Today we advise novice whiskey collectors and investors to form a plan and stick to it. They should not get caught up in the hype around certain products, as it won’t necessarily result in a positive outcome. Gavin also cautions against buying too much immediately and buying into mass-produced “allocated” whiskey. They got started in the whiskey collecting and investing game by noticing a shortage of top-shelf whiskey on the east coast, which made its way to the west. They took a hunch and went deep with Japanese whiskey, which eventually became popular. The takeaway is to have a plan and stick to it, and not be swayed by hype.
In this conversation, Gavin and Karma Slomianski, the BlockBar community manager, discuss the differences between investing in whiskey for the short-term and long term. They have been investing in whiskey for 8-16 years and have found success in the venture. They emphasize the importance of having a hunch and getting in before the hype. Gavin urges listeners to remember that whiskey takes time to mature and that 25 years ago no one was interested in whiskey. They suggest having a plan and sticking to it, and keeping an eye out for new opportunities.
They also discuss the demand for older whiskey, particularly 25-year-old and older whiskey, in the market. They discussed how it is difficult to find and that the effort and storage requirements can make it difficult to obtain. They suggested looking for older whiskey and the demand associated with it as an investment opportunity. They also discussed how to ensure the whiskey purchased is legitimate, as fraud is rampant in the market, and how to store it properly.
The conversation discusses the shady side of the whiskey industry, where some people will go to a bar or eBay to buy empty bottles and then fill them with any liquid they choose and resell them as rare and expensive whiskey. Gavin talks about the difficulty of storing and transporting the whiskey, as well as the dangers of not being able to ensure the bottles. He also mentions Blockbar, a platform that offers storage and a tradeable base, which could provide a solution to the problem. They warn that if the deal seems too good to be true, it likely is and to be careful when purchasing rare whiskey.
