No Age Statement for Scotch Whisky. How will this change Scotch?

[ChrisL]

From my understanding a fairly new development in Scotch whisky production and sales, No Age Statement, means the following:

• An age statement has meant that a distillery is required to market a bottling based on the youngest whisky in a bottle. Therefore a bottling that may contain 95% 20 year single malt and 5% 10 year would have to be marketed as 10 year old scotch.
• The advantage to a distillery in marketing scotch with no age statement is apparently having a bottling judged and sought after based on its consumption merits rather than its age.
• If there is a solid departure and change over time away from age statements, I wonder if in the future the scotch product could evolve into younger and younger bottlings and over time?

What advantages and disadvantages as a consumer do you see in this trend?

I would guess if the trend continues that age stated bottles will become very valuable in the future. I assume that's why distilleries seem to be trending toward no age statements. Given their meticulous tracking and record keeping, they can continue to bottle based on age, but I assume having two different categories (age bottled and non-age bottled) they will be able to charge a premium for their older stock which is worth more and move more of their younger stock sooner rather than have to age the younger longer before bringing it to market.

ChrisL