I Love your passion, honesty, and fearless attitude to speak the truth. We malt mates are better for it so thank you Ralfy. I regularly tune in for your malt reviews but as of late, I’ve found your rants and public service announcements not only helpful and refreshing, but downright necessary in the minefield that the retail scotch world has become. You pull back the curtain and reveal the “bad actors” in this industry, not to mention promoting the good fight that’s being fought by humble distillers keeping it pure and honest. My hats off to you my friend. Keep up the good fight. Cheers
Excellent wise words ralfy! Red wine barrels getting pish bacteria in the sun, ruining/souring the brew, and they selling it as platinum standard! Platinum way cheaper than gold at the moment 😆btw
My take, Scotch whisky has many layers of reputation. Among the people you are discussing here, it's a premium product and they will pay for it accordingly. To varying degrees, which are proven to be somewhat easily manipulated. Among people like yourself and mates, you've already on multiple occasions identified the declines and successes wherever you're finding them. Among still others, it's seaweed soaked in iodine. That was my take for many years, but catching your channel about a year after it started opened my eyes to the range of possibilities. For that I am grateful.
Wow! An interesting story. Thanks, Sam, for allowing Ralfy to share this, and thanks, Ralfy, for not only sharing this but also explaining the real story behind these wine casks and that the wine is mostly matured in the bottle. It is really eye-opening to the level of deceit that is out there. Cheers!
Ralfy, how true this is I’ve been approached by similar companies and told them where to go! You simply can’t reinvent the wheel which is what they are trying to do “in my opinion” unfortunately the uninformed fall for it. The industry I work in is heavily regulated and so should this be. Thanks for sharing this and maybe, just maybe people will sit up and take note.
My late father taught me "Both Whisky and Wine are awfy fine but N'er the twain should meet." That ledaig rioja is a good one, but a tiny island in a sea of 'Pish'. All the White wine cask affected Whiskies I have ever sampled have been, well...Guess! I sort of seen this coming when I learned about the shortage of quality casks. That work of fiction that you read out Ralfy, did give me a laugh.
A Great video. As I have said before, my main interest is Rum. Rum cask investment is still a relatively new trend, but it's populated by the same "characters" as the Whisky cask market, and typically the sales pitch is around rum being the next big thing, and by getting in on the ground floor a few "lucky" investors will make massive gains. Absolute rubbish. Yes there are a few (mainly closed) distilleries whose surviving output commands premium prices; and perhaps if Richerd Searle makes good on his statements about no longer making casks available, thete may come a point where 4SQ casks command a significant premium. However, the premium rum market is tiny, a quick review of auction lists will tell you that apart from Caroni and a few "unicorn" bottles from the likes of Vellier almost no rum sells at auction for much more than twice retail.
A friend told me that in the late nineties even Springbank were selling bourbon barrels for just a couple of hundred pounds. Let that sink in. Red wine casks do tend to be a big risk. For me the biggest problem with red wine casks are tannins. It usually ruins the whisky if there's notable amounts. Never buy before tasting them first.
Yeah ,that's correct, and depending on what cask you had depends on the price it's selling for today. A springbank cask ,although a sherry hogshead just sold for £70k at the start of September at an auction here in Scotland. I've seen certain ones sell for upwards of £100k,but mostly sherry matured. I've seen Bourbon casks sell for between £35-60k and all these casks are from the early to mid 1990s.
Hahaha, platinum standard 😆 Walking through the ridiculously long Duty Free aria in Dubai and seeing all those luxury items, Bentley car hanging from the roof top, pretty girls wearing far too short skirts selling overpriced perfumes and watches, even bottles of water for 60 pounds, I felt sorry for those lost souls who found that place fascinating, desirable and pleasuring. They simply do not know better Ralfy.
Brilliant description of the City.!! .. (and pretty accurate I should think)... just yesterday I walked through an airport duty free and they were promoting wine cask finished whisky!... Uncanny coincidence
Listening to this tale while enjoying a very nice dram that cost just $42.00 U.S. Still, it's fun to learn what's happening over on the other side of the fence. 😉
You could have at least left the horror story for Halloween! You're going to have to reset the balance Ralfy and bring on Billy & Fluffy and lead us gently into another cracking malt review 😺😺.
