If you have a bottle of whisky that you are wanting to sell you might have considered selling it at an auction. Indeed, selling your whisky at auction can be a very good option to consider. But with over 20 specialist whisky auctioneers in the UK alone how do you know where to start? We’re spent the past few months compiling this blog for you so you can make an informed decision as to where’s best to sell your bottles.
The Rise of Specialist Online Whisky Auctions – A Brief History
The first specialist whisky only online auction was set up in 2011 by Glasgow based Scotch Whisky Auctions. Prior to this the specialist site WhiskyAuction.com had been trading in Germany since 1997 – so these really were the pioneers of this category. Bricks and mortar salerooms such as Bonhams and McTears have long had specialist whisky sales, but these have formed part of an auction calendar of a more traditional saleroom.
The rise in specialist online whisky auctions really began around 2013-2015 which coincided with the boom in the value of single malt whisky. Just Whisky Auctions, and Whisky Auctioneer both set up in 2013, with Whisky.Auction following in 2014, Whisky Hammer in 2015 and dozens more in the following years.
Flash forward to 2022 and we are now seeing over 20,000 bottles per month sold and some individual auction houses turning over £30,000,000 of whisky sales annually. It goes without saying that whisky auctions are now extremely big business.
Sell Whisky: Expert Valuations
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The 4 Things You Need To Know About Selling Whisky At Auction
You may think that all online whisky auctions can sell your bottle for the same price, and that their services are all equal. This is often the misbelief that leads people to sell at auctions which are not appropriate for their bottles and as such get a substandard return.
With this in mind here are the four things you need to know about selling your whisky at auction. They are: 1 – Don’t assume that the lowest commission is the best commission, 2 – Marketing is the key to success, 3 – Post sale service is incredibly important and finally 4 – Consider all of your options.
1 – 0% commission = higher returns?
In the age of digital business there is an apt saying: “If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product”. This is true for the likes of Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms where your data is sold to companies in exchange for your free use of the platforms. This is not exactly the case with selling whisky at auction, but at the end of the day businesses cost money to run and if an auction house is charging you zero commission, or even a negative commission (!), then it’s worth questioning what level of service you (or the buyer) will be getting.
As we’ll see in points 2 and 3 the way to achieving the highest market prices for bottles on an online auction is through marketing and through providing excellent customer service. The cost of producing catalogues, blogs, videos, advertising campaigns etc all costs money. The auction houses who charge a higher commission consistently (in our opinion) provide a higher standard of service to their buyers in the form of pre-sale marketing and post sale engagement. This has the beneficial effect of drawing more customers to their platform, making these people engage more with their auctions and as a result achieve the highest possible prices.
So before you sell with the auction house with the lowest commission consider what part of their service is being sacrificed in order to cover the cost of this marketing ploy to get bottles into their sales.
2 – Why Marketing Matters More Than Commission
What do you think is more important for driving prices: the quality of the whisky or the quality of the marketing? If you think it’s the quality of the whisky you are sadly wrong, as we evidence in this video.
When you’re looking to sell your bottle for the highest possible price at auction you really need to appreciate that it is the level and quality of pre-sale marketing that will encourage more bidders to bid on your bottles. Afterall, the price achieved at an auction has a direct correlation to the number of people bidding on that item and how much they are prepared to pay. Drawing bidders to the platform is clearly important, as the more people on the platform the greater the probability there is of someone really wanting your bottle.
However, arguably more important than the number of buyers is the quality of the buyers. The more educated and understanding a buyer is, the more likely they are to bid more.
Consequently blogs, video guides, active social media campaigns and high quality catalogues are all hallmarks that the auction house is helping to educate and inform their clients about the bottles in their auctions.
With this in mind make sure you take a look at the blogs, YouTube channels and social media accounts of any auction house to see how much attention they put on marketing each auction.
3 – Post sale service is incredibly important
No buyer is going to bid at an auction if they cannot get their bottles in a timely and safe manner. UK shipping is relatively simple, but we know from first hand experience that the best buyers (i.e. the ones who are prepared to pay the most) are more commonly in Asia and America. Most whisky auctions will offer some form of US and Asia shipping options, but the more options they have the better.
