Which Whiskeys Are Worth Collecting
Attorneys General Across The Us Cracking Down On Illegal Secondary Market Online Sales Of Alcohol
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As the holiday season kicks into full gear more and more people will be trying to get their hands on that impossible to find bottle of bourbon, whiskey, tequila or whatever spirit their heart desires. Rather than arriving at the liquor store at 4am in 30° temperatures and standing in a line that wraps around the building many people choose to do their shopping from their easy chair by visiting their favorite website to search the secondary market to find that impossible to find hooch.
In that search many will turn to social media sites like Facebook, a bidding site like Ebay or an everything is for sale site like Craigslist. Any online purchase is buyer beware but when it comes to consumables theres additional risk. Its possible what you are buying is the real-deal but its also possible that bottle with the sealed cap is filled with a lesser product or one that had been adulterated to give the aroma and appearance of the real McCoy.
A quick online search shows things are easy to find online. The Pappy Van Winkle Collection for $15,000 or even an empty bottle of Pappy for $249? Hmm. Caveat emptor = buyer beware.
In an effort to help curb online sale of alcohol by non-licensed sites the National Association of Attorneys General sent letters to leading U.S. online vendors, asking them to undertake certain steps to curtail illegal alcohol sales online.
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Selling Whisky At A Traditional Auction
We cant write a guide to selling whisky without mentioning the traditional bricks and mortar salerooms, as they were the birthplace of the resale market for whisky. Although they used to have a monopoly on the market, all of the above options have really eaten into their dominance and traditional auctions are now sadly in decline.
High commission rates for buyers and sellers and the lack of focused marketing are the main reasons for this demise.
Many of the traditional salerooms sell antiques and collectors items as their mainstay, with whisky being a small part of their calendar of sales. As such, their marketing budgets for whisky are often not as high as the online options so they do not achieve the same reach to the specialist buyers and often dont achieve the best prices.
The real nail in the coffin for the traditional salerooms though is the commission they charge both the buyer and seller. Standard selling fees are 18% for the seller AND 28.8% for the buyer. What that means is you only receive 53% of what the buyer had to pay for your bottle. The high buyers premium is taken into account by buyers and as such they reduce their bids accordingly.
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What We Do At Hard To Find Whisky
Whatever your whisky or spirit preferences, here at Hard to Find Whisky we will have the right blend for you. Unlike many drinks and whisky retailers worldwide, Hard to Find Whisky set out to be unique, offering connoisseurs the very best in rare and vintage whisky. We also provide the very best competitive prices and perfect gifts for drinks lovers all over the world. The Hard to Find Group is the place to look when searching for that perfect gift or treat that can truly not be found anywhere else.
What Is The Rarest Whiskey
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The Market For Selling Whisky In 2021
The market for bottles of rare single malt whisky has remained buoyant even throughout this turbulent year. Bottles continue to break records and distilleries continue to release new and unique bottlings.
As you are probably aware by now, the market for single malt scotch whisky has risen dramatically over the last few years. There was huge growth in 2020 for certain bottles through lockdown and this growth has continued through 2021. A good example demonstrating just how much the market has risen is Macallan Private Eye. It was first released in 1996 with a retail price of £36. It was a limited edition of 5,000 bottles and was advertised for sale very widely across national newspapers.
Just 11 years after release the value had jumped to £240 at auction quite a healthy 566% ROI. Jump forward another 10 years to 2017 and the auction price had jumped again, but this time to £1,500 .
The market then took a real leap and the market reached its peak in October 2018 with prices for Private Eye reaching a staggering £4,000 . This moment also marked a turning point for the market. Prices have been gently falling ever since as the market has become saturated with bottles.
In early 2021 we have seen the price of Macallan Private Eye jump to around £4,000 to £4,500 proving the appetite remains for this bottle.
What Is A Good Vintage Whiskey
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Know Where To Find Value
With increased worldwide demand for whiskey, including in America where tariffs have been reduced by President Joe Biden, the value of whiskey in casks will only increase in particular, more aged whiskey, along with the value of that produced in 2020 and 2021 during the global pandemic due to the closures of distilleries, which meant that there was reduced supply.
Inside The World Of Black Market Bourbon
June 29, 2020 | Sean Evans
The term flipper sounds so bad, Paul H.* groans after I casually refer to him as such. As the midday sun streams in through his kitchen window, he leans back against a folding table thats overflowing with whiskey-shipping supplies, running a hand through his bed-head hair. I sell high-end whiskey as a middleman, he clarifies. My eyes drift to ogle another table full of enviable whiskiesHirsch Select 25, Sazerac 18, and Hibiki 21 year olds. Pauls makeshift processing center is not what youd call tidy. Childrens books, plastic bags, and crumpled cash fill the occasional voids between the rare bottles packed upon the stained table.