Thank you, Ralfy. This is worth getting worked up about. It's great if it saves just one ill-informed investment. I expect a significant effect although you may never hear examples, rest assured - this is helpful and commendable.
I already fell for this red wine scam ... 😬 Bought a Ledaig Sinclair Series, a Arran Amarone Cask and almost forced myself into buying a Deanston Bordeux Cask Finish 😂
These types of scams have been going on since the Romans, and unfortunately look set to continue. Too many well minded but ultimately gullible people wanting to get on a bandwagon promising future wealth and plenty of unscrupulous snakes in the Barley waiting to take their cash. It would be nice to think our authorities would have the stones to do something about it but one does get the feeling that that might negatively effect 'their' future earnings. Rant on Ralfy. Your a legend.
This might be obvious to many, but its easy to overlook for those who dont know this, so Im pointing out that in this video what was mentioned is the "City of London" and not "London"... as the city. There is a huge difference: London is a city in the UK, and in legal terms the City of London is different country which is surrounded by the UK. Its not even part of the UK as far as I know (though dont know the legal details), but I think its an entirely different country. Its just like the Vatican inside Italy, which is also a similarily small country.
For those in the US hearing "The City (of London)" -- think Wall Street Sorry if everybody already knows that, just trying to translate brit-speak into American to be helpful
Never mind these over priced red wine finished barrels, I would never put a dollar into investing in any whiskey barrel unless it was one I wanted for my own consumption (not for financial gain). Certainly here in the US the production quantities have doubled and redoubled and have exceeded demand. There is going to be a big market correction.
I have had some good red wine cask finished whiskies, but they have not come from Scotland. They have come from the regions where the wine was produced - Oregon, Virginia, and Victoria (Australia). Maybe someone should start up a whisky distillery in Bordeaux if there isn't one already. Using casks that once held high end, expensive wine is a great way to lure in people who have more money than sense. Luxury booze that is more a status symbol than a quality product is nothing new. I've been into wine for a long time. I remember when there was a feeding frenzy surrounding certain bottles back in the 1990s. I've tried some of these wines. Some are excellent, some are not, and hardly any are worth what they cost. As long as people are looking for status symbols and have excess money to burn, there will be sketchy businesses happy to puff up mediocre products with slick marketing and con jobs.
It’s the problem of created scarcity, lure of low tax investment (wine has no capital gains tax in many places as it is considered a consumable) and no regulatory oversight. The hypercar bubble is bursting with people now losing money on the special editions they thought could be moved on at a profit a few months later. it hasn’t hurt those esteemed vineyards - they aren’t judged on the reselling of their wine once it leaves the Chateau…. If no one drinks the stuff (or has no idea whether it’s any good, just that it’s really rare…) that’s all that matters. But if you know then you’ll avoid like the plague.
This reminds me of the online scam where someone kept asking me for my personal details saying that I will receive an expensive bottle of whisky from Ralfy for being selected in some kind of draw. Remember that malt mates?
Well, Ralfy, you - and the rest of us - got it wrong 😂According to another very credible source (that knows absolutely nothing about whisky, ChatGPT): "Whisky aged in red wine barrels represents the platinum standard of whisky due to its unique characteristics, the intricate interplay of flavors, and the increasing consumer appreciation for innovative aging techniques. As distillers continue to push the boundaries of traditional whisky production, the use of red wine barrels stands out as a testament to the art of whisky-making. This practice not only enhances the complexity of the spirit but also enriches the overall drinking experience, making it a sought-after choice and great investment for both casual drinkers and seasoned connoisseurs alike. As the whisky landscape evolves, the legacy of red wine barrel aging will undoubtedly continue to shape the future of this beloved spirit."
I've seen attempts to capitalize on the barrels from very desirable extra-aged bourbons, such as Pappy Van Winkle and other similar Buffalo Trace brands. Particularly with tequila. Ex-pappy, ex-stagg, ex-taylor barrels, etc. Well, what about the fact that the longer you age a bourbon, the more it will extract from the wood, thus the more "spent" the barrel will be. Not saying it'll produce bad results, but I doubt it'll produce the magic that is promised. Pappy Van Winkle 20 year or Elijah Craig 18 year did not produce that barrel, did not make it extra special. On the contrary, that barrel produced that bourbon and made it extra special. It's given most of what it had, if not all. Probably ideal for reposado tequila, where it only takes less than a year and won't overpower the agave flavor :)
That's a shame and it's everywhere... In Brazil there would be self entitled "whisky experts" that promote and sell "whiskies" from UA-cam lives, arguing these bottles can assure peoples retirement if they stock on it. Just saw some guy that bought 6 bottles of such novelty non-oak NAS Brazilian whisky in a neighbour social media...
