Over 400million litres of alcohol can be produced by distilleries in Scotland each year. That is 630million litres at an average of 63.5%, which equates to around 1.26million butts or 2.5million Hogsheads every year. The vast majority of these casks are never available to the public but are kept by the distilleries for release in […]
In 1996 the Scotch Whisky Association released a pamphlet on Personal Investment in Scotch Whisky, which you can read here. More than 20 years later Scotch Whisky is becoming increasingly popular as a personal investment however much of the information provided is still largely relevant today. The SWA generally proposes caution and that any budding […]
In May 2018, at the annual Scotch Whisky Association Conference, delegates heard that “[t]he Scotch Whisky industry’s recent growth must be maintained beyond Brexit.” The recent growth references the statistics that Scotch Whisky is the UK’s largest food and drink export, accounting for 20% of all food and drink exports. In fact, according to the […]
The Royal Mint has created a £5,000 coin that is worth far more than its face value. The five kilogram coin is estimated to be worth approximately £300,000.
We are thrilled to announce that our Cask Buying Guide finally returned from the printers last week. It has been a long time coming and we cannot wait to get it out to everyone who has signed up to receive one and waited patiently for us to get it perfected for you to read. Inside […]
There will be only 100 chances to buy a bottle of 55-year old Yamazaki single malt whisky, according to Suntory Holdings. The company unveiled the bottles on 30th January 2020, with the bottles expected to go on sale in June. The buyers will be selected by a lottery, due to the large number of prospective […]
L.S. Lowry is famed for his simplistic depictions of the lives of the working class in Northern England. One such depiction – titled ‘The Mill, Pendlebury’ – recently sold for £2.65m at auction, after being ‘lost’ for seven decades. The painting is an oil-on-canvas work depicting Acme Mill in Pendlebury, Lancashire, towering over residents of […]
A Richard Feynman quote seems apt to start this article: “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person to fool.” This was true in the post World War II era, and is even more true in the world we now find ourselves living in where ‘Fake […]
Historically returns on whisky have been positive and as the whisky market continues to expand due to a growing international demand we would not expect this situation to change. The Scotch Whisky Association recognise that casks can be a personal investment opportunity but potential investors should be aware of the nature of the Scottish whisky […]
Are you aware of how much it costs to convert a cask of whisky into bottles? Bottling a cask of whisky is frequently the first option that occurs to members of the public when they look at selling a cask. Often, we find that selling in bond is the most profitable way of selling a […]
Your guide to the whisky regions of Scotland Need to brush up on your whisky facts? Wondering where to start your journey into the world of Scottish whisky? We cover the basics of the five official Scottish whisky regions, and their traditional characters. Why does region matter? The five whisky regions of Scotland
A brief history of whisky Need to brush up on your whisky knowledge? This is your complete guide to getting started in the world of whisky. We cover the basics of everything whisky, from bourbon to single malt: A brief history of whisky What is the difference between whisky and bourbon? What gives whisky its […]
Need to brush up on your whisky knowledge? Curious about how a cask influences your favourite drink? This is your complete guide to whisky casks, where we cover the basics of everything whisky, from barrels to butts and everything in between: What type of casks are there? Interesting facts about whisky casks? How does whisky […]
Auctions have been widely used to sell everything from horses (the earliest recorded auction dates back to a horse sale in 500BC in Greece) to land and property. The fundamental principle is that the bidders determine the value of the item being sold and bid accordingly. As such they seen as a very democratic method […]
What makes one bottle of whisky worth more than another? And what makes the whisky from your cask worth less than the same whisky released by the distillery? The same question can be applied to antiques, watches and even the choice you make between modern consumables at the supermarket. When we take whisky as an […]
What are we expecting from the whisky market in 2020? If 2019 is anything to go by then we can expect the market to continue to surprise us. Looking back at 2019 we saw the top single malt distilleries change very little compared to 2018 and we wouldn’t expect any great changes in the top […]
2019 was a tumultuous year for the whisky industry. After the record-breaking sale of a hand painted bottle of 1926 Macallan in October 2018, the consensus was unanimous: we had reached ‘peak whisky.’ And yet, despite seeing an expected drop in prices over the first half of 2019, the third quarter peaked with a record-breaking […]
Mark Littler LTD have been invited to make regular contributions to Antique Collecting magazine and the December issue saw our first full length article published in the popular magazine.
What you need to know about maturing whisky in a wine cask: What the Scotch Whisky Association say about using wine casks Why it is important to source from the right distillery if you want to use a wine cask Why trademarks mean wine casks from specific Chateaus will not increase the value of your […]
Mark Littler offer a range of specialist services including valuations for probate and inheritance tax. As expert whisky brokers we can offer probate valuations on whisky casks and help with the valuation and sale of casks for inheritance tax and division of an estate. Mark Littler Ltd can also help with the specialist valuation of […]