Angelo Skoutellas, founder of Decanter Liquor, discusses rare whisky, building one of South Africa’s leading premium retailers, and why curiosity matters more than collecting hype.
The Person
Let’s start at the beginning. What’s the first whisky you can genuinely remember—not necessarily the best one, but the one that made you stop and think, “There’s something interesting here?”
The first whisky that really caught my attention was Yellow Spot.
I was in London at the time and ended up at a whisky tasting in a bar. I wasn’t really experienced with whisky back then, but that was the first one that made me stop and think, “Okay, there’s something here. Maybe I actually do enjoy whisky.”
It also happened to be an Irish whiskey.
I still have a bottle at home today—an older 21-year-old expression that I bought a few years ago. I remember how I felt when I tasted my first Yellow Spot, so when I saw that bottle I thought I’d keep it for sentimental reasons.
Has your own palate changed over the years? Is there a style of whisky you dismissed early on that you’ve since fallen in love with—or one you’ve drifted away from?
My palate has definitely changed.
I wasn’t really a whisky drinker before getting into the industry, so I eased into it. Tastings taught me how to taste whisky properly, and visiting whisky distilleries also made a huge difference. Once you understand how whisky is made, it changes the way you experience it.
One style I didn’t really enjoy at first was peated whisky. Now I actually enjoy lightly peated expressions. I’m not completely into the heavily peated whiskies yet, but Ardbeg and some Lagavulins are whiskies I genuinely enjoy now.
I’ve always loved sherry cask maturation and I still do, but lately I’ve also started appreciating bourbon cask whiskies a lot more than I used to.
Irish whiskey has always been a favourite and that’s never changed.
One thing I’ve realised is that visiting distilleries completely changes your perspective. Once you’ve seen the production process, learned the history and understood what’s happening behind the scenes, you appreciate what’s in your glass so much more.
I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Glenfiddich through a prize I won, where we had a private distillery tour. I’ve also done another trip through Speyside with friends, visiting Glenfiddich, Aberlour, Glenlivet and several other distilleries.
Those trips are good for the soul, and I think every whisky lover should experience them.
If we opened your home whisky cabinet tonight, what would surprise us?
I don’t think there’s anything particularly shocking, but I do have some interesting bottles.
I’ve got a Macallan Gold that’s open, a Yellow Spot, and probably my favourite bottle is an older Balvenie that we poured ourselves at the distillery from a hand-fill cask—a sherry cask expression that’s very special to me.
I’ve also got a GlenAllachie 12, which is one of the whiskies I’ve really come to appreciate over the last few years.
What’s one whisky opinion you hold that most enthusiasts would disagree with?
I think branding plays a much bigger role in people’s perception of whisky than many enthusiasts would like to admit.
The big brands—Macallan, Glenfiddich and others—have incredibly strong branding, and that influences how people perceive the whisky before they’ve even tasted it.
I’d encourage people to give smaller distilleries a chance.
Another opinion that might be a little controversial is that single malt isn’t the only category worth paying attention to. I’ve had blended whiskies that I’ve enjoyed far more than some very highly regarded single malts.
More recently I’ve also developed an appreciation for bourbon, which is becoming a really exciting category.
At the end of the day, I’d encourage people not to get too hung up on whether something is a single malt, a blend or anything else. Try whiskies from different distilleries and keep an open mind.
Outside of whisky, what hobby or interest has unexpectedly influenced the way you think about whisky?
Before getting into the liquor industry, I came from a software development background.
I always enjoyed building online projects and creating things from scratch.
When we started Decanter’s online store, I built much of it myself. I listed every product individually, wrote descriptions and researched each whisky as I added it.
Looking back now, I realise just how much knowledge I gained through that process. Spending hours researching every bottle, understanding the differences between distilleries and learning what made each whisky unique gave me a foundation that still helps me today.
In a strange way, my background in technology actually brought me much closer to whisky.
Collectors often remember the bottle they finally acquired. Retailers usually remember the person who acquired it. Looking back over the years, is there a customer, a bottle or a moment that perfectly captures what Decanter Liquor has become?
One moment that really stands out was when a customer purchased a Dalmore Aurora from us.
My brother had a few bottles in his personal collection, and at the time it was one of the most expensive bottles we’d ever sold through Decanter.
It was also the first truly high-value bottle that someone had found through our online store.
That moment made me realise that the vision we had for Decanter was actually working. It was proof that people trusted us with those kinds of purchases and that we were building something worthwhile.
The Business – Decanter Liquor
What inspired you to start Decanter Liquor, and what did you want the business to become from day one?
Decanter started as a boutique liquor store focused mainly on premium whisky and premium spirits.
