WORLD’S FIRST LIVE ONLINE WHISKY AUCTION DEDICATED TO CASKS

Cask Trade is to host the world’s first, live, online only auction dedicated to casks of whisky next month.

Sales of whisky have raised record-breaking amounts, most recently £7.6M was raised at a Sotheby’s auction in London including several casks and an auction in Hong Kong in November raised £441,000 for a Cask of Macallan 1989.

World First

In an historic, world first, Cask Trade will host the first ever live, online auction for casks on 22nd January 2020.

Auctionyourcask.com will allow private owners and investors to sell their cask to independent bottlers and other investors all around the world.

A passionate whisky collector for more than 20 years, Cask Trade’s owner Simon Aron, suffered many false promises from whisky investment companies and this drove his ambition to create a real and trustworthy market place for whisky collectors and investors, and bottlers.

“It’s a really exciting time for whisky sales as the recent Sotheby’s auction proved. I was in the room and the excitement was palpable and marked a historic moment for the spirits market. With the launch of auctionyourcask.com we offer a fresh approach to selling whisky by the cask, not just the bottle,” says Simon.

Whisky Price Growth

A mixed portfolio investment of 14 whisky casks purchased for £100,000 would appreciate at an estimated average increase of 13-18% a year (over 4-6 years), generating a target gross return of more than £214,000, an increase of approximately 114%.

Whisky, according to the recent Knight Frank Wealth Report, is 2019’s top performing luxury investment. With an increase of 40% on rare bottle values in the last 12 months, it far outstripped the more established alternative assets such as art, wine and cars.

auctionyourcask.com

The first auction on 22nd January will run until 2nd February (ending 8pm GMT) and include approximately 24 casks including an Aberfeldy 2005, Bruichladdich Chateau Margaux, Aberlour 1990 and Springbank 1995.

Those looking to register their interest in the auction should visit www.auctionyourcask.com

Two tastings of cask-strength whisky will be held for those who register their interest in the auction. The tastings will take place at Cask Trade’s offices on Regent Street on 15th  January at 12 noon until 2 pm and 5.30pm until 8pm. To attend one of the two tastings buy tickets on www.auctionyourcask.com/news-and-events (£10/ticket).

All casks will need to have had a recent re-gauge ready for auction and a full 70cl sample will be drawn so that bidders have the opportunity, wherever possible, to try the whisky before they buy. Cask Trade validate all the sellers and confirm proof of ownership and the history of the cask enabling bidders to safely buy. With complete transparency and no sellers’ fee Cask Trade can offer bidders the actual hammer price. Their low buyers’ fee of 15% + VAT will offer the opportunity to buyers, trade or private, to buy rare casks.

Cask Trade, the company behind of auctionyourcask.com, buys and sells exceptional cask whiskies. The company is unique because it only sells casks it owns outright, and it only sells whole casks: it is not a whisky cask broker and it does not offer fractional sales, as part of a fund.

Hosted four times a year the next auctions will take place in April, July and October 2020.

NOTES:

Founded in 2018 by Simon Aron in partnership with several of the world’s foremost whisky masters, including Keeper of the Quaich Sir Colin Hampden-White, Cask Trade buys and sells exceptional cask whiskies. The company is unique because it only sells casks it owns outright, and it only sells whole casks: it is not a whisky cask broker and it does not offer fractional sales.

A passionate whisky collector for more than 20 years, Simon Aron suffered many false promises from whisky investment companies and this drove his ambition to create a real and trustworthy market place for whisky collectors and investors, and bottlers:

The company’s casks are held in the best HMRC bonded warehouses, regularly visited and approved by Cask Trade whisky masters. All stock holdings have a complete paper trail…

• Delivery orders from supplier to Cask Trade
• Invoices for transfer of ownership, storage insurance, re-gauging, sampling or movement
• HMRC-issued WOWGR (warehouse keepers, warehouse premises, owner of goods and registered consigners): a fully regulated and closely monitored license requiring due diligence on suppliers as well as customers.