But I never feel bad about selling whiskey, Paul admits. Its like walking into a store, seeing 10 lotto tickets, one of which is a winner, and taking any of the nine losers. You dont leave winners on the shelves. Im not ruining whiskey. Im not the reason people cant get Van Winkle. Im one f******* person. I dont have that much power.
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What Distillery Makes Eagle Rare
Located in Buffalo Traces Frankfort, Kentucky distillery, Eagle Rare is made with low-rye and low-proof bourbons. The Mashbill #1 family of bourbons from Buffalo Trace, which include the likes of E, is aged for 10 years before bottling. Stagg Jr., Taylor Small Batch. A number of products are available from the distillery, including its namesake bourbon.
Develop A Relationship With Your Retailer
It is very important to form a relationship with your local stores. You will then know when special products are arriving. Retailers want to move product and if they know a collector is hot for a new bottling, then that person is going to be their first call. Eddie Russell, Master Distiller for Wild Turkey
Many Distilleries offer yearly releases that revolve around the same label and concept. If you find one of these you really like, find the release date and talk to your retailer and see if you can get a bottle. You probably wont be the only one asking, so its important to know your retailer. Brent Elliot, Master Distiller for Four Roses
If they know you and something new or unusual comes in, they will hold stuff for you and you will get the chance try it. Otherwise you just have to get lucky and walk in on the day they are putting out a one-off thats going to sell out. Brendan McCarron, Head of Maturing Whisky Stocks for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg
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Is Reselling Alcohol Illegal
Under federal law, unlicensed liquor sales or those outside the scope of exemptions are punishable by up to $11,000 in fines and up to 12 months in jail. A person under 18 is considered an offender if they sell or supply liquor to him or her, with penalties ranging from $11,000 to 12 months in prison.
Investing In Whisky: A Users Guide
Investment whisky like The Glenrothes 50-Year-Old, a marriage of sherry cask and ex-bourbon barrel whiskies, is a growing trend thats been growing exponentially since 2015.
Courtesy of The Glenrothes
In celebration of The Glenrothes Distillerys release of their oldest and rarest whisky to date, a 50-year-old single malt scotch barreled in 1968, the fabled whiskey house assembled a panel of the worlds leading experts who explain how the collectible spirits market works.
Only fifty bottles of Glenrothes 50 Year-Old were made available globally, with a price tag on this rarest of liquids resting at $35,000. While most of us could never consider such a purchase, collectible super-luxury spirits, referred to as investment grade whisky in the business, has rather suddenly emerged as a major player on the auction markets. Rare whisky 101, which is considered the industry standard, reports the number of recorded bottles of Single Malt Scotch Whisky sold at auction in the UK in 2019 increased by 33.37% to 143,895 from the previous year.
To flesh out how the collectible market works, these professionals offer insight into building a whisky collection for investment based on five factors: Research, retail sourcing, determining secondary-market prices, spirits auctions, and insuring a collection.
Like any investment, awareness of fluctuations in the whisky market helps collectors make wise purchases.
Courtesy of Duncan Fox
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What Is The Most Rare Whiskey
Are Old Unopened Whiskey Worth
A valuable object doesnt necessarily have to be old and rare. Its value depends on how much others want to pay for and how much you are able to collect. The flavor of whiskey doesnt age or change in the bottle as it does with wine. The taste and aroma of whiskey bottled decades ago have not changed much.
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Does Whiskey Have Vintage
As whisky ages in the bottle, it becomes less potent. The whiskey in the bottle is quite inert, so as long as it is stored properly, it wont change much over time. The only changes it experiences are caused by oxygen exposure, light exposure, and temperature fluctuations-and all of these things can be harmful.
How Much Is A 50 Year Old Bottle Of Whiskey Worth
There are only a few special barrels that have survived 50 years. Those barrels are always in high demand due to their rarity and longevity. The current Dalmore 50-year-old has a price tag of $60,000 a bottle, while Benromachs $14,500 price tag seems like a bargain for those who seek out this vintage.
