The longer a whiskey ages, the better it tastes — and the more it’s worth. Most often, distillers are the only ones to profit off of long-aged barrels, but WhiskyInvestDirect, a platform developed by British firm Galmarley Limited, is changing that. Since 2015, WhiskyInvestDirect has been acquiring individual casks of aging Scotch stored in bonded warehouses and allowing customers to invest in barrels by the liter. Liters of pure alcohol are traded until a blender or distiller bids on a stock line.
The barrels traded range from one- to three-year whiskeys from a list of 19 distilleries, including Ardmore, Glen Moray and Strathenry (and more on the way). As outlined by Bloomberg, whiskey prices have risen 143 percent over an eight-year period, compared to just 48 and 55 percent for gold and silver, respectively. While maturing Scotch is a low-risk investment, WhiskyInvestDirect gives customers a behind-the-scenes look at the business of whiskey, from barreling to blending and bottling.
