Collecting (and consuming) whisky has long been a pastime of high-net-worth individuals, but thanks to a boom in prices over recent years, whisky has also come to be regarded as an asset class. With the draw of high returns, it is more important than ever to deal with trusted – and trustworthy – advisers.
Specialist advisers in the field can point a client to new and rare drams both for sampling and investment purposes, helping to facilitate transactions and connect them to distilleries and merchants. Often, a well-connected broker can obtain rare spirits from distilleries that are now closed, offering an unrepeatable experience for the connoisseur.
Best whisky advisers: names to know
Nine of the best whisky advisers have been recognised by Spear’s, including the three industry leaders highlighted below. The decision to award all entrants a ‘Top Recommended’ ranking reflects the high calibre of adviser in the competitive world of whisky. See the complete list on Spears500.com.
Blair Bowman
Bowman uses his knowledge and a global network of distilleries and dealers to find exactly the right spirit for his rapidly growing list of clients, which has included royalty, family estates, companies and Oscar winners.
Deeply knowledgeable, Bowman can find bottles and casks with impeccable provenance, as well as provide expert opinion and consultancy services for the whisky industry.
He works with a very select network of trusted suppliers, and specialises in sourcing old and ultra-rare whiskies. He tells Spear’s: ‘I take great pride in being able to source casks from birth years, rare casks from closed distilleries and once-in-a-lifetime casks, as well as bespoke bottles that will never be seen on a shelf.’
Read Blair Bowman’s full profile on Spears500.com
Content from our partners
Charles Beamish
Firm: Beamish International
Charles Beamish founded Beamish International, a global whisky private office, in 2018 to service a private client demand for rare access across the leading Scotch single malt distilleries.
The business provides direct-to-distillery access and advice to the world’s most coveted Scotch whisky stocks for private clients and provides direct channels to producers of the rarest and most coveted whiskies available, with an indisputable provenance.
Read Charles Beamish’s full profile on Spears500.com
Simon Aron
Firm: Cask Trade
Aron turned his decades-long hobby into a business when he launched Cask Trade, with the aim to make it easier for people to buy and sell exceptional casks of whisky.
At Cask Trade, customers can follow a full life cycle of the cask: selection, purchase, maintenance, sampling and sale. Aron and his team take care of every cask through each stage of its life cycle, from the date the whisky is distilled to the day it has been aged to perfection.
Cask Trade has its own full bottling service and has now opened an office in Hong Kong to serve the Asian market.
Read Simon Aron’s full profile on Spears500.com
Methodology
In selecting and ranking whisky advisers, the Spear’s Research Unit conducts extensive research of the market, including interviews with well-informed observers, industry insiders and of course the advisers themselves. These take place both face-to-face, and on video and telephone calls. Candidates for inclusion are asked to fill in a form to provide data and a description of their work and client base. In finalising its selections and rankings, the Spear’s Research Unit employs a proprietary methodology that includes a weighted scoring system. This takes into account factors including an adviser’s standing, reputation, client base, recommendations and testimonials, the firm they represent, their level of engagement with the process and certain industry-specific criteria.
Best whisky advisers: the complete list
Click on the individual names to be directed to more detailed profiles of each adviser on The Spear’s 500 website. The table is ordered by ranking and then alphabetically by surname.
Find out more
To explore all the Spear’s indices, and to use our find-an-adviser tool to identify the private client adviser who is right for your specific requirements, go to the Spear’s 500 website.
To receive relevant research updates from Spear’s – and thereby give you and your firm the best chance of being included in future Spear’s indices – please register here. If you are an adviser featured in an index and would like to update your profile or provide additional information, please email research@spearswms.com. If you are not featured but would like to be, please fill out our form.
