When it comes to selling a cask of whisky, there is no cask that will cause more of a stir in the community than a cask of Macallan.
It’s no wonder when a single bottle can sell for thousands, if not tens of thousands of pounds (or more than a £1.5million as was the case with one limited edition bottle in October 2019). However at the end of the day, selling a cask of Macallan involves the same processes for selling any cask.
Importantly selling a cask is very different from selling a bottle, read more here.
There are two main ways to sell a cask: sell at auction or sell to a private buyer. If you have a cask of Macallan on your hands then there is really no need to go to auction – we have discussed cask auctions here so have a look – that leaves selling privately. Selling privately allows you to agree a price in advance that both you and the buyer are happy with. But if you want to sell privately, how do you find someone to sell it to and how do you know what it is worth?
What is a cask of Macallan worth?
- A cask of Macallan can go for anything from £1,250 a litre to more than £4,000 a litre.
- We have sold casks of Macallan from £50,000 to £150,000
Specifically, whisky casks are priced per litre and as you may notice this is a pretty big range and there are a few reasons why.
What causes the price variation in a cask of Macallan whisky?
At the lower end of the scale, around the £1,250 a litre mark, these are casks that have either:
- A low ABV, at or around the 40% mark (this then becomes a bit of a risk for a buyer as the cask isn’t technically whisky if it drops below 40% before they can bottle it)
- The cask is an ex-bourbon or refill sherry cask that isn’t very active. Macallan is famous for its strong sherry flavours, so a bourbon barrel or inactive sherry cask will lower the price per litre
At the upper end of the price range at the £2,000 to +£4,000 per litre these casks are:
- Very active first fill sherry casks that have imparted a big colour and flavour to the whisky
- Healthy casks with a high ABV
- Casks that are more than 25–30 years old
- Sherry puncheons and butts are highly sought after and command a huge premium
So now you know a vague range for the value of your cask, but how do you go about finding exactly what your cask is worth and finding buyers?
A quick search on Google will show you there are no end of people willing to ‘help’ you sell your cask of Macallan. The important things are to find someone you trust and to go forearmed with the correct information.
What do you need to know to sell your cask of Macallan?
- You will need to obtain a regauge on your cask, contact your duty representative at the warehouse where your cask is stored to arrange this. Your regauge will tell you your bulk litres and ABV (alcoholic strength), or RLA (regauged litres of alcohol) and ABV.
- You should check the cask size and type from your original purchase details as well as the distillation date.
- This information can then be used to calculate a price, which as explained above will usually be based on the ABV, RLA, cask type and age of the whisky, and will be a value per litre of alcohol.
For example if your cask is valued at £1,500 a litre and you have 100 litres of alcohol then your cask will be worth 100 x 1,500 = £150, 000. If it is valued at £2,000 a litre and there are 50 regauged litres remaining then it will be worth £100,000.
Finding someone you trust to help you sell your cask is imperative when you are working with something like a cask of Macallan. At Mark Littler we are proud to have more than 250 five-star reviews across Google, Facebook and Yell. These are from all our customers, whether it is a £5,000 limited edition LS Lowry print or a £150,000 cask.
We are proud to have been trusted brokers since 2016, providing honest impartial advice and getting our clients the best price for their whisky.
If you would like free, impartial advice on selling your cask of Macallan please get in touch. We are happy to help with anything, whether it is helping you arrange a regauge or collecting no obligation offers on your cask.
You can call us on 01260 218 718, email [email protected] or use the contact form below and we will get in touch.
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