The main ways to sell whisky in the UK is auction or private sale. Find out how to decide the best way to sell your bottle or collection. Photo: Mark Littler LTD.
The best way to sell whisky bottles in the UK is going to be dependent on you and your collection. For the right bottle a private sale is often the quickest and most profitable way to sell a whisky bottle or collection. Auction is a reliable way to get the market value for the widest variety of whisky bottles, but does take a little longer.
Let’s break down the different options so you can decide the best way to sell your bottles of whisky.
Auction versus private sale
The two main options to decide between when selling whisky in the UK is auction versus private sale. The value you achieve for your bottles selling in either way should be similar, but whether you get the top or bottom of a range will depend on how you sell.
The biggest difference between the two options is the time it takes. Auctions are often only once a month and can take 2 – 4 weeks following the auction to pay out, whereas private sales can usually be completed in shorter timeframes.
The other important thing to remember is that many auctions charge fees to both the buyer and seller on the hammer price. That means that your final “in the bank” price when selling at auction can be lower compared to selling privately. However fees vary between auctions and the right sales route for your bottle or collection is going to depend on you and your bottle.
“When I set up as a broker in 2016 it was to help people find the best way to sell their whisky. As an independent brokerage my team at Mark Littler Ltd help customers with direct sales to our private buyers and help with referrals to a specialist auction house if that’s a better route,” explains Mark Littler, specialist whisky consultant and founder of UK whisky brokerage Mark Littler Ltd. “By providing clear information our customers can make an informed decision about the best sale route for them based on the bottle or collection, and timeframes. By removing the double commission for private sales many of our private buyers can offer higher than auction. However for certain bottles auction is the right route.
“Whether it’s a £44,000 sale of a vertical of Macallan 18 year old, or the biggest single collection brought to auction in the US with the Timeless Collection, we advise our customers on the right route for them. If you have a single bottle or a full collection do get in touch using the form below, or continue to explore our online resources for more information on how to sell.”
Sell Your Whisky Today
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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Selling Whisky Bottles At Auction
There are a huge number of specialist whisky auctions to choose from, both online and traditional. Most online auctions have monthly sales and are suitable for all bottle types. Traditional auction houses tend to have one or two a year and are usually best suited to very high value and unusual bottles/collections.
There are a lot of auction houses to choose from and it is important to select the right one for your whisky as it can impact how much you make. Most whisky auctions have both a buyers and sellers premium to pay and you should take that into account when looking at options.
The other thing to check is the price achieved for the whisky you want to sell. Just like sellers, whisky buyers have a lot of auctions to choose from, and the growing choice means that some auctions do better for different bottles. That means you should compare the average hammer prices for your particular bottle or bottles from different auctions, then balance that against the buyers and sellers premium to get a clear picture of where to sell.
If you want to take the hassle out of deciding what’s best for you Mark Littler LTD can help you consign your whisky bottle or collection to auction. That’s exactly what we did for this large collection of bottles in 2024. Most of these bottles went to auction, but it’s not an all or nothing approach, Mark ensured that bottles that would do better privately were sold that way so the customer made the most selling their whisky collection.
Selling Whisky Privately
With a private sale you do need to know that we don’t mean selling it to your neighbour or directly to someone through the likes of Facebook or eBay. This is because you need licences to sell whisky directly to someone (you have to have a personal and premises licence to sell alcohol in the UK). However you can go through an agent/broker/dealer who has the relevant licences. That means you can sell via a brokerage like Mark Littler Ltd, or also direct to a retailer/dealer.
Selling privately is often quicker than at auction. And because you have a set offer and fees you know exactly what you are going to make.
Using an independent brokerage like Mark Littler LTD can help take the hassle out of finding a private buyer. Our network of buyers means we can get you offers on a wide range of bottles, our clear fees mean you know exactly what you will make. Plus we don’t charge a buyer’s premium so you get a higher proportion of the total sale price compared to many auctions where buyer and seller premiums are charged.
We also have a fully insured shipping service for whisky bottle sales in the UK. We send you packing materials, packing instructions and return postage, then you can either drop the parcel at your local post office or we can arrange a collection. As whisky bottles can be difficult to insure without specialist cover this service is part of our way to make selling your bottles of whisky as easy and stress free as possible.
For a quick and easy way to get auction estimates and private sale offers on your bottles please use the form at the top of this page. Or if you have any questions do please get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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 including all the online selling options.
How To Sell Whisky Online – A guide to getting a valuations and selling your whisky.
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