Once we launched online, we realised there was a gap in the South African market. Many of these whiskies simply weren’t accessible unless people travelled overseas or bought through UK retailers or auction sites.
The idea was simple: if we could source those bottles ourselves, handle the importing, duties and logistics, then customers in South Africa could access them much more easily.
Of course the pricing will never match overseas once duties are added, but our goal was always to expand what South African whisky lovers had access to.
The local market is largely limited to whatever suppliers decide to import. We wanted to go beyond that and give enthusiasts access to bottles they otherwise couldn’t buy locally.
Decanter has built a reputation for sourcing premium and hard-to-find bottles. Was that always the goal, or did the market naturally lead you in that direction?
The market definitely led us there.
My brother has been in the liquor industry for over 25 years and spent many years quietly buying and storing discontinued whiskies.
That meant we already had stock that nobody else had.
Even with bottles that had originally been available locally—things like Johnnie Walker Platinum or Jameson 12—we’d bought significant quantities years earlier and simply held onto them.
Eventually everyone else sold out, but we still had stock.
Customers also started contacting me looking for specific bottles they couldn’t find anywhere else. After helping a few people, word spread and more collectors started reaching out.
That’s when we realised there was a real opportunity to specialise in sourcing rare and discontinued whiskies from overseas auctions and bringing them into South Africa.
What does it take to source a truly special bottle in today’s whisky market?
In South Africa, the biggest challenge isn’t necessarily finding the bottle—it’s getting it here.
Import duties can vary significantly, so the final landed cost is often very different from what you originally expected.
Consolidating larger shipments helps keep costs more manageable, but duties and customs remain one of the biggest hurdles.
Another challenge is staying reasonably aligned with international market pricing. South Africa will almost always be more expensive because of import costs, so it’s about finding ways to minimise that gap wherever possible.
Has finding rare whisky become easier because the world is more connected, or harder because everyone is chasing the same bottles?
I’d say both.
Finding information is much easier now. Almost everything is online, so it’s easier to locate bottles and understand their market value.
Actually securing the bottles has become much harder.
More people are collecting than ever before, and everyone has access to the same information, so competition for limited releases is incredibly high.
You see releases from Springbank or Bruichladdich selling out almost immediately.
On top of that, allocations into South Africa are often incredibly small. A retailer might only receive two or three bottles for the entire country, which makes it very difficult.
You’ve probably seen customers at every stage of their whisky journey. How do collectors differ from enthusiasts who simply enjoy drinking great whisky?
Collectors tend to be very decisive.
If they see value in a bottle, they’ll often buy it immediately without asking many questions.
I’ve had collectors add ten or fifteen expensive bottles to their cart and complete the purchase without negotiating or asking for discounts because they already understand the value.
People who are newer to whisky generally spend more time researching.
They compare prices, ask questions and want to understand whether they’re making the right purchase.
I think that difference mainly comes down to education and experience within the whisky world.
Have you ever had the opportunity to source a bottle so rare or unusual that even you couldn’t believe it landed in South Africa?
Yes.
The biggest example would be the Macallan 81 Year Old – The Reach.
As far as I know, we’re the only people with a physical bottle in South Africa.
That has to be the rarest and most significant bottle we’ve managed to bring into the country.
How do you decide when a bottle belongs on the shelf, when it should go to a waiting customer, or when it’s worth holding back for the right collector?
The first thing I look at is whether it’s available through local suppliers.
If it is, we try to be as competitive as possible.
If it’s something we’ve imported ourselves and isn’t available anywhere else in South Africa, we may keep extra stock for our regular customers.
We also buy significant quantities of bottles that are being discontinued.
Sometimes we’ll deliberately price them a little higher—not because we necessarily want to sell them immediately, but because we’d rather keep stock until the market catches up.
Having those bottles available is often more valuable than selling them too quickly.
Luxury retail is about much more than expensive products. In your view, what separates a memorable premium whisky buying experience from an ordinary transaction?
For us it’s about the entire customer journey.
From placing the order through to delivery, we try to personalise the experience as much as possible.
If there’s an issue with an order—or even if it’s simply a significant purchase—I’ll often phone the customer personally.
We’ve also invested heavily in our packaging over the last few years. When someone buys a premium bottle, opening a beautifully packaged parcel adds to the experience.
Afterwards we’ll often follow up if similar bottles become available.
Sometimes we’ll include tasting notes or a handwritten message.
Ultimately we want customers to feel like they’re dealing with people rather than just another online retailer.
Looking ahead, what role do you want Decanter Liquor to play in South Africa’s premium whisky landscape over the next decade?
I’d like Decanter to become the premium destination for anything related to whisky and premium spirits.
