Rigmorole started a discussion
12 years ago
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Distillers On Verge of a Business Break-Down?
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Rigmorole replied
I wasn't suggesting I could buy bottles from ALL of these distilleries, of course. Merely a few of my favorites, such as Lagavulin and Oban.
Normally, when I buy a bottle of either of these whiskies, it ends up being opened within six months or so. If either of these fine and amazing distilleries is "on the verge of a business breakdown" then I would certainly restrain myself from opening a bottle from each to hole up in my safe for the future.
12 years ago 0
two_bitcowboy replied
@rigmorole Don't go bankrupt buying the whiskies on Oliver's list. The crux of his piece related to the fact that those particular distilleries we not selling casks to Independent Bottlers.
12 years ago 2Who liked this?
Rigmorole replied
Oh, whew! That's good to know! Thanks! So, for example, Oban has done a distillery bottling after 1996 then? I only ask because this list is about bottles, not casks. So I take it that Klimek means that no independent bottlers have bottled Oban since 1996? I assume that's what he means given your input. At any rate, sorry for the false alarm.
I'm always on the lookout for a passing opportunity. I missed the last bottling of McCarthy's Islay Style Single Malt here in Portland and I am really hoping that this new bottling that is coming out in March will be as good as the last one that rated a 94 in the Whisky Bible and was rated by most respected Whisky raters near the top of small distillers world-wide. I will certainly buy a bottle of the new stuff, but with my luck it will not measure up to the last batch. I guess I shouldn't hex myself. Scratch that I ever said that. . . .
12 years ago 0
Rigmorole replied
I should also say that I'm extremely relieved that the distillers mentioned are going strong! Long live the Islas!!!! Long live the distillers on that fine Island!
12 years ago 0
SquidgyAsh replied
@rigmorole The first part of your question has been answered my friend, but I figured I'd answer the Port Ellen question. The answer is not likely. The cheapest I've seen these days is around $300 - $400 or so. And for the most part those ones are sitting at 40% abv. If you're interested in a Port Ellen bottling you pretty much have to scour the whisky sites in the UK and then pray. Good luck though!
12 years ago 0
According to an article in Dramming by Oliver Klimek, published in early autumn of 2012, "seventeen distilleries have sealed their warehouses so tightly that hardly any casks have managed to find their way onto the open market."
Klimek went on to say that "It is not impossible that a stray cask may show up here or there [from one of the distilleries listed below], but independent bottlings from these distilleires are a rare breed. Edradour is a bit of a special case since Signatory has issued quite a number of bottlings. But as they own the distillery now, it does not make any difference."
What I'm wondering out loud here in this discussion [not LOL, WOL!] is the following: Should I grab a bottle or two in my home town that has been produced from one of the "hopeless" distilleries and save at least one of these bottles in my safe for a long time because the whisky might eventually become quite rare and collectible?
I can't imagine some of the labels being gone, since they are so plentiful in bars and around town now, but I guess anything's possible in the present business climate. Life without Lagavulin? Bars without Balvinnie? Bonfires at the beach without Oban? Gadzooks! What is this world coming to? I shudder at the thought. . . .
At any rate, here is Klimek's entire "Bucket List":
Distillery Bottlings Bottlers Youngest Edradour 50 4 2008 Lagavulin 27 14 2011 Glenkinchie 19 9 2009 Glenfiddich 17 8 2010 Speyburn 16 7 2007 Deanston 16 6 2007 Loch Lomond 15 8 2010 Balvenie 14 6 2006 Dalwhinnie 8 4 1997 Speyside 8 7 2010 Knockando 7 5 2009 Knockdhu 7 4 2005 Cardhu 7 3 2003 Glenmorangie 5 1 2010 Oban 3 3 1996 Kilchoman 1 1 2011 Kininvie 0 0 n/a
Also, does anyone know the most reasonable distributor from which to obtain Port Ellen bottlings? Can any still be found for under $200?