Whiskystats Reveals Significant Price Gap Between Retail and Auction Markets

Whiskystats, a leading authority in whisky data analysis, released today a comprehensive report documenting a growing disparity between retail and auction market prices for whisky.

The report reveals that in 2023 prices at retail were 50-75% higher than at auction, making it far more economical to purchase whisky at auction than at a whisky shop.

The report, ‘Has Whisky Become a Buyer’s Market?’, provides an in-depth analysis of whisky brand performances and trends. Notable takeaways:

• The number of whisky bottles traded at auction houses (-5%) and their cumulative hammer prices (-19%) decreased in 2023.
• More than 10,000 bottles failed to meet reserve prices—36% more than in 2022.
• The auction market’s three most value-losing brands were all Japanese: Chichibu (-43%), Karuizawa (-36%), and Yamazaki (-33%).
• Ratings winners for 2023 were Glendronach and Port Charlotte. The 2023 releases for the two Scotch brands scored highest in Whiskybase data analysed by Whiskystats.
• In contrast, Ardmore and Jura saw the biggest decline in quality perception, based on public ratings.
• Craigellachie was 2023’s most-improved brand, according to change in public perception.

Whiskystats also launched a first-of-its-kind ‘collector-drinker gauge’ to compare secondary market turnover to public ratings and reviews. The gauge reveals that Macallan, Hibiki, and Yamazaki are the most collector-oriented brands, while Ledaig, Kavalan, and Glen Scotia are the most drinker-focused. 

Johannes Moosbrugger, Founder and Head of Data at Whiskystats said:

‘Data shows that the whisky market is shifting. Buyers’ willingness to purchase whisky at listed retail prices has dropped significantly. And even for whiskies that eventually sell, bottles tend to remain on shelves far longer than in the recent past.

‘What we’re seeing in the auction market data is clear: prices are no longer reaching the peak prices of the COVID era, and there are some great bottles for sale at the lowest prices in years.’

A full copy of the report is available for free download at: whiskystats.com/reports.

Note:

Whiskystats is a Whiskybase company. Whiskystats and Whiskybase are independent: the report was not funded by any distillery group, bottler, whisky-adjacent agency, or related concern.

Each month, Whiskystats collects tens of thousands of auction price observations and tracks over 1.6 million whisky retail prices. Whiskystats incorporates ratings from Whiskybase, the world’s largest whisky database of more than 239,000 unique whiskies. Thanks to this unsurpassed dataset, Whiskystats is the standard bearer for whisky market analysis for collectors, producers, and investors.

On Whiskystats, users have access to reliable bottle-level details that allow them to accurately track auction lots, view historical and current auction prices, create and track the current market value of their whisky collection(s), set whisky watchlists, schedule notifications, and view millions of whisky ratings.