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Tracey Furniss

In 2018, Charles Beamish founded Beamish International, a private client advisory business for those wanting to invest in, collect, gift or consume the finest rare single malt whiskies. He also advises on the acquisition, disposal and verification of collections, and organises travel to iconic Scottish distilleries.
Beamish has built a team of respected industry professionals, including world renowned expert Charles MacLean; Jeremy Parsons, formerly CEO of Berry Brothers & Rudd; Alan Wong, formerly CEO of Vinum Fine Wines; and Ross Eva, previously sales director at Fine and Rare.
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“Whisky has been part of my family heritage for generations, and I have always held a passion for the liquid,” he says. “My career began seven years ago with a move from the world of private equity and family offices to work with leading whisky makers Whyte & Mackay. Here I began the private clients business for The Dalmore brand, marketing and selling the opportunity to acquire rare single cask whiskies and high-value bottles to collectors.”
Investing in rare whisky is on the increase, according to Beamish. “Rarity is the main reason for this demand from investors,” he says. “Our role is to educate clients to give them the full picture of the liquid they would like to purchase, much like when purchasing other passion investments such as classic cars and fine wine. Knowing what you’re buying and when to do so is crucial.”
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However, Beamish admits investing in rare whiskies is becoming more complex. “If the intention is to invest in rare whisky, clients need to decide what category of investor they want to be, much like a reputable fund manager understanding their client’s ‘risk to reward’ profile.”
With investors across the globe, Beamish starts his work early. “I am a member of the ‘5am Club’! I speak to Asia in the morning with our team in Singapore,” he says. “I will normally speak with APAC-based clients and cover any admin before spending time with my son from 7.30am-8.30am, recognising the importance of spending time with family while running a global firm.”
“Following breakfast, I take meetings either in person or via Zoom, covering deal flow, managing private client requests and customer service strategy. Following lunch with my wife, I cover the US, finishing with a daily accountants meeting,” he continues.
“My workday finishes with a run or tennis session. I then put my son to bed before reading for an hour, usually heading to bed myself at around 10pm.”
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Whisky, says Beamish is inherently bound up with time. “From the intensive distillation process to the years of maturing, to spending months choosing the perfect liquid, to tasting in the right way – time is continually vital,” says Beamish.
“To make incredible whisky takes patience, understanding, trust, relationships, knowledge and pragmatism. We implement these values to create the ideal rare whisky products and services for our clients. We advise clients when to bottle their whiskies, when to buy and how to structure their portfolios. We are proactive and reactive to our discerning clients’ requirements and timing is always crucial when doing this.”
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Charles Beamish’s preferred watch – Tissot Bridgeport Powermatic 80

“I wear a Tissot Bridgeport Powermatic 80 which I bought after I completed my first deal in Hong Kong seven years ago. The case is rose gold with sapphire crystal, with a see-through caseback to be able to view the timepiece’s movement. It reminds me of my continued dedication and passion for the industry, taken from a particularly significant point in my career.”
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Whisky investment advisor Charles Beamish on lessons distilled from single malt, finding time for family with a global business and his Tissot Bridgeport Powermatic 80

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XXIV 2021

Charles Beamish of Beamish International waxing lyrical about rare whiskies. Photo: Handout

Charles Beamish is the head of Beamish International. Photo: @beamishinternational/Instagram

Glenfiddich The 1950s Collection was auctioned at Sotheby’s. Photo: @beamishinternational/Instagram

Setting up a single malt tasting session. Photo: @beamishinternational/Instagram

Beamish’s Tissot Bridgeport Powermatic 80. Photo: Handout

Over Johnnie Walker and Suntory? 5 countries giving Scottish single malts and Japanese whisky brands a run for their barley, from China to Switzerland

Diageo is now planning to make whisky in China, just one unusual location starting to produce its own malts. Photo: Shutterstock

A render of the forthcoming Diageo Eryuan Malt Whisky Distillery in Yunnan, China. Photo: Handout

Appenzell in Switzerland, where Säntis Malt whisky is created. Photo: Shutterstock

India’s Amrut Fusion single malt whiskey. Photo: Handout

Oak barrels in a cellar in Reims; France now produces much more than just wine and champagne, including whisky, vodka and gin. Photo: Shutterstock

Sullivans Cove whisky from Tasmania, named the world’s best single malt in 2014 at the World Whiskies Awards. Photo: SCMP Archive

How whisky became a smart investment: millennial Asian collectors are bidding big for rare single malts from Macallan, Suntory, Talisker and Laphroaig

Karuizawa, one of Japan’s most famous whiskies, is one example of a distiller producing series of bottles to appeal to the growing collector’s market. Photo: Karuizawa

The Black Bowmore Archive Cabinet features five prize bottles from between 1993 and 2016 that fetched a record US$563,000. Photo: Sotheby’s

Talisker Xpedition Oak is the first of a series of releases themed around adventure. Photo: Talisker

Brora Triptych includes a trio of aged whiskies from a “ghost distillery”. Photo: Brora

A 30-year-old Laphroaig single malt. Photo: Laphroaig

Will Japanese whisky be eclipsed by Taiwan? The island’s gin and rum also show promise – with one distillery promising spirits ‘good enough for God’

Taiwan’s Holy Distillery takes a biblical inspiration, and aims for the divine. Photo credit: Holy Distillery 

A 2018 Renaissance Distillery single rum. The distillery uses locally sourced sugar cane to create high ABV rums. Photo: Renaissance

Flavour profiles are perfected in the lab at Kavalan, which opened its single malt distillery in 2005. Photo: Kavalan

Renaissance Distillery is upping the ante for Taiwanese spirit production. Photo: Renaissance 

Kavalan, which is popular in the US and Europe, also offers personalised blends. Photo: Kavalan

Scotch whisky is back: while Japanese single malts and Australia’s Sullivans Cove have been winning all the awards, a rare Macallan Lalique 50 Year Old just sold for US$136,000

Whisky sales of malts such as this Glen Grant 1948, 72-year-old reveal a keen demand from collectors for Scotch, bucking recent global interest in more novel whisky sources. Photo: Bonhams

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XXIV


The Beamish International founder is a proud member of the ‘5am Club’ with clients around the world, so making precious family time is key for the former financier
Beamish likens whisky to other passion investments, such as classic cars and fine wine – ‘knowing what you’re buying and when to do so is crucial’



Whisky investment maven Charles Beamish on the lifelong lessons learned from single malt and how they shape his company’s values


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