And don’t forget about Europe. Shipping to Europe is now incredibly difficult and all bottles will attract VAT on their import as a result of Brexit. Some whisky auctions like Whisky Auctioneer now have a European office so they can ensure safe passage to European clientele, and they even auction bottles from both locations.
While these might seem like trivial points to consider, you have to put yourself in the position of your buyer (who is going to buy your bottle afterall). If you can’t get you bottle safely and promptly it’s unlikely they will bid.
4 – Consider all of your options
At Mark Littler LTD we’re here to help you consider all of your options. From providing you with a valuation, to helping you select the right auction house to sell at, to sending you all the packing material and a pre-paid returns label so you can get your bottles safely to us, to consigning your bottles into the most appropriate auction and handling all the paperwork, we’re here to help.
We can also help you sell through a brokered private sale and we can even help you sell your whisky bottles via our brokerage shop. Here your bottles will be presented in an online retail environment where we can achieve prices over and above those that can be sought at auction.
So if you would like a valuation of your bottles and advice on how best to sell use this below contact form to get in touch, call the office on 01260 218718 or send us a message via email or Whats App.
How to Sell Your Whisky Bottles At Auction
So here we go, here is the most comprehensive guide to all of the main specialist whisky auctioneers in the UK. We contacted all of the following auctioneers for data to help us compile this guide: Bonhams, Catawiki Whisky Auction, Celtic Whiskey Auction, Christie’s, Global Whisky Auctions, Irish, Whiskey Auctions, Just Whisky Auctions, McTear’s Whisky Auction, Scotch Whisky Auction, Sotheby’s, Speyside Whisky Auctions, The Grand Whisky Auction, The Whisky Shop Auctions, Whisky Auctioneer, Whisky.Auction, WhiskyAuction.com, Whisky Auctions Edinburgh, Whisky Hammer, Whisky-Online Auctions, WVA Whisky Auctions.
Despite multiple attempts via phone and email the following companies declined to give us any information about their services and as such are not included in this guide: Catawiki Whisky Auction, Christie’s, Global Whisky Auctions, Speyside Whisky Auctions, Whisky Auctions Edinburgh and Whisky-Online Auctions.
- Established: 2013
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT): 6%
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: 70,000
- Whisky Turnover In 2020: £30 million
- Blog? Yes
Despite not being the oldest auction house in this guide, having been established in 2013, Whisky Auctioneer have certainly come to dominate the auction market. In 2020 alone, Whisky Auctioneer held 18 auctions and received an average of 100,000 bids per month, selling over 70,000 lots. Their most expensive lot they have auctioned is the Macallan 1926 60 Year Old Fine & Rare which they sold for a huge £1 million. Whisky Auctioneer are well known for the high quality content that they produce to promote the whisky market as well as to make each lot in their auctions unique. This content includes detailed blogs, interviews with industry members, digital guides, and tasting events to ensure that they offer added value to their buyers and sellers. Most recently, this is best demonstrated by their ‘Visionary Masterpieces’ themed auction for which they interviewed Darrell Corti, of Corti Brothers of Sacramento. Whisky Auctioneer has recently opened a second office in Germany to ensure that changes in shipping regulations do not impact their clients selling at auction. To sell your whisky with Whisky Auctioneer there is a 5% (plus VAT) seller’s commission and they offer secure and insured storage both in the UK and Europe.
- Established: 1744
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT):Decided on an individual basis
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: Details not provided
- Spirits Turnover In 2020: $18 million (~£13 million)
- Blog? Yes
The first of the bricks and mortar auction houses in our guide, Sotheby’s was established in 1744 and has built an incredibly strong reputation for record breaking sales. This is no more true than with whisky, where Sotheby’s achieved a record breaking sale not only for Macallan but for single malt whisky as a whole. This bottle was the Macallan 1926 60 Year Old Fine and Rare which sold for an eye-watering £1.45 million. In particular, Sotheby’s believe in maximising the value of truly special collections and individual bottles in order to achieve the highest possible prices for their clients, as demonstrated by the Macallan Fine and Rare. Sotheby’s also promote their large client base of bidders as they have teams in 40 countries, hoping to achieve the highest price. Selling your whisky at auction with Sotheby’s does carry a seller’s commission however the rate is calculated on an individual case-by-case basis.
