Weep for the 1960s Ad Man: A Quality Scotch Shortage Is Nigh
LatestA recent boom in the popularity of single malt Scotch whiskey is leading to a worldwide shortage, distilleries report. Now what will troubled businessmen sip while contemplating their troubles and staring longingly out skyscraper windows?
According to Grub Street:
Sales of just single malts alone practically tripled in America between 2002 and 2015, and demand has grown in Asia to 250 million bottles a year…Single malt in particular comes in a finite quantity, and people are rapidly drinking all of it. The boom is driving prices ruinously high and already causing a shortage of old and rare single malt that investors tell CNN is only “going to get worse.”
A quality single malt is often aged in casks for decades, and lower-shelf single malts must be aged for at least three years, making it impossible for distilleries like Macallan or Glenlivet to catch up with the ever-growing demand.