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What Affects The Price Of Rare Malts Selection Whisky

Selling Rare Malts Selection whisky can seem like a daunting prospect. After all, there are so many ways that you can sell whisky. But which way is the most effective? And, how can you get the best price for your whisky? Well, that is where we come in.

At Mark Littler Ltd we can help you to sell your Rare Malts Selection whisky quickly, stress-free, and for the best price. We make selling whisky online easy with Mark Littler Ltd.

How We Can Help You Sell Your Whisky

Is bottled whisky a good investment?

Simply fill in the form below and we will put you in contact with a specialist whisky retailer.  If your bottle is suitable they will make you an offer directly for your bottle.  This is perferable for those wanting a quick sale, or for those who are not prepared to take the risk that auctions entail.  There is no charge for our assistance if you accept a private sale.

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Alternatively we can help you sell your bottles through auction.  With close to 30,000 bottles being sold at auction every month you have to be sure that your bottles are being sold in the right auction to achieve the highest price.  There is no charge for our assistance selling at auction

Free Specialist Whisky Valuations

Please use the form below to submit images of your bottle and receive a free, no-obligation valuation from a specialist auctioneer. We will also actively seek the highest offer from our network of private collectors to help you sell your whisky.

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    Whisky Valuation Tips

    Are you looking to sell your whisky for the highest possible price? It might surprise you to learn that one of the most important actions you can take is to capture high-quality images of your bottles. This ensures we can offer you the best prices and accurately appraise your bottles. Here are our top tips for submitting images of your bottles:

    1. Stand the bottle upright so that we can clearly see the level of the whisky in the bottle.
    2. Do you have the original box? If so, place it next to the bottle in the photo.
    3. Capture the images in a well-lit room, ideally against a neutral background.
    The perfect image - note the bottle is stood upright, against a neutral background with the original box in display
    The perfect image – note the bottle is stood upright, against a neutral background with the original box in display

    What To Look For

    Each bottle has its own sequence number, apart from any released between 1995-1997. Also, on the labelling you will find a mark detailing the month and year of bottling and there is red line that reads ‘limited bottling’ or ‘limited edition’. The only variations of these were for the US and South African export editions.

    It is often said that 1972 Broras are the best they have produced. There are only five in circulation, making them very rare and incredibly sought after. The popularity of the 1972 vintage continued to soar when Diageo released their 40-year-old version of the same vintage. 

    Since the closure of the Brora distillery in 1983 their attention had continued to grow, as collectors are keen to own these historic bottles.

    A 1972 bottle of 22-year-old Brora Rare Malts recently sold for £10,700.

    The Six Factors That Affect The Price Of Rare Malts Selection Whisky

    There are six factors that will affect the price of your bottle of Rare Malts Selection. These are the age of the whisky, the bottling date, the vintage, whether it is a single cask edition, the level of the whisky and the condition of the label and box.

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    Age of whisky

    This refers to the number of years the whisky has spent maturing in the cask, not how long it has been in the bottle. The age is indicated on the label and can vary from 3 to well over 30 years old.

    Most collectible bottles are over 10 years old and value usually increases with the age of the whisky. Whisky over 30 years old is the most sought after as it is the rarest.

    Any whisky bottled at over 50 years old is highly desirable and a very limited number of distilleries have released whisky over 50 years old.

    Macallan Whisky Worth

    Bottling date

    This relates to when the whisky was bottled. As bottles from a specific year are consumed, the remaining bottles become rarer, so even a ‘standard’ malt released in the 1980’s can become sought after.

    If vintage is not stated bottle volume can be an indicator of bottling era. Bottles from the 1970s and earlier use fluid ounces (FL.OZ). In the 1980s standard bottles size was 75cl and in 1991 the standard size (in the EU) changed to 70cl. Note that standard bottle size is still 75cl in the USA, and other bottle sizes are occasionally used, in which case you will have to use other indicators.

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    Distillation year

    The distillation year might also be described as the bottle vintage, and refers to the specific year in which the whisky was distilled (made). It is one of the most important factors that can impact the price of your collectible whisky.

    In general, the earlier the distillation year the more collectible your bottle of whisky. Bottles from the first half of the 20th century are highly valued by collectors and fetch a premium. That being said, the bottler is also important, and so two whiskies distilled in the same year, at the same distillery, but bottled by different bottlers will vary in value.

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    Label & packaging

    The label on a bottle of collectible whisky is very important and should be in pristine condition to fetch the highest value. If the label is damaged in any way, such as scratching, blemishing, pealing or mould, then this will have a negative impact on the value.

    The box condition is almost as important as the label condition, and the correct box is very important to collectors. A bottle with a damaged or marked box will be worth less, and a bottle without its original box could be worth up to 30% less.

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    Level

    The level of the whisky has a large impact on the value. On almost all bottles it should be well into the neck, a level in the lower half of the neck is worth less and levels into the shoulder will significantly impact the value.

    Older bottles are more prone to a drop in level as the bottles were not intended for storage. A drop in level implicates the long term storage prospects for any collector but as alcohol is more volatile than water it is the alcohol that will evaporate first, which impacts the flavour.

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    Single Cask Bottlings

    Single cask bottlings are generally more sought after, as by default they are unique and usually of a significantly limited edition. Look out for numbers on your bottle like XXX/250, with the second number generally being less than 500, which would indicate a single cask edition.

