Whisky Investment Seminar: Speaker Lorey

Personal Experience

• Enjoyed drinking at bars when young, mixing champagne with green tea with friends
• Accidentally collected two worthless bottles (Johnny Walker and Chivas) and was mocked
• Became interested in various types of alcohol as an adult
  • Wine, white spirits, whisky etc.
  • Particularly fond of whisky, easy to preserve and appreciates annually

Attraction of Investing in Whisky

• Whisky is easy to preserve, high alcohol content
• Large market with low entry barriers
• Selecting the right bottle can potentially increase value tenfold and become an auction item

Book Recommendation: "Savoring Investment Whisky"

• Author: Tiga Chan 陈永錚
• Certified by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) in the UK
• Holds professional qualifications from the Japan Whisky Culture Research Institute

2020 Hong Kong Auction

• Auction item: Ichio Akuto series of 54 bottles "Playing Cards" from Hanyu Distillery
• Transaction price: HKD 11.89 million
• The colored Joker alone appreciated to over HKD 10 million in two years

Brands and Value of Whisky

• Brand effect influences price, such as Hibiki, Hakushu, Yamazaki, Yoichi, etc.
• Key Factors: Ingredients, age, casks, distillery, release volume
• Whisky brands with high investment potential: Hibiki, Hakushu, Yamazaki, Macallan, etc.

Ingredients

• Whisky ingredients: barley, wheat, corn, etc.
• Important categories:
  • Single Malt: Malted barley from a single distillery, highest investment value
  • Blended Malt: 100% barley from different distilleries, relatively lower value
  • Single Grain: Non-barley from a single distillery, no investment value
  • Blended Whisky: Mixed malt and grains from different distilleries, no investment value

Alcohol Content

• Higher content is more valuable, indicates undiluted
• Example: Talisker 18 years vs 8 years, the 8 years is more expensive due to cask strength

Age

• Generally, whisky has to be aged over three years
• Different ages in the same cask, can only label the youngest age when selling
• Flavor more important than age

Casks

• Different casks impart different flavors
  • Bourbon cask: vanilla, almond notes
  • Peat cask: smoky flavor
  • Port cask: dark chocolate, orange peel aroma
• Beginners recommended to choose Sherry casks, high in value retention, like Macallan uses Sherry casks

Distillery

• Strong brand effect, top-tier distilleries like Macallan, Hibiki, etc.
• OB (Official Bottler) more valuable than IB (Independent Bottler)

Release Volume

• Large release volume, low investment value
• Special releases and festival editions have the highest investment potential

Special Releases and Festival Editions

• Special release and cross-over editions are valuable investments
• Festival editions are the most scarce and appreciate the fastest

Conclusion

• Investing in whisky requires selecting the right brand, age, cask, etc.
• The whisky market is interesting and challenging, requires continuous learning
• Watch VIP member videos to learn more technical knowledge

End

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• Recommend e-book "Savoring Investment Whisky"