Rare Scotch Enjoys Record Run

The UK auction market for Scotch malt whisky has enjoyed a record run, with the total value sold at auction surpassing £2 million in each of the last 3 months of April, May and June , according to new data released by whisky analyst, broker and investment experts Rare Whisky 101.

During these past three months, the secondary market for rare Scotch malt whisky has achieved its highest ever average price per bottle of £286.

21,617 bottles were sold on the secondary market during this record-breaking period, versus 12,638 in the same period in 2016, a 71% increase.

A cumulative total of £6.18M has been spent on rare whisky at auction compared to £2.80M in the same period in 2016, an increase of 121%.

The figures underline the continued trend of value growth exceeding volume growth. In the past month (June) alone, RW101 has noted a 54% increase in volume and a 94% increase in value of Scotch malt whisky sold at auction, compared to June last year.

The figures point to another very strong six months’ performance for the UK’s secondary rare whisky market, when RW101’s half year report is published later this Summer.

Whisky investment analyst and co-founder of Rare Whisky 101, Andy Simpson commented: “Any question as to whether the recent increases in the rare whisky market would begin to plateau can, for now, be summarily dismissed. Even we wondered whether the market could continue to expand at such levels, following another record braking year in 2016. The performance of Scotch malt whisky at auction over the past three months has been nothing short of phenomenal.

“The growing popularity of online auctions, combined with recent moves by traditional rare whisky retailers to set up their own auction sites, continues to drive demand.  By joining the secondary market sector, these “bricks n mortar” retailers have finally realised that they can’t afford to lose rare whisky customers to the auction market.

“Anecdotally we have seen growing demand from North America and Asia over recent times.   We have also experienced a dramatic increase in enquiries from Asian and USA professional buyers looking to set up new supply agreements to capitalise on this dynamically growing market.”

To download the last full set of results for the UK rare whisky auction market, click here

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Images: Rare Whisky 101 co-founders Andy Simpson and David Robertson

About Rare Whisky 101 Andy Simpson and David Robertson launched Rare Whisky 101 in 2014 with the aim of offering a whisky valuation service, brokerage and consultancy for whisky connoisseurs, collectors and investors. Having tracked every bottle sold at UK auctions over the past 12 years, the business now offers the world’s first, only and most comprehensive online single malt Scotch & Japanese whisky dataset covering almost 240,000 price records across over 30,000 different bottle types. In the last 12 months, RW101 have brokered around 20,000 rare whisky bottles around the globe in addition to trading in aged casks from iconic distilleries such as The Macallan, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Springbank, Mortlach, Talisker, Caol Ila, Lagavulin, Rosebank and Highland Park.