Most people have their favourite tipple, a drink they gravitate to above all others, a treat at Christmas that they wait for all year round, or maybe a present that friends and family buy for birthdays or anniversaries. For some, this deepens over time into a lifelong passion for both enjoying and collecting the finest examples available within their budget. Collectors generally enjoy the thrill of the hunt and are driven by the challenge of seeking out the next acquisition rather than any future gains. It becomes a hobby, a pastime where genuine enjoyment is found.
If whisky, wine or spirits are your thing, have you ever wondered what your treasured bottles might say if they could talk? Perhaps they’d remind you of that trip you took years ago when you spotted a rare Speyside expression on the top shelf of a tiny Highland shop and felt like you’d uncovered treasure. Maybe they’d whisper memories of that cult Petrus you snapped up on release because you knew it would be impossible to find in a year’s time, or that Burgundy you saved for a special occasion that’s never quite materialised. Or simply a once treasured gift from a close friend or relative.
For some, these bottles sit quietly, tucked behind others gathering dust, not because they lack value, but because life has a habit of moving on, and sometimes, we put things away to protect them and forget about them, or perhaps you’ve noticed you really don’t have the space anymore. Your once carefully organised cupboard or, if you’re fortunate enough, your cellar is beginning to resemble a never-ending game of Tetris, where each new bottle must be negotiated into place. Or maybe you could do with releasing some additional funds to go towards a bottle you’ve been chasing, a new project, or even an unforeseen bill.
Your overlooked bottles may still have the power to thrill someone else. Someone who is just starting the road you’ve travelled, whose excitement and thirst haven’t dwindled, or simply someone who has the funds and space to continue building their collection. What if opening your cupboard or cellar door could open up new possibilities, financial and otherwise? That bottle you’ve walked past a hundred times may be the one a collector on the other side of the world has been searching for. Whatever the reason, now could be the perfect time to think about moving some of your collection on.
For many years, rare whisky outperformed other luxury assets, including fine wine, gold, and even broad market indices, attracting attention from seasoned investors and passionate consumers seeking something special. At its peak in the late 2010s and early 2020s, the rare whisky segment became so heated that a bottle of 1926 Macallan 60-year-old set a world auction record by selling for well over £1 million in London.
The global market for rare whisky, spirits, and collectable wines has seen unparalleled interest over the past decade. In the UK, historic auction data shows the rare whisky market experienced explosive growth, with the value of collectable Single Malt Scotch sold through UK auctions rising to over £40 million in 2018, a more than 60% jump on the previous year, and the number of bottles sold climbing to nearly 108,000.
Even the number of bottles fetching £10,000 or more at UK auction rose dramatically, nearly tripling in 2018 compared with
2017. The average auction price per bottle also increased to new records during that period. The UK rare whisky market’s cumulative growth over the decade remained strong, rising by over 300%. Wine and spirits have also been strong performers at UK auction houses. For example, Sotheby’s reported remarkable growth in its wine and spirits auctions, with top producers like Champagne’s Krug and Bordeaux legends contributing to significant year-on-year increases in sales revenue, underscoring the broad global demand for fine collectable bottles.
The auction market remains globally connected and competitive. Buyers from across Asia, North America, and Europe regularly participate in UK auctions, drawn by the deep heritage of Scotch, the rarity of bottles, and the thrill of competition. Large single-owner collections can command substantial figures, and even modest bottles often attract attention from bidders seeking quality at reasonable entry points.
Here’s the exciting part: the bottles quietly ageing in your cellar or cupboards, the ones you may barely think about anymore, could very well be the next headline. They might be the star of someone else’s collection, the missing piece in a puzzle, someone’s holy grail.