In modern times a new dynamic is speeding up the rarity as well as increasing the prices, wine critics. The most notable being Robert Parker Jr.
He is acknowledged to be the most influential wine critic in the world. He publishes his reviews in his magazine, The Wine Advocate which has been published since 1978. There are 40,000 subscribers in each American state ad well as being published across 38 Countries. This publication is referred to as the "Wine Bible" due to it's religious following.
His simple scoring system is easy to follow. He scores wines between 50 - 100 points. This score represents the quality of a wine which then directly influences demand as fine wine consumers and investors compete to own the very best wines.
In modern times a new dynamic is speeding up the rarity as well as increasing the prices, wine critics. The most notable being Robert Parker Jr.
He is acknowledged to be the most influential wine critic in the world. He publishes his reviews in his magazine, The Wine Advocate which has been published since 1978. There are 40,000 subscribers in each American state ad well as being published across 38 Countries. This publication is referred to as the "Wine Bible" due to it's religious following.
His simple scoring system is easy to follow. He scores wines between 50 - 100 points. This score represents the quality of a wine which then directly influences demand as fine wine consumers and investors compete to own the very best wines.
FINE WINE CRITICS
FINE WINE CRITICS
Fine wines rises in value due to two factors, restricted supply and ever growing demand. The best wines are produced in limited quantities which puts an immediate strain on their already finite supply. As the wines are consumed they quickly become rarer. Over time as the supply depletes, the demand overtakes whats available on the market and the prices naturally rise.
Bordeaux wines are the most famous and sought after. The French government restricts the amount of wine each each producer is allowed to yield which immediately creates a supply and demand dynamic. The government restrictions on wine production were introduced by Napoleon III which remains virtually unchanged.
In 1855 Napoleon III requested France's wine brokers to come up with a system that would allow foreign visitors to be able to easily identify the Country's best wines. This is when the Official Bordeaux classification was born. Wines were ranked based on their importance, from First Growth to Fifth Growth. Wines that are First Growth are naturally more in demand as they are viewed as the best .
In modern times a new dynamic is speeding up the rarity as well as increasing the prices, wine critics. The most notable critic of them all being Robert Parker Jr.
Robert Parker Jr is acknowledged to be the most influential wine critic in the world. He publishes his reviews in his magazine, The Wine Advocate which has been in production 1978. There are over 40,000 subscribers for The Wine Advocate in each American state as well as being published in 38 Countries. This publication is referred to as the "Wine Bible" because Robert Parker Jr's reviews are followed religiously by the wine community.
His simple wine scoring system is easy to follow. Wines are given a score between 50 - 100 points. Although his score directly reflects a wine's quality, it indirectly influences the demand as fine wine investors and consumers will compete to own/drink the the very best wines. Robert Parker Jr has issued less that 20 perfect 100 scores to Bordeaux producers over the last 40 years.
THE FINE WINE MARKET EXPLAINED
Fine wines rises in value due to two factors, restricted supply and ever growing demand. The best wines are produced in limited quantities which puts an immediate strain on their already finite supply. As the wines are consumed they quickly become rarer. Over time as the supply depletes, the demand overtakes whats available on the market and the prices naturally rise.
Bordeaux wines are the most famous and sought after. The French government restricts the amount of wine each each producer is allowed to yield which immediately creates a supply and demand dynamic. The government restrictions on wine production were introduced by Napoleon III which remains virtually unchanged.
In 1855 Napoleon III requested France's wine brokers to come up with a system that would allow foreign visitors to be able to easily identify the Country's best wines. This is when the Official Bordeaux classification was born. Wines were ranked based on their importance, from First Growth to Fifth Growth. Wines that are First Growth are naturally more in demand as they are viewed as the best .
Fine wines rises in value due to two factors, restricted supply and ever growing demand. The best wines are produced in limited quantities which puts an immediate strain on their already finite supply. As the wines are consumed they quickly become rarer. Over time as the supply depletes, the demand overtakes whats available on the market and the prices naturally rise.
Bordeaux wines are the most famous and sought after. The French government restricts the amount of wine each each producer is allowed to yield which immediately creates a supply and demand dynamic. The government restrictions on wine production were introduced by Napoleon III which remains virtually unchanged.
In 1855 Napoleon III requested France's wine brokers to come up with a system that would allow foreign visitors to be able to easily identify the Country's best wines. This is when the Official Bordeaux classification was born. Wines were ranked based on their importance, from First Growth to Fifth Growth. Wines that are First Growth are naturally more in demand as they are viewed as the best .