Included in its extensive list of customer services, Cask Trade’s rigorous processes means that the company will guarantee to buy back from its clients the casks they buy from and have had managed by Cask Trade. It also offers…

• Regular sampling and re-gauging of casks
• Re-racking (sherry wine, port etc)
• Estimates of bottles and strength in cask (effects of angels’ share 0ver years of maturations)
• Financial modelling for each cask based on age and rarity with estimated % returns
• Costings for bottling, labelling and shipping (duty & tax)
• Regularly updated whisky investment guide which includes statistics from two authoritative third parties (independent of    Cask Trade)
• Cask Trade will arrange for clients to receive samples of their whiskies and visit their barrels(s), upon request – wherever possible.

Cask Trade has started the first live auction website dedicated to exceptional whisky casks: auctionyourcask.com.

Hosted four times a year and helping private owners/investors sell their cask to independent bottlers and other investors all around the world. All casks will be re-gauged ready for auction and a full 70cl sample will be drawn so that bidders have the opportunity to try the whisky before they buy. – Wherever possible. We validate all the sellers and confirm proof of ownership and the history of the cask enabling bidders to safely buy. With complete transparency and no sellers’ fee we can offer you the actual hammer price. Our low buyers’ fee of 15% + VAT will offer the opportunity to buyers, trade or private, to buy rare casks.

https://www.casktrade.com

https://www.auctionyourcask.com

Whisky Price Growth 

Whisky, according to the recent Knight Frank Wealth Report, is 2019’s top performing luxury investment. With an increase of 40% on rare bottle values in the last 12 months, it far outstripped the more established alternative assets such as art, wine and cars.

From page 78 – https://content.knightfrank.com/resources/knightfrank.com/wealthreport/2019/the-wealth-report-2019.pdf

Data collected by Rare Whisky 101 suggests the four-year growth from December 2014 in rare whisky has increased over 160%, compared to just 2.47% for the FTSE 100. https://www.rarewhisky101.com/indices

The same report by Rare Whisky 101 claimed via the BBC that they had performed a controlled test of 55 rare bottles, of which over a third were fakes.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-46566703

THE WHISKY SALE: A PRIVATE COLLECTION

AN EXCEPTIONAL COLLECTION OF WHISKY 50 YEARS IN THE MAKING COMES TO AUCTION  

A Private Collection of Whisky, 50 years in the making, comes to auction on 20^th March 2020 at Tennants Auctioneers in North Yorkshire. With a focus on Macallan, the collection includes such highlights as a bottle of The Macallan 52 Year Old Select Reserve 1946 (estimate: £20,000-30,000 plus buyer’s premium).

Comprising over 300 bottles, the collection was amassed by a businessman who was first introduced to whisky when his father-in-law gave him a bottle of The Macallan 10 Year Old. It proved revelatory, sparking a life-long interest in whisky and a deep love of Macallan. Indeed, The Macallan 10 Year Old has been his drink of choice ever since.

Tennants’ Wine and Whisky Specialist William McNab says of the collection: “It is a pleasure to handles such a fine collection of whisky put together with much dedication by a true connoisseur. Not only are there examples of some of the most desirable single bottles around, but there are year runs and top bottles from Scotland’s finest distilleries. The collection even includes an example of my favourite whisky, a rare and now discontinued Balvenie 10 Year Old Founder’s Reserve, Cognac Bottling”.

At the heart of the collection is Macallan, which is led by a bottle of The Macallan 52 Year Old Select Reserve 1946 (Estimate: £20,000-30,000 plus buyer’s premium). Distilled just after the War when production of whisky – a luxury good – had stopped, it was made with peated malt due to the scarcity of coal. A rarity on Speyside, it is now recognised as one of the greatest Macallans ever released. The collector has also put together a near-complete year run of The Macallan 18 Year Old from 1963 to 1997, missing only seven years, offering other enthusiasts the opportunity to add missing years to their collection.

Further star lots of Macallan include The Macallan 1951 Fine and Rare, which is bottle number 1 of 632; a very rare bottle from just after the War, it is estimated at £15,000-20,000 (plus buyer’s premium). Two rare bottles of The Macallan Red Ribbon, which was bottled for merchants around the world, are also on offer from 1938 (estimate: £10,000-15,000 plus buyer’s premium) and 1950 (estimate: £5,000-7,000 plus buyer’s premium).