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What Are The Rarest Whiskeys
Why Macallan Whisky Is Expensive
It costs a lot of money to get a bottle of Macallan into your hands, and it costs a lot of money to make you want to get that bottle of Macallan in your hands. As for what it costs to make, they utilize premium ingredients from the barley to the barrels to age it in. Their barley costs 3040% more than average.
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Experts Guide To Investing In Whiskey
The liquid gold has increased 582 per cent in the past 10 years prior to 2019.
With almost four casks of whiskey to every person in Scotland, deciphering the best whiskey for investing can prove quite the challenge. Unless you listen to the experts.
In the past year, rare whiskey values have increased by 40 per cent, outperforming luxury assets including watches, art and cars, according to The Luxury Investment Index 2020 by Knight Frank.
But what makes investing in the best whiskey so special?
Hoping to revolutionise the way people see investments, UK-based Elite Wine & Whisky Founder Steve Bishop tells The CEO Magazine its more a question of Why not?
Looking back historically in the 10-year period prior to 2019, classic car values appreciated 258 per cent, coins 193 per cent and art 158 per cent, while rare whiskey excelled above the rest, claiming a growth of 582 per cent, Steve says. Even amid the backdrop of tariff uncertainty, the export value of global Scotch Whisky exports grew by 4.4 per cent to £4.91 billion in 2019 with growth in more than 100 international markets.
However, it wasnt always a global commodity. The earliest production dates back to the 15th century, to 1494, although it was only introduced to the rest of the world in the 19th century.
Historically, whisky relates to Scotland, while whiskey is from Ireland, although the latter spelling is most commonly used in the US today.
Rare Whiskey For Sale
If youre looking to buy rare whiskey online, youve come to the right place. VS Liquor has a list of rare whiskey for sale youd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. We have it all, from Japanese whiskeys aged for 21 years to anniversary editions of American liquor cabinet staples.
We offer an assortment of rare whiskey for sale that offers every flavor profile you could ever want, whether youre looking for something smoky or sweet. Our expansive selection of high-end whiskeys for sale includes spirits that can be served straight, on the rocks, chilled, or mixed. However you like your whiskey, weve got you covered.
Stock up your whiskey shelf and buy rare whiskey online today at VS Liquors.
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The Bourbon Gray Market
A couple of months ago FiveThirtyEight posted an article about the secondary market in the sneaker industry. Now, Im no sneakerhead but the article was extremely interesting and I couldnt help but draw comparisons from what is going on in the sneaker industry to the current bourbon market. The sneaker industry releases special edition shoes to which people camp out for, riot over and in general go a little too crazy over what is, in my mind, just a shoe. Sound familiar? Nike releases special edition Air Jordans which are by far the most popular and bring the highest secondary prices. However, there are other releases like the Lebrons, Kobes and KDs that also fetch multiples on MSRP on the secondary market.
Heres how I see the bourbon secondary shifting:
Like it or hate it limited edition bourbons are sold on the secondary market on sites like Bottle-Spot, Facebook groups and Craigslist every day. The mysterious bourbon flipper is the most hated figure in bourbon today. Cant find Pappy? Blame the flipper. Store increased their prices? Blame the flipper. Distilleries increasing prices? Blame the flipper. I think of a flipper as someone that doesnt even drink bourbon and purchases solely for resale. I think this is a very small percentage of the market but increasing. Whats also increasing is the bourbon opportunist The guy that is in to bourbon but can fund a year of purchases with the sale of one bottle of Pappy.
Whats the most expensive bottle right now?
Selling Whisky Via Our Auction Coordination Service
Following the rise in the value of whisky, coupled with the need for a legal way for the public to sell whisky online, a few entrepreneurs set up specialist, online whisky auctions. They started to appear around 2010 and grew in number each year. As of 2021, there are over 20 specialist online whisky auctions and they can be a great place to sell your whisky online. The main of the specialist online auctions is to help you sell whisky online, but how do they achieve good prices when they only sell whisky online?
These auctions cater only to the sale of whisky and as such are able to be very targeted with their marketing. This had the result of opening up the whisky market to the world as the sale and purchase of rare bottles of whisky became more accessible and user friendly. The significant increase in the value of whisky from 2010 onwards can certainly be attributed, at least in part, to the rise of online auctions, but arguably their most important asset is the fact they are completely legal!
We have partnered with one of the leading online whisky auction houses to provide a service that helps our clients get their bottles to auction quickly and efficiently. Once your bottle is at auction you can watch live as bidding commences and your bottle passes to the hands of a new owner.
If you are interested in selling your bottle through our service then please email some images of your bottle standing upright to
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