If ever investors needed evidence of the good health of the top end of the whisky market, this is it. Edrington, the owner of The Macallan, has announced plans to invest £100m ($163.6) in a new distillery and visitor centre in Scotland for the world's fifth best-selling whisky.
Edrington hopes the new facility, which should open in 2017, will help it meet demand as The Macallan continues to grow in popularity around the world, especially in China and the US.
 Increased production won't harm the market for rare vintage bottles of The Macallan |
"Macallan is so sought after that we have been unable to properly meet demand in recent years - this will move us out of that situation," an Edrington spokesperson told Scotland's The Herald newspaper.
The news of continuing strong demand for the single malt will give further assurance to those who have invested in The Macallan bottles that they have a truly liquid asset.
And while increased production will likely mean a dilution of the market at the lower end of The Macallan's range, premiums will remain high for those collectible rare vintage bottles, and limited edition new releases.
The Macallan is one of the most reliable whisky investments around. Collectible bottles from the distillery grew in value by 66% between January 2008 and September 2013, according to whisky valuer Whisky Highland.
A 50-year-old offering, one of just 500 bottled in 1983, auctioned for £17,500 ($27,228) earlier this year.
The growing popularity of The Macallan is indicative of the overall strength of the single malt Scotch whisky market.
Third quarter figures from Whisky Highland reveal that the 100 top-performing bottles of single malt Scotch have grown in price by 39.5% pa since 2010.
The top performing whisky between 2008 and 2013 was Brora, which grew by 90% in value.
Industry insiders stated last year that the whisky market could increase by 325% in value by 2020.
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