1. www.private-air-mag.com 1
Volume 4 | Issue 4
PRIVATE AIR
LUXURY HOMES
COLLECTOR’S PERSPECTIVE
RICHARD &
ELLEN SANDOR
ASPEN EXPERTS
SPEAK
INVESTMENTS
MUST-HAVES
FOR YOUR
GUEST HOUSE
INDULGING IN
MOROCCAN LUXURY
AT ROYAL MANSOUR
An inspiration
to live well in a
home transformed
and designed by a
billionaire!
AN
ISLAND
IN THE
HILLS

2. 88 Private Air Luxury Homes
Investing in Whisky: Will Noble seeks
advice from a London expert,
Sukhinder Singh
INVESTMENTS
W
hisky is in vogue right now;
distilleries are sprouting
up globally, while the well-
established outfits release exclusive
whisky ranges specifically for buyers
to invest in. It’s a crowded market,
yet one studded with bottled gems
that can potentially earn you a nifty
mark-up within months. We asked
Sukhinder Singh – co-owner of The
Whisky Exchange in London – which
specific brands and bottles we should
be pouring our capital into.
Until recently “whisky” would have
widely referred to the grain liquor
produced in Scotland. Names like
Glenfiddich, Dalmore, The Macallan
and Ardbeg are synonymous with
quality scotch, and come with the
kind of prestige that investors will
always trust in. On the other hand, a
spate of relatively new distilleries are
establishing themselves internationally,
some to great fanfare. One country
in particular, has earned its plaudits:
“Today some of the most collectable
whiskies are from Japan,” says Singh,
“Global demand for Japanese whisky is
phenomenal.”
With the market for whisky bigger
than ever, how do you find something
that will guarantee you a worthwhile
return? The good news is that whisky
investment is almost entirely risk-free.
“It never goes off, unlike say wine,”says
Singh, “so as long as you are patient,
you will always win.”
To maximize chances of a hearty profit
your purchase should be something
that’s a limited release but, most
importantly, a great drinking whisky.
What first-time investors should be
wary of is marketing hype.That’s not to
say a well-marketed brand is necessarily
a bad purchase, but knowing a little
about what you’re buying into – and
how it tastes – goes a long way. After
all, you wouldn’t judge a book by its
cover.
From The Whisky Exchange’s own
catalog, Singh recommends something
from one of Scotland’s “lost”distilleries;
he holds anything from Brora – which
closed in 1983 – in high regard. Prices
range from $912 for a 24-year-old to
$5,330 for a 1971 Old Malt Cask.
The most expensive whisky Singh has
soldisa$152,00064-year-oldDalmore,
though he’s currently in talks with a
collector from the Far East regarding a
bottle worth $304,000.
It’s a whisky from the Far East –
Karuizawa from Japan – which Singh
has seen shoot up in value the fastest
and steepest. “We released a bottle for
$723 last October and this is already
selling for around $6,090,” he says.
“It has gone up like nothing else I
have ever seen in my 30 years in the
business.”
Yet with global wealth increasing and
more and more people falling in love
with whisky, even the most expensive
bottles are being drunk. “This may
sound difficult to believe,” says Singh,
“but if you have it all, then this is the
only way to go.”
“And remember, this is what whisky is
made for.”
Spirits Soaring
“The Japanese have sort of
rediscovered their own roots, and
sales over the last few years are in
double digit growth.”