    Longer edition numbers such as XXX/5000 are often also collectible. These longer numbers usually indicate that the release is a vatting of a number of casks.

    How We Can Help Sell Your Rare Malts Selection Whisky

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    Private Sale

    Our brokerage service is a simple, stress-free way to sell whisky. We will broker the sale between you and one of our buyers. For this service, we charge a 10% commission (inc. VAT) of the final sale price of the item. This avenue is fast and simple. We will take care of everything for you.

    Learn more…

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    Auction

    At Mark Littler Ltd we can also help you to sell whisky via auction. We have teamed up with the country’s leading online whisky auctions to help you to sell whisky at auction without the hassle. This is a great option for lower-value bottles, or if you do not mind taking some risks.

    Learn more…

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    Shop

    The final option is selling your whisky through our one-of-a-kind online shop. On our shop, we broker the sale of high-value bottles for our customers. Your bottle will sit amongst rare and expensive whisky and our advertising campaigns aim to draw the eye of whisky collectors everywhere.

    Learn more…

    Do You Remember This Story?

    In 2020 we sold a vertical of Macallan 18 year old for Matthew Robson for £44,000!

    The story went viral being covered from the BBC, to India, to the USA.  

    Matthew had been given a bottle every year from his father as a birthday gift and at the time of sale amounted to 28 bottles, all with their original boxes.

    Now We Can Help You

    It was a pleasure to work with Matthew, assisting him in obtaining the highest possible amount for his collection. Now, let us use our experience and connections to assist you.

    “I was looking to sell my whisky collection of 28 bottles of Macallan 18 year old to fund the purchase of my first house, so I got in touch with Mark.

    My father gave me 1 bottle each year for a birthday present so that by the time that I was 18 I would have 18 bottles of 18 year old Macallan. (Yes I’m that guy who was plastered over the media)

    Mark did a great job of getting professional photos taken of them and creating a PR buzz around the collection and I even ended up on BBC breakfast news, lad bible, and various radio stations around the world.

    At one point my story was the second most viewed story on BBC world wide news app for the whole weekend with over 2 million views.

    Needless to say within a day or two of this PR Campaign there was numerous offers.

    I would like to thank Mark for all his work and helping me with everything.”

    Macallan Whisky Collection

    What Is Your Whisky Worth

    Do you want to know what your whisky is worth but don’t know where to start?
    Use these guides to help you.

    What Is Your Whisky Worth? – An in-depth look at the factors affecting your bottle’s value.

    A Beginner’s Guide To Selling Whisky – Everything you need to get started selling your whisky.

    How To Sell Whisky Online – A rundown of all the online selling options available.

    Sell Your Whisky Today – A simple way to sell your whisky fast.

    Macallan Specific Guides

    The Complete Guide To Valuing Macallan Whisky – Selling Macallan? This is your starting point.

    What Is Macallan Whisky Worth? – Unsure of your Macallan’s value? Begin here

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    The History Of Rare Malts Selection

    The Rare Malts Selection is a series of bottlings that were first released by United Distillers and the Distillers Company Ltd. (it later became Diageo) in 1995. Most of its bottlings were from single malts or distilleries that had either closed or been demolished. Others were from casks that had been found tucked away in existing distilleries. The whiskies had to be aged between 18 and 30 years old and from the years 1969-1981.

    Some of the many interesting and rare single malts they own include Aultmore, Benrinnes, Benromach, Blair Athol, Brora, Cardhu, Millburn, Linkwood and Teaninich.  The original goal, after success with Flora & Fauna and Classic Malts collections, was to compensate for the reduction in blended whisky sales and the growing love of single malts.

    Thanks to the success of the original range, Diageo continued to offer Special Releases from 2001 onwards. All their bottlings are un-chill-filtered and at cask strength. As proof of their natural state, the company offers warnings that anyone buying their bottles should dilute the drink with two-thirds of water and that they could be cloudy or ‘dirty’. GuinnessUDV, who now owns the companies behind the collection, continues to offer bottlings.

    Bottles were released in limited supplies and have been cared for according to the producers’ guidelines. This allowed them to select the best bottles; with the highest quality and consistency. They have a cork stopper and volumes vary depending on date of release, are either 75cl or 70cl, with two releases of 20cl; a 20-year-old Brora and a 22-year-old Dailuaine.

    Initially the RMS were not destined for over-the-counter sales and as such were limited to three releases per year, between 1995-1998, after which it was reduced to one per year to protect the dwindling stocks. The last release was in 2005; in total 121 versions were released.

    Sell A Cask of Whisky (4)

    Send us details about your bottle directly via email or use the form below.

    Sell A Cask of Whisky (2)

    We contact our international network of customers for the best offers.

    Sell A Cask of Whisky (3)

    If you decide to proceed with an offer we issue you with a contract.

    Mark Littler LTD can help collect and delivery your items with our fully insured service.

    Send us your bottle. We have a fully insured courier service available.

    Sell A Cask of Whisky (1)

    We complete the sale with the buyer and send your funds via BACS.

    Bottle Selling FAQ

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    Mark Littler LTD can help collect and delivery your items with our fully insured service.
    Receive money when selling your cask of whisky