When did Scotch become so expensive and why?

[lowlander]

Some may argue its always been "expensive"

However, my question is more directed at when the price and popularity of the drink today became relatively more expensive. Macallan being a prime example.

Was it marketing in foreign markets, promotion of it in popular culture like films or the popularity of it for the relatively new middle-class markets like India and China, or perhaps a combination of all of the above?

To me, I noticed the big shift in pricing and the introduction of non-age statement whiskies around 2015.

I look forward to everyone's perspectives.

[ralfy legend]

Inflation, greed, nas, but also looking forward the read other replies.

[Dave h]

Online auctions fuelled this upward pricing. It's so annoying. Producers were wanting more profit, not happy a few individuals making a quick buck so now all drinkers are penalised as a consequence of flippers.

Then occasionally shops will put a mark up too as they price match auctions, I say occasionally quite a few up the prices at retail as producer's dont give enough mark up on the rrp for retailers to make a living.

Just my thoughy

[Southcoast Boy]

[lincoln imp]

There is no mystery here it is very simple, once the word investment was mentioned due to auction prices and gains being trumpeted that is when the shit storm broke.

Now the whisky world is not interested in drinkers, bottles are aimed at collectors and especially investors and marketed towards that with one eye on gains, gains, gains.

Some didtillers have tried to reposition themselves as the next bog player in the whisky world, look at Mortlach as a prime example of this.
Look at Balblair, they want around £500 for the 25 year, *** who are they kidding, what planet are they on, Mork calling Orson, come in Orson etc etc.

Distillers are raising their prices because they think the market will stand it and that is because greed is everywhere as has already been pointed out, some distillers even put limited editiond straight to auction houses, they are flippping their own bottles for God's sake.

The rot set in when the drinkers were deemed surplus to requirments in the search for bigger gains, damm them all.
_________________
Pour me a glass please.

[unblended]

i like the last two comments summed up what i was going to say and have said in the past i must admit i thought the prices would have come down by now
they will have to some time the sooner the better for me that is

i noticed somebody trying to sell the new johnnie walker red label with the red plastic wrap around label for £ 200.00 says it all

where will it all end and dont get me going on about the latest macallans

[lowlander]

Thanks for the responses all. Certainly a lot of interesting views.

I'd love to think that whisky will come down in price, but I really can't see it happening anytime over the next few years. In saying that, we are starting to see more independent bottlers coming onto the scene boasting about things like non-chill filtering and natural colour on their products. So, although not cheap, at least we can still find non-filtered versions of whiskies that have a reputation for adding colour and filtering in their official bottlings.

[FasterThanLightning]

There are plenty of reasons why whisky has gone up in price that aren’t to do with flippers / investors.

With the closure of so many distilleries in the last 30 years when demand was lower means there is less whisky maturing in casks long term. So although you have some new players on the market, it’ll be 20-25 years before they are producing 30yo whisky and in a lot of cases 5-10 years before they are bringing out 12yo stuff. The amount of good stuff that was put away in the 90’s and 2000’s is therefore limited.

Meanwhile in the last 20 years, we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of newly rich people in emerging economies such as Dubai, China, etc that have so much wealth they don’t know what to do with it, so once they’ve bought their Ferrari & their boat, they move on to fine whisky, cigars etc.

It’s simple supply and demand & while the flippers & investors absolutely do contribute to it, they are a symptomatic of the larger problem of unfettered capitalism creating a huge wealth gap, in developing nations as well as in western countries (see Mr Gooding’s Whisky collection for example that was sold when he died).

[lincoln imp]

[davidbe]

[Scotchnthings]

Im going to say its the buyers on auctions. If there was no buyers there would be no flippers.



Also to be fair, I don't think whisky prices are that crazy. Considering its basically distilled beer, you would need 10 litres of beer to get one litre of spirit. So imagine a 33cl can of whisky (yum) to be the price of 10 33cl cans of beer. On top of that you need to buy casks, age it for years and you lose on angel share.

Oh and regarding the Collecting, its probably low interest rates, people are collecting toys, art, sneakers... A first edition pokemon card just sold for 200k plus if you can believe it....

[Scotchnthings]

To be fair it was shy of 200k

https://www.polygon.com/pokemon/2020/10/13/21514298/pokemon-ccg-charizard-card-auction-price-logic-rapper

[HJ]

Just recently in the US it seems like everything has taken a big price increase & blaming it on tariffs, regardless of country of origin. Even Bourbon, so what does that tell you?