@Martin-uj7wj Unfortunately, that's just the way it is,with companies,not people?? Some of the best whisky companies are Scottish/British whether independent or independent bottlers! and the rest are just churning out nas for ridiculous prices,such as Ardbeg, Glenmorangie ,Highland park etc. It's just all pretentious whisky? Everyone to their own! It's just that I've tried plenty of whisky to give my opinion, and that's all it is?
@@barryhamilton7845 Bruichladdich 10 year old at £110+ a bottle is every bit as pretentious in my book but my point was that it doesn't matter what nationality the owner is as long as the whisky is good.
@Martin-uj7wj Yeah ,I totally agree with what you're saying,and im not being biased or racist. It just so happens,a lot of the distilleries current owners have took the piss out of people and have gave some distilleries a worse name with what they put out,and its all quantity rather than quality,and some of these Companies are foreign,especially owners from France. And so that's why I say Scottish/British. After all, it is a Scottish product,and im looking out for my own in this day and age as I know their doing the right thing when it comes to making whisky.
Obviously there is a lot of cheap red wine out there, so I kind of expect red wine finishes not just STR to have a big uptick in volume in the future since it is drank so much more than sherry. This volume makes this scam even more ridiculous.
Those London Boys surely have internalised the saying _There's a sucker born every minute_ ! On the other hand, there are people out there that regularly buy vintage malts at auctions that cost 10K and (sometimes _way_ ) more which are highly likely to be fakes. Please don't be a sucker!
Hallo Ralfy, sorry das ich auf deutsch schreibe, aber ihr könnt es ja übersetzen lassen. Wenn es nicht so viele dumme und gierige Menschen mit großem Ego gäbe, würden Betrüger kein leichtes Spiel haben. Also habe ich ehrlich gesagt kein Mitleid mit denen, die der Meinung sind, ihr Geld so anzulegen. Es gibt immer noch viele Menschen da draußen, die ihren eigenen Wert an Produkte binden und somit völlig bedeutungslos sind. Trotzdem ist es gut, davor zu warnen. Cheers 🥃
Well that was a waste of 25 minutes, and as for the flannel ‘biggest scandal’ twaddle! Grifters are gonna grift this is not news Ralfy. Oh to be back to the days when you wore a fez and were funny discussing Bohemia and Absinthe.. now just chasing the shock value
I Love your passion, honesty, and fearless attitude to speak the truth. We malt mates are better for it so thank you Ralfy.
I regularly tune in for your malt reviews but as of late, I’ve found your rants and public service announcements not only helpful and refreshing, but downright necessary in the minefield that the retail scotch world has become. You pull back the curtain and reveal the “bad actors” in this industry, not to mention promoting the good fight that’s being fought by humble distillers keeping it pure and honest.
My hats off to you my friend. Keep up the good fight.
Cheers
Love the mention of Ledaig Sinclair Rioja finish...it's absolutely phenomenal. Bought another bottle last week!
Ralfy reviewing Beyonce’s new rye whiskey (parent company LVMH) would result in the most impressive rant ever
I trully want that 😁🥂🥂🥂🙋♂️
Looking forward. Will be having a dram of Johnnie Red while watching.
We wouldn’t want to subject Ralfy to that stuff, not worth the look on his face at first taste
AC/DC have launched a whisky - apparently its a head banger ..... 🥁Ba Dum Tsh
Blunt and to the point - very good advice!
Excellent wise words ralfy!
Red wine barrels getting pish bacteria in the sun, ruining/souring the brew, and they selling it as platinum standard!
Platinum way cheaper than gold at the moment 😆btw
My take, Scotch whisky has many layers of reputation. Among the people you are discussing here, it's a premium product and they will pay for it accordingly. To varying degrees, which are proven to be somewhat easily manipulated. Among people like yourself and mates, you've already on multiple occasions identified the declines and successes wherever you're finding them. Among still others, it's seaweed soaked in iodine. That was my take for many years, but catching your channel about a year after it started opened my eyes to the range of possibilities. For that I am grateful.
