The Lemon Fool

Do any SMWS members have any thoughts about the owners of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society going public?

I had a quick read of their most recent filings with Companies House. It looks like they have a pretty decent balance sheet. That said, a lot of what this company does will depend on the quality of their casks, unless they plan on just cutting back on the quality and flogging as much as they can to affluent drinkers in Asia, who will simply buy their whisky for social status.

Article about it here:

https://www.heraldscotland.com/business ... eighs-ipo/

Latest accounts:

https://find-and-update.company-informa ... download=0

Reactive wrote:Do any SMWS members have any thoughts about the owners of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society going public?

A bit bemused about what effect it's likely to have. But then I've generally become skeptical about how the Society can continue expanding without losing its essential identity. I've been a member for quite a few years but let my membership lapse in January. That was partly because I can't any longer buy their whisky when I'm living in Slovenia - I presume that's still the case but emails on the subject went unanswered, which didn't impress me.
But in any case I was fed up with their website constantly falling over when the outurns were released and then finding everything I wanted to buy had gone when it came back up again.

I suspect that the old society feel will be lost as it becomes ever more commercial, which is a great pity. I've had some cracking whiskies from them over the years and I prefer drinking at cask-strength so it's hard to find replacements.

cheers
Spiderbill

spiderbill wrote:

Reactive wrote:Do any SMWS members have any thoughts about the owners of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society going public?

A bit bemused about what effect it's likely to have. But then I've generally become skeptical about how the Society can continue expanding without losing its essential identity. I've been a member for quite a few years but let my membership lapse in January. That was partly because I can't any longer buy their whisky when I'm living in Slovenia - I presume that's still the case but emails on the subject went unanswered, which didn't impress me.
But in any case I was fed up with their website constantly falling over when the outurns were released and then finding everything I wanted to buy had gone when it came back up again.

I suspect that the old society feel will be lost as it becomes ever more commercial, which is a great pity. I've had some cracking whiskies from them over the years and I prefer drinking at cask-strength so it's hard to find replacements.

cheers
Spiderbill

When it was sold to Glenmorangie/LVMH things were still alright, since the new owners came in, in 2015 things have progressively changed (and not necessarly for the better). I've lost track of the number of times their revamped the website or redesigned the bottles and labels.

From an investment perspective do you have any thoughts as conflicted as they might be from a members point of view?