Whisky: everything you need to know

Tomorrow the doors open at the corona-proof business fair MASTERS EXPO in RAI Amsterdam. Together with whisky connoisseur Michel Kappen, founder of Scotch Whisky Investments, MASTERS offers a refresher course on this centuries-old valued spirit.

Tomorrow is the day and the doors of the corona-proof business fair will open MASTERS EXPO in RAI Amsterdam. Together with whiskey connoisseur Michel Kappen, founder of Scotch Whiskey Investments, gives M a refresher course on this centuries-old valued alcoholic drink. Text: Patrick Stoffer
Image: Scotch Whiskey Investments

On land and by sea

Michel Kappen: 'The origins of whiskey are not in Scotland, as most people think. Around 1100, monks in Ireland discovered a drink called whiskey ('water of life'; ed.), which would later become widely known as whisky. But it was the Scots who introduced whiskey to the market in 1494 and made it big. In 1824, whiskey was introduced into the tax system and most illegal distilleries were able to close their doors. The Glenlivet was the first distillery to obtain a permit that year. It was not until 1963 that single malt whiskey came onto the market, which is distilled - distilled - by one party, so pure craftsmanship. The counterpart is blended malt, which consists of 70% grain, factory work, and 30% malt.'

A human life on the barrel

'The longer a whiskey is matured, the better and more valuable it becomes. Never before has there been a whiskey that has been in the barrel for as long as this one. And it is exclusive to MASTERS EXPO to admire and taste. The Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet that we are bringing to MASTERS EXPO is no less than eighty years old and was bottled in 1940 in the Speyside region. Bottle No. 1 was purchased by Scotch Wisky Investments through Sotheby's in Hong Kong for €166.500. The market value of the remaining bottles (which are almost no longer available) is € 115.000 per bottle and will rise even further this year!'

Get a good taste

Michel Kappen: 'You are in a liquor store and there are numerous bottles of whiskey in front of you to choose from. What do you pay attention to if you want to get your hands on a good bottle? A good whiskey is at least eighteen years old and is bottled from one and the same barrel, and is therefore not a mixture of different barrels. This is called a single cask, which is always stated on the label. Whiskey always starts out colorless and after a few years of maturing it takes on an amber and full gold color. A whiskey is often also 'coloured', try to stay far away from that. My personal favorite distilleries are Springbank, The Balvenie and The Bowmore, single malt of course.'

Just so you know

Michel Kappen: 'In Scotland, whiskey is the largest export product with an export value of €5,5 billion. So it will come as no surprise that the country has the most single malt distilleries in the world, with 145. To put it into perspective: Ireland has three. The flavor center of Scottish single malt is enormous. That is twice as much as all red and white wines combined. Single malt has 450 different smells and flavors, wines have 225. According to the official rules, Scotch whiskey is written without an 'e' and the Irish variant is written with it, i.e. whiskey. India is the country where people drink the most whisky. But the question is whether it is really whiskey, since ten times as much Black Label is consumed in the country as it is produced.'

Whiskeys are the new rocks

Michel Kappen: 'Scotch Whiskey Investments is an asset manager in whiskey and started in 2007 as a forerunner of alternative investing. I always compare it with investing in real estate. When there is scarcity, prices rise and vice versa. You can do two things with whiskey: consume it and invest it. When more people consume whiskey, shortages will occur and prices will rise. Scotch Whiskey Investments looks at the maturation period and market development. The longer a whiskey matures, the more its value increases. Firstly, the quality increases because the flavor develops when whiskey is in the barrel for longer. Secondly, the older the whisky, the scarcer. It can never be 'reproduced' again. Investing with us starts from € 100.000 and from € 250.000 you join the Scotch Whiskey Investors Clubs, where you can obtain the most exclusive whiskey bottles, older than 40 years. Scotch Whiskey Investments now has more than €140 million in assets under management and hopes to reach €1 billion in five years.'

That's how it goes

Michel Kappen: 'If you are going to enjoy a whiskey in the evening, you can observe a few rules if you want to drink according to etiquette. This is how you don't drink whiskey with ice. If you want to dilute it, add a dash of room temperature water to the glass. You don't drink from a tumbler, but from a refined glass. I recommend not consuming anything with your whisky, as it can disrupt the taste. But above all, the most important rule is: drink your whiskey how you want to.'