Nate, tell us about yourself. Could you please let us know how you got interested in whisky and what fascinates you about whisky?
N: What got me interested initially was going thru duty free back in 2004-2005, and seeing all the bottles that I never saw in my local liquor stores. That made me think it was cool to travel, and pick up whisky while doing so. As to what fascinates me, it strictly was about the value of the bottles. Now it’s all about the labor and craftsmanship that goes into producing it.
What made you want to become a whisky entrepreneur ?
N: I had absolutely no intention of becoming a “whisky entrepreneur”. Pure good fortune and amazing followers whom I love dearly!
What was your first memory of drinking whisky? Is there a story behind it?
N: No real memories of drinking my first whisky. I’m just a guy that started an account as a hobby that happened to take off. I am very blessed and fortunate to have following that I do. But i’ll credit my father for putting Cognac on my gums while I was teething! 🙂
What is Single Malt Daily? What was your vision for the project? What led you to a career in this field?
N: SMD is just a place to discuss whisky and show the world what there is out there. I find it brilliant that each market has things that another doesn’t. This makes the hunt for the collection never ending. There wasn’t any initial vision, just a hobby.
What’s your business elevator pitch?
N: Elevator pitch: To make whisky look sexy!
What initial challenges did you see, and how did you overcome them?
N: There weren’t many challenges, if I am being honest. This is just such a fun industry with such great people in it makes work not feel like work. Whisky is something that brings people together over a great dram. Whisky is not snobby. Whisky is not wine.
You’ve tasted some amazing drams, what are your top 5 ?
N: Yamazaki 25
Macallan 1957 Lalique
Highland Park 25
Laphroaig 30
Ardbeg 21
That’s quite an impressive list Nate. What type of changes have you seen within the whisk(e)y industry?
N: The biggest and most obvious change was from age statements to NAS. Initially, when I was more narrow-minded, I severely undermined the quality of NAS bottlings. I have since changed my stance. Quality over quality, no matter how you slice it. Something that does annoy me still though is Quantity over quality. That’s all I’ll say.
Would you say that whisky is more a pleasure or a business for you?
N: Whisky was a pleasure. Now it’s a business. So I suppose both.
What do you think about the prices reached by some bottles (e.g., old Macallans, Pappy’s, etc). Is it worth the price tag?
N: For me I love the prices of whisky. It makes it challenging to find those bottles at their original price point, and that is a ton of fun! Finally we have started to go away from traditional investing, which IMHO was needed! The investment aspect of this is what makes it so much fun!
Is there a whisky you kept as an investment and why?
N: I have kept a few whiskies as investments. Favorite ones that I have around are the Macallan 18 1978 or the Nikka Yoichi 20. Simply finding these bottles is though enough as it is. Also I find that the quality of the older whiskies (pre 2000) is simply unparalleled by current offerings. Having said that I strongly believe in the uprising of the American Whiskey industry.
What’s your attitude towards risk?
N: Risk in this is probably more so than in traditional investment avenues, because the first thing to go on the chopping block in a recession are luxury goods, which is what these whiskies are considered. The term “liquid gold” is still….just a term. Fortunately when the Yamazaki 50 2005 first edition just sold for $130,000 USD, that legitimized having whisky as a genuine investment, which was great for collectors.
Do you have any tips for others who are considering making whisky their career path?
N: I don’t think whisky was a career path. I think if you’re passionate about something, and you know it sells, get involved in it. That’s all.
What lessons have you learned from running Single Malt Daily that others could apply in their fields?
N: If you’re willing to do something, no matter what it is, put your all into it. If you don’t know how, take lessons from and follow @garyvee. LOL
