Aussie owned Scottish whisky distillery Bladnoch launches $95k a bottle collection

Bladnoch’s inaugural ultra-rare collection of whiskies will include a 1966 release of 15 bottles known as the McClelland.

Entrepreneur David Prior with Bladnoch whisky. Picture: David Geraghty / The Australian.

The only Scottish whisky distillery owned by an Australian is launching its inaugural ultra-rare collection of whiskies, the most prestigious being a 1966 release of 15 bottles known as the McClelland that will retail for £50,000 ($95,000) a bottle.

One of Scotland’s oldest and most historically rich distilleries, Bladnoch, is this week launching what it calls “The Samhla Collection”, derived from the Scottish Gaelic word meaning symbol or likeness.

Bladnoch’s owner, Melbourne businessman David Prior, said the Samhla Collection was a family of exceptionally rare single malt whiskies that embodied three generations of Bladnoch’s history, with vintages from 1966, 1990, and 2008.

While the McClelland distilled in 1966 — the oldest release from Bladnoch — is limited to only 15 bottles, “The Prior” distilled in 1990 will have 50 bottles available at £10,500 a bottle. The Sage distilled in 2008 will have 100 bottles priced at £5250 a bottle.

“In recent years, we have witnessed an unprecedented surge in the appreciation and demand for rare whiskies, with collectors and enthusiasts recognising their inherent value as both liquid assets and cultural artefacts,” Mr Prior said.

“These extraordinary expressions, carefully crafted over time, embody the essence of craftsmanship, history and exclusivity that discerning investors seek.”

A spate of whisky funds have been launched across the globe in recent years, offering investors a hedge against inflation and economic downturns.

The Whisky Cask Club, a fund launched last year in Australia by Singapore-based Blair Road Capital, is targeting an annual cash distribution of 10 per cent for its fund, which requires a minimum investment of $US50,000.

Rare Whisky (RW) 101’s Apex 1000 index, which aims to track the top collectable whiskies across the world, has seen gains of over 415 per cent since 2013.

The RW Bowmore Rarities Index, tracking bottles from the oldest distillery in Islay, Scotland, has risen 433 per cent since 2013.

Founded in 1817 by the McClelland brothers, Bladnoch Distillery was one of the first to acquire a licence to make Scotch whisky but had fallen into bankruptcy when it was purchased by Mr Prior in 2015.

Mr Prior, the first Australian to invest in Scotland’s whisky industry, purchased Bladnoch after selling his five:am yoghurt brand for more than $80m.

He has since invested millions of dollar into the distillery, reinvented the Bladnoch Single Malt after restarting production in 2017 and restoring the historic site’s visitor’s centre.

Mackenzie Casey, Private Client Manager at Bladnoch — who is responsible for helping distribute this new release — said the firm was already seeing a mix of buyers for the rare whiskies.

“We have already pre-sold some to private clients and some have been Australian,” she said.

“In terms of purchasing ultra rare whiskeys, there are two parts to it. There is obviously the investment potential. They have been recognised as an alternate asset class due to the limited supply and high demand. But there is also the enduring legacy of the craft of whisky-making itself and the alignment with one’s personal values. It is an art that transcends generations.”

Nick Savage, Bladnoch’s Master Distiller, added of the release: “The famous quote, ‘The true meaning of life is to plant trees, the shade of which we will never sit,’ perfectly captures the reason we make our whiskies at Bladnoch by protecting and nurturing our whiskies during our custodianship.”

The Samhla Collection showcases the whisky drawn from two American Oak Red Wine Hogsheads distilled in 2008, the year David Prior’s daughter, Sage, was born.

“We have had a lot of success in establishing the brand over the past few years so we now have headroom in investing in the next evolution, including prestige releases like this,” Ms Casey said.

“We are a very young distillery with an old soul, but the brand is in a position where we can release a range of this calibre. We have set ourselves up to meet the ongoing demand for aged whisky.”

Bladnoch products, which are now sold in 60 global markets, have been available in Australia for several years through the Woolworths-owned Dan Murphy’s and Vintage Cellars liquor chains.

“Last year was a record year for sales. We enjoyed double digit growth and we expect another record in the year ahead,” Ms Casey said.

“Offshore growth over the next 12 months will be in Asia and America. We really want to hone in on the US market. We will also be focusing more on the duty free market, where we currently have just a small presence.”

Two years ago Mr Prior considered looking to sell down his 100 per cent stake in the business to the right buyer with the help of investment bank Credit Suisse, which manages the investment portfolio of his charitable operation, the Prior Foundation.

But the process did not yield a suitable partner and Mr Prior retains full ownership of the business.

“We are the oldest privately owned Scotch distillery in the world and the only one owned by an Australian. I think this will be something that will now be with David for a long time and to be honest, I now think he wants to keep it for Sage to carry on the legacy,” Ms Casey said.