UKV International host their first wine and whisky-tasting event of the year

UKV International host their first wine and whisky-tasting event of the year

UKV International has hosted its first whisky and wine tasting event at Oche in London. 

Usually hosted in Mayfair pre-pandemic, the exclusive whisky and wine tasting event has moved to Oche at The Strand. UKV clients enjoyed an evening of drinks, food and darts as well as meeting other investors in the world of wine and whisky. 

The venue

Oche is situated right in the heart of London at The Strand, not far from the Savoy Hotel. They have taken the concept of Gasto Gaming beyond anything else in the capital.

Oche ramps up the idea of drinks, darts and dining to the next level with delicious food, unique cocktails and what they call high-tech darts. 

Troy Warfield is the owner of Oche, a whisky investor with UKV, but also an entrepreneur with Oche locations all over the world. The London location only opened in July 2022 but already has a growing presence in the London night scene. 

The event

In the past UKV used these events as a way to meet investors and provide a fun, informative time for enthusiasts. Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic, the events stopped and now, upon their return the event at Oche was a rousing success. 

The return event was significantly larger than pre-pandemic, with 60 investors joining the UKV experts at Oche. 

All 60 investors enjoyed a day of darts, drinks and food, with two primary activities, tasting fine wine and acclaimed whiskies, and a darts competition. The size of Oche was more than enough to accommodate the darts competition with nine oches full of investors watching and playing. 

After a testing battle, the competition ended with a handsome prize to Jerry Scola, the eventual winner, of a bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2007. To win, he needed to beat Troy in the nine-player final.

Wine tasting

UKV were lucky enough to be joined by James Hallam, the head sommelier of London’s most exclusive wine store, Hedonism in Berkeley Square, W1. He was on hand to introduce two French wines, both from the Bordeaux region in France. They were selected after being given maximum 100 ratings by several of the wine industry’s leading experts.

First up was the 2009 Pontet Canet, a Pauillac which Hallam said is “one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted”, a view that received similar expression around the room. Then it was time for another classy red, the Pavie 2005, Saint-Emillion which is 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

After a brief pause to cleanse palates with food and the darts competition coming to an end, the whisky-tasting session began.

Whisky tasting

The UKV clients sampled several acclaimed whiskies, specifically chosen for the event by the UKV experts including:

• The Glenmorangie
• The Signet
• The Glenlivet 25-year-old 
• The Bruichladdich 23-year-old Black Art Edition

One first-time visitor noted they have never considered investing in cask whisky. They had invested in expensive bottled whisky and were surprised to learn of the gains from cask whisky, but more on that below. 

As the lights went down at 6 p.m. to signify “time” at the event in the Oche. Most of the departing UKV invitees were steeled for their return to the realities of a renewed cold spell in early March, with top-quality Scotch. 

How do events like this help whisky investors?

The conversations that whisky investors have together can help open their eyes to new possibilities. 

A discussion about investing in cask whisky with a UKV expert can come across as a sales pitch. Most people can be turned off by such a prospect. However, hearing from an investor whose total £70k portfolio had appreciated to nearer £110k in just three years can be a lot more appealing.

This is what happened with the example above. A whisky bottle investor is now considering cask investment based on one conversation with a like-minded investor. 

UKV uses this event to meet their investors and explain new developments in the industry. 

UKV whisky expert, Steve informed attendees that once the trade deal with India is in place, their investment is likely to increase as tariffs will drop from 150% or be completely ended. There is a possibility that the new import tariff to India could be in place as soon as November 2023. 

On top of this, Steve reminded the gathering that there are only 131 distilleries in Scotland. He also stated that all the single malts that are in existence and whose finite and limited supply is subject to the ever-increasing world demand were put in the cask at least 25 years ago. “Unlike most things”, he said, “you can’t just go and make some more”.

If you would like to learn more about our wine and whisky-tasting events then speak to UKV International by visiting our contact page.