A SCOTCH whisky intelligence, valuation and brokerage service has been set up to capitalise on the growing interest in single malt as a form of investment.
Rare Whisky 101 is a venture between David Robertson and Andy Simpson, who have "shared their black books" by combining their Whisky Highland and Robertson Whisky Consultancy businesses.
Mr Robertson is a former master distiller of The Macallan and rare whisky director at Whyte & Mackay, while Mr Simpson's Whisky Highland Index has been charting the value of rare whiskies - based on auction prices - since 2008.
The two officially began working together in May, but have got to know each other over the years by jointly offering brokering services to clients.
Rare Whisky 101 has effectively relaunched the Whisky Highland Index as The Rare Whisky Apex Top 1,000, 250 and 100 indices, which operate broadly similarly to the FTSE, and introduced new indices such as the Rare Whisky Icon 100 index. It will be updated every month to reflect changes in the value of 100 of the world's most highly collectible whiskies
Alongside the indices, Rare Whisky 101 will also offer brokerage, brand, marketing and consultancy services to a global network of collectors and investors.
The company's launch comes as whisky becomes increasingly attractive as an investment option around the world, notably among wealthy individuals. While the new company has customers in continental Europe, America, China, Singapore and India, Mr Simpson said the domestic market is also strong.
He said: "The home of Scotch is very buoyant.
"People are continually staggered by the value of the whisky they have bought over the years."
The minimum value of portfolio handled by the company is around £10,000, though in practice it typically deals with collections valued in the region of £100,000.
Rare Whisky 101 suggests the value of the 1,000 most collectible single malts has risen by nearly 216 per cent in the last five years, outstripping the growth in the value of gold in that period.
The company, which will also provide valuations for collections and advise on rare whisky acquisitions, notes that rare bottles are regularly going for "five figure" sums at auctions in Edinburgh, with some changing hands for as much as £46,000.
Mr Robertson said the "niche" nature of Scotch means it is more likely to appeal to high net worth individuals than institutions as an investment option.
He said: "We are already assembling collections on behalf of private individuals from around the world, with an average investment around the £100,000 mark.
"People can opt to leave the choice entirely to Andy and I using our established networks, or they can act on our advice seeking out the brands, distilleries, maturities and tastes to their own liking, or which they reckon will gain in value the most."
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