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- Established: 1793
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT): 18% up to £15,000, 12% thereafter
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: 2,153
- Whisky Turnover In 2020: £8,550,000
- Blog? Yes
Established in 1793, Bonhams is one of the long standing auction houses of the UK. Known for its international sales, Bonhams holds 12 whisky auctions per year from its Edinburgh and Hong Kong salerooms. Often dealing in unique, high value items, Bonhams prides itself on using specialist knowledge to place the items in the best possible auction in the optimum location to achieve the highest sale possible. Bonhams have achieved world record auction prices on three occasions, including most recently the Macallan 1926 60 Year Old with label design by Valerio Adami featured above which sold for £848,750. This Macallan is also Bonham’s most expensive bottle sold to date. To sell your bottle at auction with Bonhams, there is a 15% seller’s commission (plus VAT), which decreases to 10% in the Edinburgh auction house for items over £15,000, and they do provide temperature controlled storage for a limited time. Bonhams is best suited to ultra rare bottles of whisky where their depth of knowledge and experience can achieve the best possible results.
- Established: 2014
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT): Varied
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: 25,100
- Whisky Turnover In 2020: Details not provided
- Blog? Yes
Whisky.Auction has been operating from London since 2014. Holding monthly auctions, Whisky.Auction prides itself on their rigorous verification process to ensure that the bottles entering these auctions are in the best condition possible. Their most expensive bottle sold to date was the Karuizawa 50 Year Old which they sold for £100,100. To sell your whisky with Whisky.Auction there is a seller’s commission, the rate of which is dependent on the hammer price of your bottle. For lots under £19.99 the rate is 20%; for £20-£999.99 the rate is 10%; for £1000-£1999.99 the rate is 5%; and for any lots over £2000 there is a 2.5% commission. Whisky.Auction does not offer storage as standard but it can be available on request.
- Established: 2014 (1842)
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT): 18%
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: 2500
- Whisky Turnover In 2020: £275,000
- Blog? Yes
Although McTear’s is another long standing auction house of the UK, it has only had a dedicated whisky auction since 2014. Despite this, McTear’s has developed a reputation for highly successful fine and rare whisky auctions. Their most notable bottle to sell at auction to date is the Glenlivet 1943 70 Year Old Gordon & Macphail bottling which sold for £34,000. McTear’s pride themselves on holding traditional live auctions where in-the-room bidders create an exciting atmosphere as well as phone and internet bidding. Despite the whisky auction being a young addition to McTear’s, its reputation as an auction house since its founding in 1842 ensures that they have the specialist knowledge of the trade. To sell your whisky at auction with McTear’s there is a 15% (plus VAT) seller’s commission and they offer storage on request depending on size, value, and storage time.
- Established: 2018
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT): 6.15%
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: 16,000
- Whisky Turnover In 2020: Details not provided
- Blog? No
One of the newer auction houses tackling whisky, Irish Whiskey Auctions was established in 2018. As the name suggests, Irish Whiskey Auctions have focused on Irish whiskey and claim to be the world’s first specialist Irish Whiskey auctioneers. As a result, this auction house has sold the most expensive bottle of Irish whiskey to ever be sold at auction: the Midleton Silent Distillery bottle for 42,000 euros (£36,003). To sell your whisky with Irish Whiskey Auctions, there is a 5% (plus VAT at 23%) seller’s commission and they offer both long and short term storage options. Irish Whiskey Auctions have placed an emphasis on working with their customers to improve their service and most recently that has involved upgrading their platform for online auctions. They plan to launch more new features in the future to continue developing their relationship with their customers.
- Established: 2013
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT): 6%, 0% on individual bottles over £1500
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: 14,084
- Whisky Turnover In 2020: Details not provided
- Blog? Yes
Just-Whisky Auctions was established in 2013 and since that time has been holding monthly online sales. In 2019 Just-Whisky sold a Macallan 72 Year Old bottled in a Lalique decanter for £90,750.00. This whisky was distilled in the 1940s and bottled in 2018 to mark the opening of Macallan’s new distillery and visitor centre. Selling your whisky with Just-Whisky carries a 5% (plus VAT) seller’s commission although this does decrease to 0% for individual bottles sold at auction for more than £1500. They also offer both long and short term storage options for bottles.
