|
14th December 2017 |
Private
whisky collections worth £75 million
indentified.
 A
recent survey of 1,542 rare whisky
connoisseurs, collectors and investors
from across the world carried out by
Rare Whisky 101 in partnership with
Whisky Auctioneer has revealed private
whisky collections worth an estimated
£75million, and with an average value of
£50,000.
The also revealed some astounding new
insights into the booming passion
pursuit of rare whisky acquisition.
As well as uncovering the estimated
values of individual collections which
totalled some £74.547m and 326,000
bottles, the research reveals that
whisky lovers are each spending, on
average, more than £10,000 every year to
indulge their passion for rare whisky. A
small proportion (1%) are spending more
than £100,000 per annum on their
treasure hunting.
The average whisky collection comprises
more than 200 bottles with an average
bottle value of £228.
One in ten report to be in possession of
collections valued at over £100,000.
Perhaps no surprise, The Macallan comes
out on top as the most popular brand for
acquisition, closely followed by Ardbeg,
Highland Park and Springbank.
Just as the market has continued to
thrive in recent years, so it appears
that the majority of whisky collectors,
connoisseurs and investors are beginning
to realise the financial potential of
their liquid assets. More than half
(56%) are looking to make a positive
financial return on their rare whisky
collection. In fact, financial value is
only deemed unimportant to just 18% of
respondents.
For many of these whisky lovers,
investing in rare Scotch is carried out
alongside a small group of other passion
pursuits. One in five also collect wine
(19%), one in six watches (17%), one in
eight art (13%), one in sixteen Classic
Cars (7%), one in twenty five stamps
(4%) and one in forty coins (2%).
Despite the big valuations placed on
whisky collections, it seems that most
buyers are still basing their estimates
on how much they originally paid to
purchase their bottles, recent auction
prices or media research. Less than one
in ten (9%) have actually sought out a
recent professional full valuation of
their collections. Only one in four
(24%) seek professional help with their
interest in whisky.
David Robertson, co-founder of Rare
Whisky 101, said: "We’ve known for many
years that the secondary market for rare
whisky has been growing at an
exceptional rate. However, we don’t know
a great deal about the worldwide
community of connoisseurs, collector and
investors. This research is a real eye
opener for us. It’s very clear that
whisky enthusiasts are prepared to
invest serious sums in growing their
rare whisky portfolios and many are
looking to make a financial return on
their investment. We anticipate that
brand owners and distillers and
retailers will need to develop
intelligent strategies to ensure they
can release and market new products to
excite this dynamic new buyer.
"However, what’s more concerning is
that, unlike many other passion
pursuits, buyers are still not seeking
professional advice on either the
purchase or valuation of rare whisky.
One thing this past year has taught us,
brought in to sharp focus with The
Macallan 1878 fake story, is that the
rare whisky market is just as exposed to
the problem of forgery as many other
alternative assets – wine being the most
adjacent. The untrained eye would not
necessarily be able to spot a fake, but
a professional can help to differentiate
between fakes and the genuine article.
An objective valuation could provide a
real wake-up call for many investors and
we would urge they seek expert support"
Sean McGlone, Director of Whisky
Auctioneer commented:
"We’ve seen first-hand how the market
for buying and selling rare whisky has
boomed in recent years. However, this
research provides us with some brand new
insights into how our customers are
collecting and investing in whisky.
Since Whisky Auctioneer was founded back
in 2013 we have seen a trend of record
breaking values, and this is being
reflected in the valuations which people
are placing on their collections. I
suspect that this may just be the tip of
the iceberg as I’m sure there are plenty
of amazing malts hiding in people’s
collections around the world. The
upwards trend of the average bottle
price is very encouraging to see as it
shows effectiveness of whisky collecting
for financial return. We have built and
grown Whisky Auctioneer out of our love
of whisky and we take great pleasure in
seeing the continued growth of our most
loved passion."
The value of rare Scotch whisky sales in
the UK’s secondary market is set to top
£20M for the first time this Full Year.
Rare Whisky 101’s 2017 Half Year Report
revealed that both the volume and value
of rare Scotch whisky sold at auction
had increased by record amounts during
the reporting period. The £ value of
collectable bottles of Single Malt
Scotch whisky sold at auction in the UK
rose by 93.66% to an all-time half-year
high of £11.176m (H1 2016 £5.771m). The
number of bottles of Single Malt Scotch
whisky sold at auction in the UK
increased by 47.25% to 39,061 (H1 2016
26,527). The Full Year 2017 RW101 report
will be published in late January 2018.
|
Where To Buy Whisky Online
|
|
Select a country for a list of
specialist Whisky shops who delivers to
you:
|
Whisky Focus
<<<Back to
Whisky Focus for more Whisky News
|
Top
Of Page |
|
|
Online Whisky Shops |
|
|
|
New Whiskies |
| Check out the latest
new whisky releases. |
 |
| Worldwide delivery
available.
More Info |
|