The majority of the collection was bought in the UK, however, approximately 20% was sourced from Spain, Italy, France and Holland. The collector even travelled as far as Barbados to collect a particularly prized bottle. Amongst interesting lots sourced overseas are four bottles of The Macallan Cadenheads, Scotland’s oldest independent bottler (estimate: £800-1,200 plus buyer’s premium each), which he purchased from Cadenheads Amsterdam shop; here he also found a rare bottle of The Macallan 12 Year Old French Revolution 1789-1989 (estimate: £500-700 plus buyer’s premium).

The collection also offers good, collectable bottles of Glenfarclas and Glenmorangie as well as bottles from the top distilleries across Scotland; there is a particular focus on good bottles from the 1970s. In addition, the collection offers affordable bottles of single malt for drinking.

For further details of the auction and related events, or to register your interest, contact William McNab on william.mcnab@tennants-ltd.co.uk.

The sale catalogue will be available online from Friday 6^th March at www.tennants.co.uk and it will be on view to the public from Sunday 15^th March.

SALE:               The Whisky Sale: A Private Collection

Auction:           Friday 20^th March

Viewing:          Sunday 15^th March 11am-4pm

Monday 16^th March 10am-4pm

Tuesday 17^th March 10am-4pm

Wednesday 18^th March 10am-4pm

Thursday 19^th March 10am-5pm

Morning of sale from 8am

Venue:             Tennants Auctioneers, Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5SG

Details:            www.tennants.co.uk

Whisky Specialist:      William McNab

William.mcnab@tennants-ltd.co.uk

+44 (0)1969 623780

Pictures 

• Part of the Year Run of The Macallan 18 Year Old
• The Macallan 52 Year Old Select Reserve 1946 – Estimate: £20,000-30,000
• The Macallan Red Ribbon 1938 and 1950 

1. All prices quoted are the Hammer Price, excluding buyers’ premium. 

NOTES 

Full sale results are available on our website: www.tennants.co.uk  

• Tennants Auctioneers is a fourth-generation family business and is one of the UK’s largest international Antiques and Fine Art auctioneers. Situated in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, Tennants holds over 80 sales a year.

• Tennants connects more than 200,000 buyers and sellers a year.
• As a family business, Tennants stays true to its Yorkshire heritage and offers its clients unrivalled service, expertise and value.
• In 2014 Tennants expanded the Auction Centre to 80,000sq ft with the development of The Garden Rooms – a dedicated venue for events, weddings, conferences and exhibitions. The venue is one of the region’s largest event spaces with a capacity of over 600 people.

Our December auction is now LIVE!

Place your bids from Friday 20^th December until Sunday 5^th January 2020, at

www.whiskyhammer.co.uk

Every month, we present an incredible selection of whiskies and other fine spirits to our members right across the globe. You will find everything here from limited edition releases and vintage bottles to whole casks of rare whisky. There is certainly something for everyone – whether you are looking to collect, invest or enjoy!

Macallan – 52 Year Old (1946) 

Kariuzawa – 35 Year Old (1981)

Glendronach – 37 Year Old

Selling whisky? Why not arrange the pick-up of your bottles using our global courier service? If you’re based in Scotland, you might want to arrange the personal collection of your bottles. Wherever you’re based in the world, we will make getting your bottles into our monthly auction as simple as possible. Get in touch with the Whisky Hammer team now by dropping them a message at sales@whiskyhammer.co.uk.

Scotch Whisky Auctions · Unit C 139 Lancefield Street · Glasgow, Scotland G3 8HZ · United Kingdom

TENNANTS AUCTIONEERS’ WHISKY SALE 14^TH DECEMBER 

A wide range of Whisky is offered for sale in Tennants Auctioneers’ Whisky Sale on 14^th December, with a strong mix of bottles for investing, collecting or just for drinking during this Christmas season.

