Drams Under The Hammer – Scotch Whisky News
Drams Under The Hammer
It’s enjoyed all over the world and is worth billions of pounds to the British economy. But Scotch whisky is also undergoing a boom as an investment.
Last October, Whyte & Mackay launched its Dalmore Trinitas at £100,000 a bottle, only to be topped the following month when Macallan released a 64-year-old single malt in a crystal decanter, which sold at auction in New York for $460,000 (£288,000). Earlier this month Gordon and MacPhail released 100 bottles of a 70-year-old Glenlivet, costing £13,000. Very few are likely ever to be opened.
Limited editions and whiskies from now silent distilleries can command premium prices and the amber nectar is turning into liquid gold for many collectors.
Now two Scottish businessmen have set up the country’s first internet-only auction site to handle the sale and purchase of rare, old and collectible whiskies.
Scotchwhiskyauctions.com is the brainchild of Tam Gardiner and Bill Mackintosh. Tam is the owner of Tam’s Drams, a specialist whisky shop in the Finnieston area of Glasgow. Bill is a director of Glasgow’s Whisky Festival, which held its inaugural event last year. It returns to the Arches in November.
The two believe their Scottish-based Internet site will provide a safe and secure environment for collectors and sellers alike. The first auction will be held on Saturday, April 2, and run for four weeks, closing on Saturday, April 30.
Tam said: “I don’t think collectors are being best served at the moment. Charges by traditional auction houses can be sky-high. Because we are internet-only, we are able to pass on cost savings to our customers.”
Bill added: “Other auction houses handle everything from furniture to furs. We will be concentrating on whisky only. Our pricing structure means charges will be fairer for purchasers and sellers alike.”
The Scottish Whisky Association, the trade body for distillers, said: “Collectors’ interest in rare bottlings of Scotch whisky has risen over recent years. It is a niche but growing market, with specialist auctions increasingly being held in the UK, United States and Hong Kong.”
For further information contact
Tam Gardiner on 07853 898223
Bill Mackintosh on 07821 107212
