Only 3,000 Bottles Released: 1988 Bowmore 31YO Timeless Now Available

A Collector's Item

In March this year we were pleased to offer Bowmore 30 YO 1988 for investment to great interest from investors interested in whisky. Now we have managed to secure a small portion of Bowmore's 31 YO 1988 Timeless Series, which is otherwise only available exclusively to travel retail - that is, those airports around the world that can carry a bottle of this calibre. It is extremely limited, appealing to both collectors and whisky lovers, and is available for investment right here while stocks last.   

NOTE: Bowmore 31 YO 1988 Timeless is sold on a first come, first served basis.  

242 Years Of Whisky History - Conveyed In The Expression Of One Bottle

If you are even slightly interested in the world of whisky, Bowmore is hardly a new name. Bowmore is one of eight iconic distilleries from the Scotch island of Islay, which can rightly be considered one of the world's centres of excellence for single malt whisky. Among the island's heavyweights, such as Port Ellen, Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Lagavulin, Bowmore is the oldest, having been present on the island for more than 240 years.   

The long history and proud tradition were marked in March this year with the release of the Bowmore Timeless Series - a series consisting of a 27 YO edition and the exclusive 31 YO, the latter of which has been even harder to come by due to the extremely narrow sales channel, travel retail, as mentioned earlier. But now you have the opportunity.   

10 Years With An Average Annual Return Of More Than 19%

It sounds almost too good to be true, but it is the reality when it comes to rare whisky. According to Frank Knight's latest edition of The Wealth Report*, the price of rare and exclusive whisky has risen over 478% over the past 10 years, equating to an average annual return of more than 19%.   

With these price rises, the whisky category outperforms all other alternative investments in the collectibles category (including watches, bags and wine) by a long way, making it an extremely attractive asset class.   

The whiskies that have historically been the subject of most attention, and therefore greatest price rises, tend to be the oldest and finest single malt whiskies in cask strength, which are also available in extremely limited quantities at release, or later in supply - characteristics found in the Bowmore 31 YO 1988 Timeless Series.  

NOTE: There is currently only one offer available on wine-searcher.com for Bowmore 31 YO 1988 Timeless Series.   

*Frank Knight The Wealth Report 2020

Only Dusty Old Men Drink Whisky...

...or at least that is the preconception. Today, that is far from the case. A survey by analysis giant YouGov from late 2019 states that the appreciation of Scotch whisky is happening earlier and earlier.     

The study, based on the UK, concludes that more than 84 % of the population begins to appreciate the golden drops before the age of 31. If we are in the south of the country, particularly in fashionable London, the majority answer that it is closer to 20 years.   

The trend is hardly accidental. Indeed, as the traditional customer base ages, the whisky industry has recognised the need to attract new followers, which has been attempted through brand streamlining and more contemporary images.    

An article by The Drinks Business describes how this transformation is well underway. Here, Maria Ropero-Ortiz, senior brand manager for Glenfiddich (the world's best-selling single malt Scotch whisky), argues that "Consumer perceptions of single malt whisky have been shifting over the past few years as more people enter the category. (...) Single malt newcomers today tend to be younger, aged between 25 and 35 years old, a sign of the younger demographic becoming more attracted (...)."    

This suggests that the initiatives are bearing fruit and new whisky lovers are flocking to the market. When broad demand increases, demand for specific categories also tends to increase as consumers tend to trend upwards. In this case, it is the best and finest whiskies.   

Rarewine Invest's Opinion

Now you have the opportunity to enter or expand your investment in the whisky category. The Bowmore 31 YO 1988 Timeless Series is a true collector's item that, with its extremely narrow distribution limited to travel retail, speaks directly to the hearts of the world's whisky collectors.     

Add to that the classic characteristics of a solid whisky investment: a strong brand, an extremely limited release (only 3,000 bottles), cask strength, and a high age of over 30 years.   

The whisky category has clearly outperformed the other alternative assets in the collectibles category and with the industry's focus on transformation and recruiting new followers, the prospects are interesting. Indeed, the process of producing new single malt cask strength whisky cannot be accelerated, and as demand increases with the arrival of new whisky lovers, the supply/demand balance will become even more skewed.   

We have sourced a small batch of Timeless Series in the 31 YO edition, which is now being offered for investment. The bottle comes in a beautiful box that appeals to collectors and whisky lovers alike.