When did we forget what is beautiful and what is good, and begin caring only about what turns a profit? Over the past few decades, the art world and the market for collectible spirits have both taken on the habits and mechanics of financial markets. But a painting, at least, can still be seen and enjoyed, its worth judged over time by history as well as by the public. Rare spirits face a different fate: bottles risk becoming dusty fetishes destined never to be opened, leaving the work of master distillers and bottlers trapped behind glass.
Collectible Spirits in Luxury Hotel Bars
Auction houses have established departments devoted to spirits. Indexes tracking their performance are quoted alongside those for collectible watches. A single bottle of Scotch single malt can change hands for seven figures. Fortunately, some of the world’s great hotels continue to resist that logic. They treat their rare bottles much as a museum treats its collection: by making them available to the public. Displayed in cabinets or along back bars, bottles that have all but disappeared from the market can still be opened, poured and tasted. For enthusiasts, these places have become pilgrimage sites — rare opportunities to drink what the speculative market increasingly removes from circulation.
Scotch at The Balmoral in Edinburgh: Over 400 Whiskies
In Edinburgh, one of the most extensive collections open to the public can be found at The Balmoral, the five-star hotel overlooking the Old Town. Scotch, its whisky bar, opened in 2013 and holds more than 400 expressions drawn exclusively from Scotland’s whisky regions, from Speyside and Islay to the Highlands, with vintages reaching back to 1940. The interiors were designed by Olga Polizzi, while three highly trained Whisky Ambassadors guide guests through the collection, dressed in Highland attire by Kinloch Anderson, the historic kilt maker with longstanding royal connections.
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