I was at Costco the other day and happened to walk by the alcohol section. I roamed around looking at what’s available and stumbled on the scotch section. Scotch after scotch, each one seemingly nicer (and more expensive) than the other.
Then, I saw the 50-year old bottle.
The bottle came with its own wooden case in which to display it. I marveled at the bottle’s beautiful design (forgot to take a picture of it – sorry!). It wasn’t just any old bottle of scotch. It looked the part. It was designed to draw people in with its subtle curves and dark, rich amber color.
It was bold and purposeful.
And naturally, I read the label next to the bottle. I glanced at the price.
That bottle of 50-year old scotch cost $20,000.
“Holy F”, I said. “20-grand for a single bottle of scotch? Of course, it does come with its own decorative case made of real wood, but shnikies!”.
It’s funny what preservation does to fine liquors. I’d wager the folks who originally made that scotch have long since deceased. But, we 2017-ers can purchase that refined liquid gold for $20k, enjoying the fruits of their enriched labor in the comfort of our luxury homes. In-freaking-credible!
Then, I started to compare the aging of scotch to retirement ’cause I’m good (read: weird) like that. All personal finance bloggers would do the same, right?
How do aged scotch and retirement mix?
Aged scotch gets more refined with age. It’s smoother and tastes richer. Sipping aged liquor is generally a much more enjoyable experience, though I would never pay anywhere near $20,000 for a single bottle of scotch.
I don’t care how good it is. That’s just crazy. Be that as it may…
The incredible power of aging with liquor, when applied to the buttery-sweet lifestyle choice of early retirement, is remarkably similar, though, isn’t it? What happens when we age our retirement?
Or heck, how about our jobs? Our hobbies?
We get better, don’t we? Smoother. Way more refined in the way that we think and operate. We become well-oiled machines, navigating our way through retirement like a boss. Generally, we know what’s up.

Our investments hum along like they always have. We don’t even have to touch them much. They just…go. They do their thing. It’s a process, just like scotch in the cask. Scotches age in the perfectly round cask and draw their flavor, as well as color, from the wood. The longer it ages, the more time it has to fully mature into a well-flavored, substantive drink.
In retirement, we’re typically fully-automated. Everything just happens, generally without our involvement. Money gets pushed around. Our level of happiness pegged at the maximum. We still make mistakes, but we’re pretty damn good at what we do, aren’t we? The more we do, the better we get. Our retirement, I suppose, matures.
We might also be the envy of those around us. Curves or not, most people want freedom, though they may not know exactly how to get it. Or more accurately, they aren’t doing the things necessary to achieve that wonderful goal.
That’s kinda how I felt staring at that $20,000 bottle of amber heaven.
Incredibly, scotch also accepts ingredients from the surrounding air that can be sensed and tasted in the flavor of the scotch. In salty coastal climates, for example, the drinker might pick up subtle notes of sea salt.
In retirement, our ingredients differ. While some amass a small fortune before retiring, my wife and I don’t even have a million. But, we also live full-time in our 30′ Airstream and lead an incredibly cheap lifestyle of travel, leisure, and unbelievable happiness.
Regardless of the ingredients, we’ve gotten good at what we do.
Until one day, our retirement turns into a $20,000 bottle of scotch, sitting in a locked glass case in a Costco waiting for the right (richest?) customer.
But in reality, our retirement isn’t that $20,000 bottle of scotch. It’s still in the cask, aging. It’s getting better. More refined. It’s a slow process, but it’s working. Things are happening. Every day, we are better at this whole “retirement” thing than we were the day before.
It’s a journey toward maturation.
What are you doing to make your retirement more mature? Or if you aren’t yet there, how’s your process going? Is your lifestyle getting more flavorful? 🙂
P.S. I just wrote nearly 700 words on how scotch relates to retirement. Wow. I hope this made sense, and I promise I did not enlist the help of scotch to write this post!
P.P.S. For those who enjoy expensive liquor, I have a question for you. Do you…drink the stuff, or would a $20,000 bottle of liquor be used more as a showpiece for guests (a decoration) than something to actually consume?
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I guess I find it hard to believe that Costco carries something like that?? Nice analogy though! (For $20 K it should come with someone to follow you around for a few months to pour it…) I am pretty much failing early retirement right now, but I have a plan to deal with it (post coming tomorrow…) I need to get on the path to “maturation” before I age too much 😉
Yeah, I was awfully surprised that Costco had such an expensive bottle there, too. But hey, this is Arizona. Anything goes…it’s like the wild west!
Scotch + Retirement = my kind of post!
We are currently working to develop habits and a lifestyle that is adventurous, fulfilling and productive both now and in retirement. Our retirement may be a ways off, so we are trying to live bits of it every day in order to enjoy the path to FI 🙂
oh- and the enjoyment does include some scotch… just not the $20k 50 year kind!
Hehe, you and me both, AR! I think $80 is pretty expensive. 🙂
I completely disagree. Well, I don’t know enough about scotch so maybe this is wrong, but anyway…
Retirement gets better to a certain point. Once your health decline, then it’d get worse quickly. Time doesn’t treat human as well as scotch. That’s why we need to enjoy life while we’re still healthy.
Ah! So maybe once our health starts to decline, it’s like opening up that bottle and forgetting that you opened it, leaving it to lose its richness over time. There we go! 😉
I’ve been told to never drink cheap alcohol but this is a little extreme! I would have backed away from the bottle slowly haha.
