Whiskey as an investment?

[Uncle Bob]

I'll start with the CYA stuff: This is not intended to be investment advice, and I'm not pitching this as a viable opportunity, it's merely something I find interesting as a bit of "sign of the times" information.

We've seen things pitched through what is broadly known as crowd funding on the internet. Various endeavors being funded through speculative offers, often times for new, untested products/services, is not new, just that using the internet which reaches a wider audience much more rapidly. There's always a chance that the offer is a scam, but sometimes it turns out to be a legitimate opportunity. This isn't exactly what most crowd funding is, but it's close in format.

This morning this offer popped up in my email feed: join.vinovest.co/whiskey-investment/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=referral&utm_cam paign=h224wellput&utm_term=whiskeyms&utm_content=v 2-r9159-p172224-c1369-The Texas Flyover&irclickid=yS2SwA0xWxyKRAW0CEzxFxmzUkCRvqTM EW9R240&irgwc=1 Whiskey has had quite a resurgence over the past decade and sales have been growing annually. On this site we discuss various preferences with some of them being newer, less established brands. Will alcohol sales continue an upward sales profile? Given any outcome from the upcoming national election cycle I can see plenty of opportunity for liquor sales to skyrocket......................regardless of which outcome.

[captainlee]

Economy is getting tight, lots of closures and layoffs. People have less disposable income. Does this mean more or less liquor sales, especially higher end stuff? Wine industry is getting clobbered due to changing tastes, younger generation isn't into wine and so much of it is very expensive. I don't have a clue about the future of liquor sales especially whiskey. Probably a bit of a risk but who knows people will always consume alcohol.

[Uncle Bob]

There is some data that suggests younger generations are losing, or not embracing, interest in alcoholic beverages: https://www.worldfinance.com/special...stry-drying-up
But 7000 years of history might indicate that there will be a reversion to the mean over time. If global population will begin to recede as some predict, that might also be a factor in a potentially waning market.

[Jfrosty27]

My son has been trading whiskey for years. He has tens of thousands of dollars invested with hundreds of bottles of whiskey on shelves in his basement. All really high end, expensive stuff. Most of which I have never heard of. He says he makes money at it and all that he drinks is net zero cost to him. I have no idea how it works or if he is really making anything but he seems to enjoy the hobby so whatever. The part I like is when he’ll pull out a bottle of something special for us to taste. Always way, way better than the Jim Beam Black I usually have. 🤣😊

[Mosca]

Jfrosty27 This is different, this is like crowdfunding, or buying shares. It looks really risky to me, like a way to avoid being regulated by the SEC.

[Uncle Bob]

Or to avoid more stringent scrutiny from a bank or other form of borrowing to finance business activity/growth.

[Oak Smoke]

I so wish I had kept a few bottles of the Weller 107 I used to give to customers back when. It was everywhere, simple to get, not even expensive. It would have appreciated nicely by now.

[Alan Brice]

At my niece's wedding, if you said their dogs name at the bar you got a dbl shot of 107.
All the groomsmen got a btl. I do believe several cases went away that night.
It is good to have a BIL who owns a Deli/Liquor carry out. ; -{)>

[barelfly]

Secondary market is booming for stuff! I’d say 107 is probably $100? Maybe…. The other weller stuff, secondary is $300 for CYPB and Single Barrel, and lower for the Full Proof and 12yr.

[Huskee]

I remember when EH Taylor was on the shelf for $35-40 next to Bulleit. Had I only known this going-on-10-yr stretch of it being impossible to find would happen...

[jerrybell]

It seems like the kind of investment you make because it's something that matters to you as opposed to it having historically good returns over long time periods.

[HawkerXP]

If you're not into whiskey I have a bridge, you might be interested in "funding".

[Huskee]

Some rain on the parade of buying and re-selling whiskeys...

Last I checked it's illegal to ship liquor, anywhere, with any shipping company, unless you're licensed and even then some states don't allow it regardless. And in many states it is illegal as a regular Joe to sell it w/o a license. That includes selling your buddy that extra bottle you bought, because who says you won't next sell 12 cases of bourbon to that guy the next town over, repeat repeat. Yeah, it's ridiculous. So unless you're meeting people in person to make the sale, and in a state where selling is allowed...well, let's just say please know what's legal in your state.

All that said, that's a cool hobby, but it also leads to guys like me not being able to find good sought-after bottles because folks with money, or an "in", hog them all and sell at a massive profit (legal for those licensed since then the states get their tax money multiple times).

[Jfrosty27]

I didn’t know that. I need to speak with my son about how he’s doing it.

[Huskee]

Jfrosty27 I can hear him now "just tell your forum buddy to mind his own business!"" Lol, and he's right, nunna my bizz.

[FireMan]

You can always pull a Smokey and the Bandit and run it around in a hot car.

[Skinsfan1311]

I'm not a fan because when people do that, it makes it harder to find for those of us who just want to drink it.......

[tamidw]

My husband and a few other friends are all buying whiskeys/bourbons that are on ‘allocated’ lists, but that’s mostly because they have been wanting these and we have get-togethers for them to taste them. He, of course, tells me they’re for investment too, but they keep being drank! 🤣

[bbqLuv]

That would be all-consuming.