Scotch whisky investing is booming, with returns far outpacing more conventional assets.

A report by broker Rare Whisky 101 found that the fast-growing market was a better place to invest than British stocks, gold and oil over the past five years.

The market for rare whisky grew from £40m in 2018 to a record £57.7m in 2019, while the average price of a rare bottle rose from £377 to £401.

Last year the Apex 1000, a basket of rare whisky bottles, returned 7.2pc, which was the worst year since the index was created in 2015.

However, over the past five years the index has made 182pc, the report said, beating returns on gold, which is up 28.2pc, oil (15.9pc) and the FTSE 100 index of Britain’s largest stocks (14.9pc).

Whisky from distiller Macallan accounts for 40pc of the market, but Springbank is the most sought after by investors. Rosebank, Brora, Ben Wyvis and Killyoch round out the top five most in-demand distillers.

The report said that discontinued younger “standard” bottles such as Laphroaig 10 Year Olds from the 1970s, Lagavulin 12 year olds, and Talisker eight year olds “are hugely desirable”.

“As coronavirus takes hold, it’ll be fascinating to see whether scotch can act as a hedge for traditional markets. It’s a physical asset which is easily stored and bought remotely,” the report said.