Ha! Yeah…I didn’t come close to that glass case, believe me. 🙂
Well, well. FIRE and malt whiskies. These are a few of my favorite things.
But not at those “Costlyco” prices.. Drink that bad boy in one sitting and you would probably forget you spent $20K on it!!
A good single malt, should be opened regularly and enjoyed. We have a small collection (~35) of various Speyside, Islay, lowland malts. None priced more than $70. It is one of the things we enjoy splurging on. And drinking, of course.
Mrs. PIE bought me a 15-year old Highland Park (FIRE edition) as a special 50th birthday present – which we plan to crack open…..at FIRE, next July.
https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/highland-park/highland-park-fire-edition-15-year-old/
I soooo want to drop by your house…you know, just to catch up a bit. Perhaps over a drink. 😉 And wow, that Fire Edition 15 year old bottle looks dreadfully beautiful!
The 15 y/o Highland Park is very good. My wife, in an attempt to understand my scotch drinking comments, bought me a 3 bottle set that included the 12, 15 and 18 y/o Highland Park for Christmas. We had a taste test and even the most “inexperienced” of the tasters could clearly taste the difference that aging infuses. I can only imagine what a 50 year old would taste like.
Cool post Steve. Over time, I’m always trying to refine and improve also. You just have to have a plan and be patient. Things will work out. …And glad to see you are still writing posts after you have become a big star on CNBC, Yahoo, etc 🙂
Thanks Arrgo! That’s right patience, while incredibly difficult at times, is definitely a virtue. 🙂
I’ve bought a lot of Charles Shaw wines from Trader Joe’s and Pacific Peak from Total wine. I also buy $80 and higher wines. Here is a huge difference. No, I do not own an $80,000 car. I drive a 14 year old Toyota and have stock in Toyota and the dividends pay for my maintenance. Good beverage is my indulgence. I think everyone should have some sort of indulgence to make the grind of saving worthwhile. I am at $2.5 million in my savings so yeah I will buy a $100 bottle. $20,000? No, unless my net worth is over $15 million.
I’m right there with ya, Bill. I enjoy a good beverage as well, and I’m willing to pay between $60 and $80, usually, for a nicer bottle. But, that’s about as high as I’ll go. 🙂
I’m not a drinker, but I get the sentiment Steve!
At a certain point, when life is no longer about collecting “things” and you have plenty of money, retirement is a lot about who you spend your time with.
Not everybody gets better with age. Some people get old and cranky!
Ha! Very true, Mr. Tako. Very true. 🙂
I can’t even imagine a $20,000 bottle of Scotch. I saw a bottle on a Carnival cruise they were selling for $8,000 I think. (Here’s a list of the 50 most expensive Scotches – including a $50,000 50-year-old Balvenie https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/50-of-the-most-expensive-whiskies-in-the-world-hint-it-is-mostly-scotch/)
The most expensive bottle I’ve got is Johnnie Walker Blue, which at around $200 or something was definitely my limit. I only drink it to commemorate special occasions, happy or sad. I’ve had it for around 7 years and still have at least two to three drinks left in the bottle.
Party at your place? We’ll need to commemorate something special, I guess! 🙂
Now you’re talking. You can actually see my whole Scotch collection in a guest post I did at http://stockstreetblog.com/2017/08/17/guest-post-dream-fire-told-bowmore-legend/. Maybe I should just trade Scotch for guest post slots …
Ha! Deal! 😉
Hey! Love the blog and just been looking at the stunning pics! You guys are living the dream! I am a recent immigrant to this – may I be frank? – FUCKING AMAZING country! Got my green card just 2 weeks ago actually! Me and my friend dream of traveling around in an airstream (which might be kind of awkward as we’re both married, just not to each other so we might have to get two!). I would LOVE to see some pics of just the airstream and how it looks and how you live in it! Thanks! X
Why thank you, Natalie! I’ll need to pull something together with more pictures of the Airstream. Most of my pictures look away from the Airstream, not towards it! 🙂
You had me at Scotch! I was also roaming the whisky isles just last weekend, and paused at the “locked” cabinet of Whiskies. Started wondering which one would be most appropriate when I reach FIRE. Definitely won’t get there buying a $20K bottle! Thanks for the fun post Steve!
Thanks Max. I probably wouldn’t even split the cost of that bottle with someone. Actually, I KNOW I wouldn’t.
Hey I saw that $20K scotch at Costco last weekend as well and wondered if anyone has bought it there before. Would have like to see someone else buy it, that’s the closest I’d be to buy one.
Nice analogy to retirement. The older the scotch gets, it matures and tastes smoother. Like retirement, although our health will deteriorate we are more mature and have a lot of wisdom.
Thanks, Kris! Yeah, the health thing kinda sucks…
That just made me really thirsty, and it’s only 7:43AM. Thanks, Steve. 😉
I enjoy a finger of the good stuff from time to time, but stick with the 10 year Laphroaig. It’s like drinking a camp fire. Yummy. I bet the 50 year version would taste more like honey.
Ha! You’re most welcome, Cubert. 🙂 And yes, “drinking a camp fire” does sound awfully delectable!
I’ll keep some in my bottle for when we meet some day. Until then, I’m on a bourbon kick. 🙂
I can definitely identify with this topic (although the being in northern England it’s just whisky to us!). Funnily, whenever I go to a distillery they always talk about how people come in the tours and say they only want the oldest stuff, how the younger whisky is swill. Then they do a blind taste test and they can never identify the older, theoretically “better” bottles!