Billionaires Vinegar is a very interesting book. Well worth reading.
It is, I bought a second hand copy some time ago on Ralfy's recommendation.
Wow! An interesting story. Thanks, Sam, for allowing Ralfy to share this, and thanks, Ralfy, for not only sharing this but also explaining the real story behind these wine casks and that the wine is mostly matured in the bottle. It is really eye-opening to the level of deceit that is out there. Cheers!
Well stated Ralfy. Very interesting!
Nick from York
Edward Throp went from Card-counting in Vegas to Wall Street, where he said that he found "a higher class of criminals"
Ralfy, how true this is I’ve been approached by similar companies and told them where to go! You simply can’t reinvent the wheel which is what they are trying to do “in my opinion” unfortunately the uninformed fall for it. The industry I work in is heavily regulated and so should this be. Thanks for sharing this and maybe, just maybe people will sit up and take note.
My late father taught me "Both Whisky and Wine are awfy fine but N'er the twain should meet." That ledaig rioja is a good one, but a tiny island in a sea of 'Pish'. All the White wine cask affected Whiskies I have ever sampled have been, well...Guess! I sort of seen this coming when I learned about the shortage of quality casks. That work of fiction that you read out Ralfy, did give me a laugh.
Port Charlotte 10 year uses 25% French wine barrels. PC 10 is one of my favorite go-tos.
@@xiamengbaby You wouldnt know it though..the Heavy peat covers a multitude of sins..😄
Exceptional Extras.. Ralfy you are the best! Thanks!!!Grazie Mille 🙏👍 kindest regards, Sandro.
A Great video.
As I have said before, my main interest is Rum. Rum cask investment is still a relatively new trend, but it's populated by the same "characters" as the Whisky cask market, and typically the sales pitch is around rum being the next big thing, and by getting in on the ground floor a few "lucky" investors will make massive gains.
Absolute rubbish. Yes there are a few (mainly closed) distilleries whose surviving output commands premium prices; and perhaps if Richerd Searle makes good on his statements about no longer making casks available, thete may come a point where 4SQ casks command a significant premium.
However, the premium rum market is tiny, a quick review of auction lists will tell you that apart from Caroni and a few "unicorn" bottles from the likes of Vellier almost no rum sells at auction for much more than twice retail.
A friend told me that in the late nineties even Springbank were selling bourbon barrels for just a couple of hundred pounds. Let that sink in. Red wine casks do tend to be a big risk. For me the biggest problem with red wine casks are tannins. It usually ruins the whisky if there's notable amounts. Never buy before tasting them first.
Yeah ,that's correct, and depending on what cask you had depends on the price it's selling for today. A springbank cask ,although a sherry hogshead just sold for £70k at the start of September at an auction here in Scotland. I've seen certain ones sell for upwards of £100k,but mostly sherry matured. I've seen Bourbon casks sell for between £35-60k and all these casks are from the early to mid 1990s.
Red wine casks make the spirit turn pink.
Ralfy, where did you buy your cap?
Im looking for a good autumcap as i am forced to the cold balcony to enjoy my whisky and cigar
. . . e-bay 'wool bunnet/cap'
Hahaha, platinum standard 😆 Walking through the ridiculously long Duty Free aria in Dubai and seeing all those luxury items, Bentley car hanging from the roof top, pretty girls wearing far too short skirts selling overpriced perfumes and watches, even bottles of water for 60 pounds, I felt sorry for those lost souls who found that place fascinating, desirable and pleasuring. They simply do not know better Ralfy.
Brilliant description of the City.!! .. (and pretty accurate I should think)...
just yesterday I walked through an airport duty free and they were promoting wine cask finished whisky!... Uncanny coincidence
I’ve got a Springbank 13 claret cask from the cage. Wonder if that’ll be any good?
Thank you. Thank you for sharing that. Why we keep coming back, Ralfy.
Listening to this tale while enjoying a very nice dram that cost just $42.00 U.S. Still, it's fun to learn what's happening over on the other side of the fence. 😉
You could have at least left the horror story for Halloween!
You're going to have to reset the balance Ralfy and bring on Billy & Fluffy and lead us gently into another cracking malt review 😺😺.