- Established: 1995
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT): 0%
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: Details not provided
- Whisky Turnover In 2020: Details not provided
- Blog? No
The Whisky Shop Auctions has been holding online auctions since 1995 and are based in Glasgow, Scotland. They offer a drop-off service to any of their 20 retail stores across the UK as well as offering a click and collect service for buyers. This auction house is the only one in our guide that holds continuous auctions as opposed to time specific ones i.e. monthly. This is so that there are no deadlines for getting your bottle to them. The Whisky Shop Auctions place an emphasis on innovation and trying new things and this is best demonstrated with their online wallet service. This new platform allows sellers to decide if they would like to cash out the money they receive from selling their bottles or if they’d like to use it to bid on other whisky being sold at auction. The Whisky Shop Auction’s most expensive bottle sold is the Macallan 1952 49 Year Old which sold for £21,000 in April 2021. There is no seller’s commission for selling through The Whisky Shop Auctions and they offer free 90 day storage.
- Established: 1997
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT): 12%
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: 51,647
- Whisky Turnover In 2020: Details not provided
- Blog? No
Established in 1997, WhiskyAuction.com has been holding monthly online auctions for 24 years and is based in Germany. This auction house places the emphasis on collectors and as such includes recent auction history for individual bottles. WhiskyAuction.com’s most notable sale to date is the Bowmore 50 Year Old which they sold for 29,505 euros (£25,292). To sell your whisky with WhiskyAuction.com there is a seller’s commission of 10% (plus VAT) and at the moment they do not offer any storage options.
- Established: 2015
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT): 6%
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: Details not provided
- Whisky Turnover In 2020: Details not provided
- Blog? Yes
Whisky Hammer was established in 2015 and despite only being 6 years old, the auction house has expanded rapidly to monthly auctions where they regularly sell over one million pounds worth of whisky. This culminated in Whisky Hammer’s most expensive sale to date, which is the Macallan Red 78 Year Old which sold in their auction for £92,500 in 2020 which remains the highest auction price for this bottle. The Whisky Hammer platform is easily navigable and clear, demonstrating the high quality customer service that the auction house commits to. To sell at auction with Whisky Hammer, there is a 5% (plus VAT) seller’s commission and they offer free storage for up to 3 months.
- Established: 2016
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT): 0%
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: 10,000
- Whisky Turnover In 2020: Details not provided
- Blog? No
In the top 3 youngest auction houses in our guide, WVA was established in 2016 and operates from West Sussex. Deviating from most other auction houses, WVA holds two 3-day auctions per month and in 2020 they auctioned 10,000 bottles of whisky. The WVA online platform is incredibly accessible and easy to use, making it easy to register as a seller. To sell your whisky at auction with WVA, there are no seller commission fees or registration fees and they offer storage options.
- Established: 2019
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT): 6%
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: Details not provided (329% increase from 2019 to 2020)
- Whisky Turnover In 2020: Details not provided
- Blog? Yes
The newest auction house in our guide, The Grand Whisky Auction has been operating since just 2019. They have hit the ground running with whisky auctions and have already achieved some high level sales. Their most notable bottle sold at auction is also a Macallan 72 Year Old in a Lalique decanter. The Grand Whisky Auction achieved a sale price of £60,000 for this bottle. This auction house is growing at a fast pace and pride themselves on auctioning large numbers of Macallan bottles. To sell at auction with Grand Whisky Auctions there is a 5% (plus VAT) seller’s commission and they offer free storage for 90 days.
Scotch Whisky Auction
- Established: 2011
- Sellers Commission (inc. VAT): 0%
- No. Bottles Sold In 2020: 75,055
- Whisky Turnover In 2020: Details not provided
- Blog? No
Scotch Whisky Auctions have been operating since 2011 as an online whisky auction platform based in Glasgow, Scotland. When we were collecting the data for this guide, Scotch Whisky Auction were very limited with their response and we therefore have very little information about their services. However, they are one of the biggest online sellers in our auction guide which is likely due to the fact that they charge zero seller’s commission. They often attract old and rare bottlings such as high age statement Macallan and Brora, however they have not disclosed to us what their most expensive bottle sold at auction is.