FINE WINE CRITICS
FINE WINE CRITICS
FINE WINE CRITICS
Scotch Whisky Cask Investment Guide
Whisky Cask Ownership Guide
Since our establishment in 2014 we have witnessed a shift in demand for whisky cask ownership, which over recent years has outperformed the FTSE and the London Property Market.
Download our Whisky Cask Ownership Guide to learn more.
Viticult Whisky
Welcome to Viticult. We are a London based Whisky Cask Brokerage and Official Sponsor of AFC Wimbledon. Since our establishment in 2014 we have overseen the combined purchase and sale of over 140,000 items. If you own an existing portfolio we would be happy to assist you in the management or sale of your portfolio. Click here to learn more about our non-client resale services.
Est. 2014
8 - 12% per annum
Entry £5,000
Tax Benefits
Exit Strategy
Whisky Cask Ownership Journey
Step One - Purchase
The journey begins with the purchase of a cask from a renowned Scottish Distillery. A “new fill” cask contains the liquor which will eventually mature into a Scotch Whisky. At this stage the contents of a cask is as clear as water and extremely high in alcohol content. Because it has not matured yet this the lowest price point of a cask.
Step Two - Maturation
During the maturation process a cask will go through notable changes. The clear liquor will slowly absorb the colours from the oak cask it is stored in, overtime completely changing its appearance. The “angels” will begin to take their share. Around 2% of the spirit will be lost to evaporation each year. Put simply, the older a cask is, the less whisky there is to be bottled. This explains why older bottled whiskies are significantly more expensive.
Step Three - Realisation of Capital
5 years later, a cask which contained the raw materials has matured into a consumable Scotch Whisky and is ready for bottling. For a whisky to be deemed a Scotch, it must be distilled and matured entirely within Scotland.
Viticult guarantees to assist in the resale of your casks. When the time comes to sell, we offer casks to Distilleries for bottling through our network. Often, the producer of a cask will insist on first refusal on buying a cask back. This puts our customers in a strong position from the get go.
Click here to learn more about the market's statistics.
Whisky Cask Inventory
Whisky Cask Storage & Ownership
Storage & Insurance
To be legally classified a Scotch Whisky, casks must be held in Scotland for the entirety of their maturation period. Whisky casks asks are stored in Duty-Free Government Regulated Warehouses where they are also insured. Storage and insurance costs between £50 - £80 per year.
Transfer of Ownership
Whisky cask owners receive a Certification of Ownership outlining them as the exclusive owner. The certificate will also outline important information such as the unique cask number, the distillation date, alcohol levels and the warehouse it is stored in. Samples can be drawn upon request, although we advise disturbing the cask as little as possible to ensure optimum maturity.
Export Value of Scotch Whisky
Scotch Whisky is the most traded spirit internationally. It is worth £5 Billion to the British economy and makes up 21% of all UK food and drink exports. In value Scotch Whisky is bigger than the UK’s iron/steel, textiles, shipbuilding, or computer industries. It is around half the size of the UK’s pharmaceuticals or aerospace industries and is one third the size of the entire UK car industry. It is big business!
The Future of the Scotch Whisky Market
Analysis by the UK government in 2019 concluded that Scotch Whisky exports to the US was the most valuable single market, generating over £1 Billion in revenue, a 12% increase on the previous year. Europe is the largest consumer of Scotch Whisky, generating £1.4 Billion in revenue. The FTSE 100 listed company Diageo, the world’s largest producer of spirits who owns brands such as Johnny Walker, have seen sales of Scotch Whisky jump by over 50% in the past five years.
2015 - 2025 Single Malt Whisky Market
The future of the Scotch Whisky Market looks very promising. The market is predicted to continue to rise over the next 5 years, as it has done historically. This growth is fuelled by changing lifestyles, high disposable incomes and an increasingly global demand for premium Scotch Whisky.
This chart summarises the growth of the Single Malt Whisky Market in the United States between 2015 and the present day, as well as providing a prediction into the market’s future. Click here to learn more.
Whisky Cask Ownership Guide
Since our establishment in 2014 we have witnessed a shift in demand for whisky cask ownership, which over recent years has outperformed the FTSE and the London Property Market.
Download our Whisky Cask Ownership Guide to learn more.