segments. Whisky has now also been called out as the one thing that is propping up the UK economy during these difficult times. Diageo splashed out recently in buying Balcones, a fascinating story of one of America’s top independent distilleries, so there is definitely continued investment in the industry.

In terms of new launches, Teeling recently released their 32 year old, which we think is one of the best Irish single malts out in the market at the moment. In a similar age bracket we also have the Glenfiddich Suspend Time 30 year old. If you are able to get over Glenfiddich’s marketing and slight price premium to the bottle, it would be a good one for most people to have in their collection. For those that are feeling flush after selling off all their crypto earlier in the year, the Loch Lomond 54 year old will probably provide better returns than your dogecoin. It is the oldest release from Loch Lomond to date, with only 55 bottles being released. For those that are a little more experimental, Glenmorangie released their Tale of The Forest, the first whisky to be kilned with woodland botanicals (we haven’t tasted it yet personally, but will definitely give it a shot soon). 

Marek, Marc, Neil, Gary