". . . . and it reaches parts where no whiskey ever dared . . . .even to Askaboutmoney"
Shot at investing in Whiskey
- Thread starter Leper
- Start date
I fear that a lot of people would be drawn to invest in whiskey, because the can simply grab their investment, bottle it, and sell it / drink it, if things go wrong...
Those people need to ask themselves, did people who invested in forestry, think something similar - that the could simply sell Christmas trees, if their investment went wrong, or how about that apartment in Bulgaria, that would easily become the family holiday home, of it didn't rent or sell ?
Whiskey is a specialist asset class, and comes with its own challenges, and restrictions. Its not an asset that's easily sold on the stock market, without notice, if things go wrong. There's no guarantee that the producer will produce a good batch, that it'll be sold when you want to sell it etc. Will it be kept in a bonded warehouse, and if so, who pays the related fees? Do you know what's needed to get it released from a bonded warehouse, if things go wrong?
EIIS schemes help raise funds for businesses, with generous tax incentives, but what percentage of those schemes have given investors a positive return, to date? For those that argue that its too soon to judge, then go and take a look at the track record of the old BES scheme, the predecessor to the EIIS scheme.
If you've lots of money, and investments across several different asset classes already, then by all means have a little flutter on whiskey, but if you don't, then think long and hard (while not under the influence of a fine single malt
)
Those people need to ask themselves, did people who invested in forestry, think something similar - that the could simply sell Christmas trees, if their investment went wrong, or how about that apartment in Bulgaria, that would easily become the family holiday home, of it didn't rent or sell ?
Whiskey is a specialist asset class, and comes with its own challenges, and restrictions. Its not an asset that's easily sold on the stock market, without notice, if things go wrong. There's no guarantee that the producer will produce a good batch, that it'll be sold when you want to sell it etc. Will it be kept in a bonded warehouse, and if so, who pays the related fees? Do you know what's needed to get it released from a bonded warehouse, if things go wrong?
EIIS schemes help raise funds for businesses, with generous tax incentives, but what percentage of those schemes have given investors a positive return, to date? For those that argue that its too soon to judge, then go and take a look at the track record of the old BES scheme, the predecessor to the EIIS scheme.
If you've lots of money, and investments across several different asset classes already, then by all means have a little flutter on whiskey, but if you don't, then think long and hard (while not under the influence of a fine single malt
)
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Cancer patient lost life savings to whisky barrel scammers
Jay Evans was among hundreds duped into ploughing millions of pounds into casks that were overpriced or did not exist.
www.bbc.com
The bubble seems to be bursting in terms of the whiskey boom.
Midleton Distillery pausing production for 3 months.
Waterford Distillery in administration.
A resurrected Scottish distillery Glenglassaugh - who had some lovely output - mothballed again.
Tariffs on such a discretionary item may be collateral damage in a US-EU trade war.
Midleton Distillery pausing production for 3 months.
Waterford Distillery in administration.
A resurrected Scottish distillery Glenglassaugh - who had some lovely output - mothballed again.
Tariffs on such a discretionary item may be collateral damage in a US-EU trade war.
Somebody tell Bill...
Bill Linnane: My wife thought I was crazy buying whiskey casks for the kids – until I doubled my money
They say you should never invest in things you don’t understand, which is why I don’t have any investments.
m.independent.ie
good article by Bill here : https://tripledistilled.blog/2025/03/27/whiskey-casks-are-not-an-investment/
Billation
New Member
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- 1
Casks are a rubbish investment. I know the headline in the Indo didn't exactly carry that message but I did try to get the point across that I bought at a low price with a certain amount of knowlege. I made a few quid, but anyone who bought through a 'cask investment' vehicle will struggle to break even.
US backer sues Irish whiskey maker Nephin after ‘silence’ over controversial cask programme
A US-based investor in a controversial Irish whiskey distillery’s cask programme has gone to court seeking the return of his money, as other backers voice concerns over the silence from its recently appointed directors.
m.independent.ie
According to the EIIS scheme information it is designed as an incentive scheme for investments in Irish innovation . However can an investment in whisky distillery really be considered innovation given that it is a centuries old technology? the last innovation was probably a century ago in Scotland.
Reminds me of this...
BBC Radio 4 - Untaxing, 5. The £10 Billion Fridge
Dan Neidle unpacks the bizarre, brilliant, and unexpected ways tax shapes our world.
fistophobia
Registered User
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Whiskey sour: Two more high-profile Irish spirits brands halt production as Trump effect hits sector
Two high-profile Irish whiskey brands have halted production in the latest blow to the once-booming sector.
www.independent.ie
CorkHome2022
Registered User
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- 214
Is Whiskey a good place to be with the uncertainty of Trumps tariffs ? There as been much concern from the industry regarding same .
No not at all, several big names have either gone into financial trouble (Powerscourt Fercullen, Waterford) or stopped distilling for a period (Midleton, Roe and Co). That uncertainty is a big factor in it.
Steven Barrett
Registered User
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Trump tariffs are irrelevant. It is an unregulated, extremely risky investment in a commodity that you shouldn't invest in anyway.
And it especially shouldn't have been invested in by the person in the previously linked article. €6k, all the money they had in the riskiest sort of investment they could've found, with the due diligence stopping at 'it's the only distiller in the area so there'll definitely be demand'.
Tapped out: What went wrong for Killarney Brewing and Distilling?
Once a cross-Atlantic drinks venture, Killarney Brewing collapsed under mounting debt, global headwinds, and post-pandemic pressures
www.irishexaminer.com
Killarney Brewing and Distilling Co raised €6m EIIS funding in 2020/21 and looked, unsuccessfully, to raise a further €4m in EIIS in 2023. Not a good investment in hindsight!
I was interested in the EII scheme around this time but did not proceed. I wasn't comfortable investing in one single company. I figured there must be EIIS funds that spread the risk but I lost interest and moved on.
Are there EIIS funds that spread the risk? I'd imagine, if they exist, that these funds have a sizable management fee?
I had thought with their beers stocked by most major outlets that would tide them over until distillery operational.
I'm a fan of their beers but obviously not got to taste any of their whiskey.
Other startups had gone down route of getting other spirits out such as vodka and gin that don't need to wait 3 years.
But seems like the were some big costs associated with combined distillery and brewery which had come back to haunt them, from what I'm hearing online.