At the top end of the sale are rare bottles of desirable and collectable whiskies, such as a Laphroaig Vintage 1977 Single Islay Malt (estimate: £2,000-3,000), a Laphroaig 10 Year Old Islay Malt from the 1970s (estimate: £1,000-1,500) and a bottle of The Macallan 10 Year Old Single Highland Malt from 1980 (estimate: £700-1,000).

Good collectors lots include a selection of Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice whiskies – limited edition bottles produced by Gordon & MacPhail from casks sourced from leading distilleries from across Scotland. Consigned from a Private Cellar, highlights include a Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Imperial 1991 Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (estimate: £700-1,000).

From the same collection comes a group lot of good, drinkable whisky offering exceptional value for money – the Flora and Fauna Release Collection, comprising ten bottles of Speyside whiskies for £300-500. Further lots from private collections include 15 bottles of Bruichladdich, a bottle of Talisker 8-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (estimate: £600-800), and a bottle of Lagavulin 1979 Distillers Edition Double Matured Single Islay Malt Whisky matured in Pedro Ximenez casks (estimate: £600-800).

The sale catalogue is available to view here: https://bid.tennants.co.uk/m/view-auctions/catalog/id/786

NB: All estimates are subject to 20% buyer’s premium plus VAT. 

SALE:               Fine Wine & Whisky

Auction:           14^th December 10.30am

Viewing:          13^th December & Morning of Sale

Venue:             Tennants Auctioneers, Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5SG

Details:            www.tennants.co.uk 

Whisky Specialist:   William McNab william.mcnab@tennants-ltd.co.uk 01969 623780

ABOUT TENNANTS 

• Tennants Auctioneers is a fourth-generation family business and is one of the UK’s largest international Antiques and Fine Art auctioneers. Situated in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, Tennants holds over 80 sales a year.

• Tennants connects more than 200,000 buyers and sellers a year.
• As a family business, Tennants stays true to its Yorkshire heritage and offers its clients unrivalled service, expertise and value.
• In 2014 Tennants expanded the Auction Centre to 80,000sq ft with the development of The Garden Rooms – a dedicated venue for events, weddings, conferences and exhibitions. The venue is one of the region’s largest event spaces with a capacity of over 600 people.

MACALLAN MILLENNIUM DECANTER-50 YEAR OLD LEADS BONHAMS CHRISTMAS WHISKY SALE IN EDINBURGH

The Macallan Millennium Decanter-50 year old-1949. Estimate: £23,000-25,000.

The Macallan Millennium Decanter-50 year old-1949 is regularly voted one of the world’s most sought-after and desirable whiskies. Not surprising then that the bottle to be offered at Bonhams Christmas Whisky Sale in Edinburgh on Wednesday, 10 December carries a pre-sale estimate of £23,000-25,000.

The whisky was distilled in January 1949, and released in an edition of 900 to celebrate the millennium. It comes in a classic Caithness glass decanter, and is packaged in its own wooden case.

The sale also features:

·         A bottle of Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt-Queen of Hearts, from the famous Card Series. Estimate £10,000-12,000.  Distilled in 1990, and bottled in 2006, this bottle is number 44 of a limited edition of 324. Bonhams holds the world record of HK$7,192,000 (£725,000) for the sale at auction of the Full Card Series, consisting of 54 bottles. This was set at Bonhams Hong Kong in August 2019.

·         A bottle of Black Bowmore-1964, from the Final Edition, bottled in 1995. Distilled and bottled by Morrison’s Bowmore Distillery. Estimate: £15,000-16,000.

·         A bottle of Macallan Pure Highland Malt. Estimate £10,000-15,000. 

Bonhams Whisky Specialist in Edinburgh, Martin Green, said, “As usual our Christmas sale is the most varied of the year and it’s packed full of good things with something for everyone. The highlights, though, have to be the Macallan Millennium Decanter-50 year old-1949 that is always much in demand, and the Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt-Queen of Hearts, which is very rarely seen at auction.”

Link to the sale online here: https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25375/

Sale: Whisky Location: 22 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2Date: Tuesday 10 December at 11.00 a.m.

NOTES

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and antiques, motor cars and jewellery. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney. With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full list of forthcoming auctions, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com. bonhams.com