Thank you, Ralfy. This is worth getting worked up about. It's great if it saves just one ill-informed investment. I expect a significant effect although you may never hear examples, rest assured - this is helpful and commendable.
I already fell for this red wine scam ... 😬 Bought a Ledaig Sinclair Series, a Arran Amarone Cask and almost forced myself into buying a Deanston Bordeux Cask Finish 😂
This is really the scam but all three listed by you drams are excelent worth buying 😁🥂🥂🥂🙋♂️
These types of scams have been going on since the Romans, and unfortunately look set to continue. Too many well minded but ultimately gullible people wanting to get on a bandwagon promising future wealth and plenty of unscrupulous snakes in the Barley waiting to take their cash. It would be nice to think our authorities would have the stones to do something about it but one does get the feeling that that might negatively effect 'their' future earnings. Rant on Ralfy. Your a legend.
This might be obvious to many, but its easy to overlook for those who dont know this, so Im pointing out that in this video what was mentioned is the "City of London" and not "London"... as the city. There is a huge difference: London is a city in the UK, and in legal terms the City of London is different country which is surrounded by the UK. Its not even part of the UK as far as I know (though dont know the legal details), but I think its an entirely different country.
Its just like the Vatican inside Italy, which is also a similarily small country.
Looks like you have dropped a few pounds Ralphred. Nice one
For those in the US hearing "The City (of London)" -- think Wall Street
Sorry if everybody already knows that, just trying to translate brit-speak into American to be helpful
The City of London possesses an accumulation of very old wealth and privilege that goes far deeper than anything to be found on Wall Street.
The Billionaires Vinegar was a great read. Well worth reading even if you’re not into wine.
Never mind these over priced red wine finished barrels, I would never put a dollar into investing in any whiskey barrel unless it was one I wanted for my own consumption (not for financial gain). Certainly here in the US the production quantities have doubled and redoubled and have exceeded demand. There is going to be a big market correction.
Oh, tell us more about the cult of London!
I have had some good red wine cask finished whiskies, but they have not come from Scotland. They have come from the regions where the wine was produced - Oregon, Virginia, and Victoria (Australia). Maybe someone should start up a whisky distillery in Bordeaux if there isn't one already. Using casks that once held high end, expensive wine is a great way to lure in people who have more money than sense. Luxury booze that is more a status symbol than a quality product is nothing new. I've been into wine for a long time. I remember when there was a feeding frenzy surrounding certain bottles back in the 1990s. I've tried some of these wines. Some are excellent, some are not, and hardly any are worth what they cost. As long as people are looking for status symbols and have excess money to burn, there will be sketchy businesses happy to puff up mediocre products with slick marketing and con jobs.
Thanks Ralfy.
It’s the problem of created scarcity, lure of low tax investment (wine has no capital gains tax in many places as it is considered a consumable) and no regulatory oversight. The hypercar bubble is bursting with people now losing money on the special editions they thought could be moved on at a profit a few months later.
it hasn’t hurt those esteemed vineyards - they aren’t judged on the reselling of their wine once it leaves the Chateau….
If no one drinks the stuff (or has no idea whether it’s any good, just that it’s really rare…) that’s all that matters.
But if you know then you’ll avoid like the plague.
Most profound malt mention ever 👏👏👏👏👏
This reminds me of the online scam where someone kept asking me for my personal details saying that I will receive an expensive bottle of whisky from Ralfy for being selected in some kind of draw. Remember that malt mates?
Well, Ralfy, you - and the rest of us - got it wrong 😂According to another very credible source (that knows absolutely nothing about whisky, ChatGPT): "Whisky aged in red wine barrels represents the platinum standard of whisky due to its unique characteristics, the intricate interplay of flavors, and the increasing consumer appreciation for innovative aging techniques. As distillers continue to push the boundaries of traditional whisky production, the use of red wine barrels stands out as a testament to the art of whisky-making. This practice not only enhances the complexity of the spirit but also enriches the overall drinking experience, making it a sought-after choice and great investment for both casual drinkers and seasoned connoisseurs alike. As the whisky landscape evolves, the legacy of red wine barrel aging will undoubtedly continue to shape the future of this beloved spirit."
Of course! An emotionless robot knows WAAAY more than us enthusiasts. How dare we ever think different 😆
@@macgybel7951 ChatGreatPishTalk
This sounded like the whisky version of the Nigerian Prince scam.
