How do I determine if a Scotch Whisky I have is valuable?!
How do I determine if a Scotch Whisky I have is valuable?
I have an old bottle of Bell's Blended Scotch Whisky (Extra Special) that is numbered. Before I drink it I would like to know if it may be valuable. It was given to me by my wife's Grandma and it is very old.
Answers:
Your bottle is about $45 US worth. It is no necessarily cheap but not spectacular either.
Scotch, like most alcoholic drinks is a source of blind and sometimes ignorant snobism. A blended scotch is on the most part done to make a passable product of a less desirable one. . . however that is not always the truth. JW Blue Label is a blend that can hold its own to any single malt scotch. Now single malt scotches mean diddly squat other that being a localized product whose quality depends entirely on the producing house. . . A few are exceptional, some are good, most are crap. Another way to put it is:
A blend is made out of single malts, if all single malts were good then how come the blend is bad? There are some very good single malts that have the character of the region they are produced in but it is not a rule. I'd take a JW black over a LOT of single malts any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
The age as hironymus very well points out, is established a bottling, being a destilled product, it doesn't age after that, a twelve year scotch will be twelve forever once bottled.
So drink up and enjoy!