Reserve Bar, the site Sassenach Spirits links to for ordering purposes, currently has The Sassenach Blended Scotch Whisky listed at $120 USD. Part of the reason for Sassenach’s relatively high price tag is that it’s only available in the UK, parts of Europe, and certain US states — small-batch alcohol with a limited distribution area will always be more costly than widely available liquors. However, generally speaking, Scotch whiskies are more costly than other varieties. As Whisky Ride explains, there are quite a few factors behind the trend.
In order to be labeled as a true Scotch, a whisky must be aged for a minimum of three years, but most are aged far longer than that. This holds true even for blends with no age statement like The Sassenach — and as previously mentioned, the single malts used in this dram are aged between 9 to 12 years. Aging and storing whiskies for this long involves a variety of factors that affect the price. During the maturation process, a barrel loses an average of two percent of its enclosed spirit via evaporation each year in an effect commonly referred to as “the angel’s share.” Taxes and import tariffs also play a role in the price of Scotch whiskies like The Sassenach, and let’s not forget about the costs of marketing, packaging, and manufacturing that are built into the cost of the finished product.