I've seen attempts to capitalize on the barrels from very desirable extra-aged bourbons, such as Pappy Van Winkle and other similar Buffalo Trace brands. Particularly with tequila. Ex-pappy, ex-stagg, ex-taylor barrels, etc. Well, what about the fact that the longer you age a bourbon, the more it will extract from the wood, thus the more "spent" the barrel will be. Not saying it'll produce bad results, but I doubt it'll produce the magic that is promised. Pappy Van Winkle 20 year or Elijah Craig 18 year did not produce that barrel, did not make it extra special. On the contrary, that barrel produced that bourbon and made it extra special. It's given most of what it had, if not all. Probably ideal for reposado tequila, where it only takes less than a year and won't overpower the agave flavor :)
That's a shame and it's everywhere...
In Brazil there would be self entitled "whisky experts" that promote and sell "whiskies" from UA-cam lives, arguing these bottles can assure peoples retirement if they stock on it. Just saw some guy that bought 6 bottles of such novelty non-oak NAS Brazilian whisky in a neighbour social media...
Keep it independent and keep it Scottish/British owned.
xenophobia isn't a good look.
@Martin-uj7wj Unfortunately, that's just the way it is,with companies,not people?? Some of the best whisky companies are Scottish/British whether independent or independent bottlers! and the rest are just churning out nas for ridiculous prices,such as Ardbeg, Glenmorangie ,Highland park etc. It's just all pretentious whisky? Everyone to their own! It's just that I've tried plenty of whisky to give my opinion, and that's all it is?
@@barryhamilton7845 Bruichladdich 10 year old at £110+ a bottle is every bit as pretentious in my book but my point was that it doesn't matter what nationality the owner is as long as the whisky is good.
@Martin-uj7wj Yeah ,I totally agree with what you're saying,and im not being biased or racist. It just so happens,a lot of the distilleries current owners have took the piss out of people and have gave some distilleries a worse name with what they put out,and its all quantity rather than quality,and some of these Companies are foreign,especially owners from France. And so that's why I say Scottish/British. After all, it is a Scottish product,and im looking out for my own in this day and age as I know their doing the right thing when it comes to making whisky.
Obviously there is a lot of cheap red wine out there, so I kind of expect red wine finishes not just STR to have a big uptick in volume in the future since it is drank so much more than sherry. This volume makes this scam even more ridiculous.
My daughter was made redundant 6weeks after LVMH bought McDonald bros. whisky business, despite being assured that her job was safe.
An "exceptionally 'smooth'" rant, ralfy! City boy boll£cks never sells well in the long term. Btw halfway through your new book. Cheers man.
Those London Boys surely have internalised the saying _There's a sucker born every minute_ ! On the other hand, there are people out there that regularly buy vintage malts at auctions that cost 10K and (sometimes _way_ ) more which are highly likely to be fakes.
Please don't be a sucker!
Hallo Ralfy, sorry das ich auf deutsch schreibe, aber ihr könnt es ja übersetzen lassen. Wenn es nicht so viele dumme und gierige Menschen mit großem Ego gäbe, würden Betrüger kein leichtes Spiel haben. Also habe ich ehrlich gesagt kein Mitleid mit denen, die der Meinung sind, ihr Geld so anzulegen. Es gibt immer noch viele Menschen da draußen, die ihren eigenen Wert an Produkte binden und somit völlig bedeutungslos sind. Trotzdem ist es gut, davor zu warnen. Cheers 🥃
Caveat Emptor
The quality of the whiskey might be moot. If you're buying whisky as an "investment' you're not going to be drinking it.
“Whisky Expert Beyonce” 🤣 next you’ll be telling me Gary Barlow is a wine expert….. oh wait :/
Wrong music genre entirely ...🎸
A Guitar doesnt suit Beyonce and
Boy Group Pop Guy
😂😂
Like 189 given today September 24th at 21.36 italian time❤
I have a nice bridge you can buy….
I know what ramifications means thankyou
Mega powers Macho Malt Man
Well that was a waste of 25 minutes, and as for the flannel ‘biggest scandal’ twaddle! Grifters are gonna grift this is not news Ralfy. Oh to be back to the days when you wore a fez and were funny discussing Bohemia and Absinthe.. now just chasing the shock value
@15:32
City of Londinium