Unlike other types of investments, whisky investors tend to want to know what exactly they are putting their money into, so they can vouch for the quality of the product and remain confident in their asset.
This is one of the reasons why the Fife Whisky Festival has been growing every year, with an increasing number of attendees keen to find out about the latest in Scotch whisky news, such as upcoming brands, as well as sample new tipples.
The fifth annual event took place between March 3rd and 5th 2023 at the InchDairnie Distillery, where hundreds of people took part in an exclusive tour of the site and enjoyed tasting sessions.
The 700 or so attendees were also able to taste new tipples at Cuper Corn Exchange, trying out drams from over 40 different distilleries.
Organisers Karen Somerville and Justine Hazlehurt confirmed there will be another similar event next year, following the success of 2023’s event.
“This year, we were able to host 350 people at each Saturday session – our largest number since we started – and they enjoyed the very first taste of several new whiskies,” Ms Hazlehurt told Fife Today.
Independent bottlers, which are always worth considering investing in, were also present, showcasing their products to the public. These included Annandale Distillery, Isle of Arran Distillers, GlenWyvis Distillery and James Eadie.
Visitors were able to try InchDairnie Distillery’s yet-to-be-released RyeLaw whisky, as well as Glasgow 1770 Ruby Port and Red Wine Finish Single Malt Whisky from Glasgow Distillery Company. This is the first time this drink has ever been sampled in the UK, making it a unique opportunity for avid whisky investors.
Kingsbarns Distillery was also at the event, offering its new Doocot dram, which was only made available to the public one day before the festival.
In addition to this, attendees experienced the Bottling of a Staoisha eight-year-old whisky. This peated single malt, which was bottled by Woodrow’s of Edinburgh, was from Bunnahabhain Distillery on the Sound of Islay.
Ms Hazlehurt, founder of Kask Whisky, launched the festival in 2017 along with Ms Somerville, from Angels’ Share Glass.
They held the first festival one year later in 2018, and now hope to continue expanding the event. As well as hosting a tour and tasting sessions, they held a dinner at Lindores Abbey Distillery in Newburgh and invited author Val McDermid to host.
The crime writer told the publication the event was “the best kind of night out – beautiful surroundings at Lindores Abbey, delicious food, lively conversation and the perfect choice of drams to accompany each course”.
Now, the organisers intend to extend the Sunday events to four venues next year to cope with the increase in demand from attendees.
Indeed, all of those who came this year said they would be keen to return in 2024, and 94 per cent said they would strongly recommend the festival to friends, family and other investors.
Greg Klingaman, vice president of marketing company AnyRoad, added: “The festival is a powerful vehicle for smaller and independent distilleries to engage directly with customers.”
By the same token, it is also a great opportunity for whisky investors to communicate face-to-face with upcoming brands they see enough potential to invest in.
If you are interested in whisky cask investment, it is important to find out as much information about this asset class as possible before parting with your money.