Even if we don’t currently stock a bottle, I’d like people to think, “If anyone can source it, Decanter probably can.”
Beyond selling bottles, I want us to be known for the entire experience—from helping people source whisky, to educating customers, buying collections and delivering exceptional service.
I’d like Decanter to become the first place people think of whenever they need anything related to premium whisky.
The Industry
What’s changed the most in the South African whisky scene over the past decade—and what hasn’t changed enough?
The biggest change has been the growth of premium whisky.
Almost every liquor retailer now wants to stock premium spirits because they’ve recognised how much that category has grown.
What hasn’t changed enough is the way some suppliers manage the brands they represent.
Some do a fantastic job, but others don’t bring enough of the global releases into South Africa or don’t market their brands as well as they could.
I also think many international distilleries underestimate the South African market.
Our whisky community is far stronger than many people overseas realise, and I’d love to see more attention given to South Africa.
What’s one trend in whisky that you think is genuinely exciting, and one that you think is mostly hype?
The trend I’m most excited about is bourbon.
I think bourbon has sometimes had an unfair reputation among Scotch drinkers, but there are some exceptional bourbons available today.
On the other hand, I think focusing exclusively on single malt has become a little overhyped.
Single malt is fantastic, but I think people sometimes ignore excellent whiskies simply because they aren’t single malts or don’t come from the biggest distilleries.
I’d encourage people to explore more broadly.
Which part of the whisky world isn’t getting the attention it deserves right now?
Boutique distilleries.
I’ve tasted a lot of whiskies from smaller producers over the last couple of years at whisky shows in London and elsewhere, and I’ve been incredibly impressed.
Many of these distilleries are experimenting and doing interesting things rather than simply following the traditional formula.
I’d love to see more people being curious enough to try them.
What’s the biggest mistake you see people making when buying whisky?
When people buy for collecting, they often focus almost entirely on the biggest brands.
Instead of researching smaller releases or lesser-known distilleries that may have genuine long-term value, they simply buy whatever everyone else is chasing.
I think collectors would benefit from doing a little more research before following the crowd.
Is there a bottle, distillery or trend that everyone seems to chase, but you think people should stop obsessing over?
Macallan is probably the obvious example.
I’m not saying Macallan doesn’t produce excellent whisky—it absolutely does—but over the last few years I’ve seen more emphasis on releasing new products simply because collectors are hungry for something with perceived value.
Take the Harmony Collection, for example.
The first few releases performed extremely well, but each subsequent release has offered diminishing returns for collectors.
Sometimes I think people become more interested in the packaging or the name than the whisky itself.
On the flip side, what’s quietly sitting on shelves today that deserves far more attention than it’s getting?
Glenfarclas is hugely underrated.
Their 40-year-old represents incredible value considering its age, heritage and quality.
GlenAllachie also deserves the recognition it’s now receiving. I think the 12-year-old is one of the best value everyday drinking whiskies available.
I’d also encourage people to pay more attention to Irish whiskey.
There are some excellent Irish whiskies that deserve far more attention than they’re currently getting.
Imagine someone walks into Decanter Liquor with R2,500 to spend. Would you rather see them buy one exceptional bottle they’ll remember for years, or build a collection of different styles that broadens their whisky journey? Why?
If they’re just beginning their whisky journey, I’d probably recommend doing both.
I’d suggest buying one bottle to open and enjoy—something like GlenAllachie 12—and then spending the rest on a collectible bottle that’s currently undervalued.
There are still plenty of discontinued whiskies sitting around the R1,000 to R1,500 mark that don’t have a huge amount of hype behind them today but could become very interesting over time.
That way they get something to enjoy now and something to appreciate later.
Collecting whisky has grown enormously over the past decade. Do you think that’s ultimately been good for the industry, or are there unintended consequences?
Overall I think it’s been positive.
Collectors today are far more educated than they were ten years ago, which makes conversations much easier.
The downside is that distilleries have recognised the demand and, in some cases, started producing too many collectible releases.
That risks saturating the market and reducing the long-term value of previous releases.
The move away from age statements is another interesting topic.
Sometimes it’s justified because the whisky genuinely contains older components than the youngest whisky in the bottle.
But if non-age-statement releases are simply being used to produce more whisky as quickly as possible, I don’t think that’s healthy for the industry.
What conversation do you hope South African whisky lovers are having five years from now that they aren’t having today?
I’d like to see more curiosity.
I’d love people to spend more time learning about distilleries, their history, their heritage and the production process.
Once you understand how much work goes into creating a whisky—and how difficult it is to maintain consistency over decades—you develop a much deeper appreciation for what’s in your glass.
Education raises everyone’s enjoyment of whisky.