Whisky: Rare Port Ellen Available At An Attractive Price

Rare whisky is precious and coveted, and is by far the collectible asset that has been the best investment over the past 10 years - and perhaps the most profitable asset overall? And for same reason, when it comes to investing in the right bottles at an attractive price, there are far between the attractive cases. But now, you have the opportunity to invest in Port Ellen 1979 37 YO 17th release at one of the absolute most attractive prices in the world.

Port Ellen: Islay's Iconic Distillery

On the south coast of the Scottish island of Islay lies one of the world's most iconic whisky distilleries, which has almost mythical cult status in whisky circles. And when we say "lies", we should really say "lay". The distillery closed in 1983 due to low demand for single malt whisky at the time. Fate had it differently and 14 years later, in 1997, Diageo, the world's largest spirits producer, acquired the remnants of the old Port Ellen.

Diageo's plan appears to have been quite simple: securing ownership of the remnants of the original Port Ellen whisky from the distillery's stocks and reopening the distillery so that it can once again present whisky under the cult name Port Ellen.

The first part of the plan came to fulfilment when Diageo in 2001 presented the first whisky from Port Ellen since the 1980s under the name of Port Ellen Special Release - a whisky of which only 6,000 bottles were released.

In terms of reopening, Diageo unveiled a plan in 2017 to reopen both Port Ellen and another iconic distillery, Brora, in order to give whisky lovers the opportunity to enjoy whisky from these distilleries in the future - a plan costing over € 40 million and a goal of completion this year. But even if Diageo is very likely to succeed in bringing Port Ellen back to life, it will inherently take many years before they again can present Port Ellen with age - and even by then, whisky lovers and collectors will distinguish between the new and the original Port Ellen. And this is the original.

Port Ellen Special Release - A Series Of Extremely Rare Whiskies

When Diageo released 6,000 bottles of Port Ellen 1st special release in 2001, it was the first step in a 17-year journey of releasing a new release once a year from the sparse quantities of the original Port Ellen whisky. Each time a year older and progressively fewer bottles as the casks are emptied. In 2017, Port Ellen 1979 37 YO 17th release was released as the last edition in the Special Release series with only 2,988 numbered bottles available.

The series was replaced in 2019 by a series called "The Untold Stories", which continues in the same path - now even more limited with only 1,380 bottles of the latest release and at a price that is well over twice as expensive as the 17th release. The extremely sparse quantities being released also suggest that the original Port Ellen casks are seriously running low.

Strong Returns On Port Ellen 1979 17th Release

Wine investment is generally a very low risk asset, and whisky can be used in this context as an element to boost things further. In this category, there are large price increases, while the risk also slightly increases - just as the stock investor knows from the stock market.

Interest in the rare golden drops is on the rise and has been for years, and while the bottles available have been reduced on the world market since the release in 2017, the price has risen steadily and in fact by 17% since September 2020.

Invest In Port Ellen 1979 17th Release At Attractive Price

Despite the ongoing price increases, you now have the opportunity to acquire bottles of the cult distillery Port Ellen at a very attractive price, which is among the lowest in the world and thus get the best possible starting point for your investment.

According to wine-searcher.com, the lowest price for the Port Ellen 1979 17th release is currently just under €3,000, and if you look online, the price is easily slightly higher, if the retailer actually has it and can sell it. Right now, you can invest for just €2,400 a bottle and secure more than one bottle - something that approaches sensational when it comes to whisky of this caliber.

Whisky: The World's Strongest Asset?

Whisky is very much a passion-driven asset, but while the "old school" of whisky connoisseurs is very much in evidence among the world's buyers, new ones are also joining in, and the category has seen a serious renaissance in the last 10-20 years. This has meant increasing interest and demand for the refined drops, and while it is very much the oldest and best whiskies that are most coveted, the supply of these gems has only decreased given that new, 30-year-old whiskies, cannot be produced overnight. The only way the market has been able to counter this trend has been through price increases, which has made whisky the undisputed strongest alternative asset class^* with a return of 478% over the past 10 years^**. This represents an average annual return of over 19%, outperforming not only alternative asset classes but also most traditional investments.

*Collectables - Bags, wine, cars, watches, furniture, coins, diamonds, jewellery and art

**Frank Knight The Wealth Report 2021

Rarewine Invest's Opinion

There is no doubt that whisky is a very exciting category, and if you have access to the right bottles at the right time and at the right price, it can prove to be very attractive.

Port Ellen is an iconic distillery by any standard, and Diageo's Special Release releases from Port Ellen in particular have achieved cult status in record time. Now, you have the opportunity to take part in this legacy and invest in parts of the total release of just 2,988 bottles of the last Port Ellen release in Diageo's Special Release series.

Port Ellen will once again produce outstanding single malt whisky and Diageo, as the world's largest spirits producer, has both the will and capacity to raise brand and awareness to new heights. But for connoisseurs and collectors, there will forever be a difference between Port Ellen before and after the reopening - and this is the all-original Port Ellen, which you can acquire right now at a very attractive price.

Note: Limited quantity available