Dram and blast! We're running out of single malt whisky: Scotland's small distilleries can't keep up with a massive spike in demand from the U.S and China

Demand in whisky is causing price of rare single malts to rise sharply
Experts think the drink is now a better investment than gold and top wine
Spike in sales in China and US means distilleries are struggling to keep up

By Sean Poulter Consumer Affairs Editor For The Daily Mail

Published: 22:21 GMT, 11 March 2016 | Updated: 23:24 GMT, 11 March 2016

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Liquid asset: This £75 bottle of Black Bowmore now commands buyers to spend £500

It's been said it is not hard to tell the difference between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.

And, for lovers of a wee dram, things are looking less than sunny north of the border.

For single malt Scotch is running out – which spells gloom not just across the glens but around the whisky-drinking world.

A massive spike in demand in the US and China means Scotland’s small distilleries simply do not have enough to keep up.

The net effect is that the price of rare single malts is rising sharply –making them a better investment than gold, vintage wine and shares last year. And, unlike other commodities, distillers cannot simply turn on a tap to match demand because the whisky has to be matured for at least three years.

Rickesh Kishnani, who launched the world’s first whisky investment fund, said: ‘The shortage of old and rare single malt… has already started, and it’s going to get worse.’

His whisky fund, which is based in Hong Kong, has a collection of 7,500 bottles of rare malt whisky that has increased 26 per cent in value since it was started in 2014.

The Investment Grade Scotch Whisky Index, which tracks prices achieved at auction, climbed 14 per cent last year, beating gold and FTSE 100 shares.

A Black Bowmore whisky aged for 30 years before its 1994 release initially went on sale for £75 a bottle. But it now easily goes at auction for approaching £500.

Glenfiddich 50, which as the name suggests has been aged 50 years, has a list price of £22,850.

Rare bottles of Balvenie 50-year-old single malt Scotch whisky can cost more than £40,000 on auction sites.

Similar stellar prices are achieved for the Macallan Lalique 62-year-old single malt Scotch whisky and Gordon & MacPhail Generations Mortlach 75-year-old single malt whisky.

A large crystal decanter filled with rare Macallan M whisky sold for a record price for a single malt of $628,205 (£436,000) at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong in 2014. However, it is likely this figure will be beaten in the next 12 months.

Industry experts suggest the current shortage of single malt could last another ten to 15 years. Global single malt exports jumped 159 per cent between 2004 and 2014, according to the Scotch Whisky Association.

For single malt Scotch is running out – which spells gloom not just across the glens but around the whisky-drinking world

Asia now accounts for one fifth of all Scotch exports, buying a quarter of a billion bottles a year.

In the US, annual sales of single malt nearly tripled between 2002 and 2015, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

The Scotch Whisky Association said distillers are racing to catch up with demand: ‘Scotch whisky is a global success story and distillers work hard to meet demand. The industry carefully plans its production and is confident it can meet requirements.

‘There are over 20million casks maturing in whisky warehouses across Scotland and production of Scotch has been increasing steadily.’