The first time a collectible whisky goes under the hammer, it has a lot to prove. The original suggested retail price and scarcity of the bottle may be fresh in the memory of a buyer, but then the factors of supply and demand kick in and it becomes apparent how many collectors are still looking to get their hands on a bottle. Time it right, and that bottle can dictate the secondary market value for years to come. Time it wrong, and it can sell for less than you paid for it. Making their auction debuts this month were bottles of Macallan The Red Collection 73 year old, Eagle Rare 25 year old, and a one-of-one Glenlivet 55 year old.
Despite these first-timers, it’s been a month of mixed fortunes for the secondary market, with Bonhams, Paris withdrawing a single-owner collection of scotches due to authenticity concerns. Elsewhere, a number of high-value scotches have gone unsold this month by failing to meet their reserves, despite attracting five and six-figure bids. Whisky Auctioneer took bids of $131,349 for Macallan The Reach 81 year old, $65,998 for Macallan The Red Collection 77 year old, and $49,175 for a bottle of Glenfiddich Rare Collection 1937 64 year old, but none of them were sold. WVA Whisky Auctions garnered the highest bid of the month to date, $139,253, for a bottle of Macallan The Red Collection 60 year old, which was also below the reserve and didn’t sell. Secondary market conditions are tougher than two years ago, but as the results below demonstrate, there are still plenty of bottles and a lot of money changing hands.
Whisky Auctioneer October 2024 Auction
Auction ended November 4th
- Scotch: Macallan The Red Collection 73 year old, $62,116. Going under the hammer for the first time, this recent addition to The Red Collection was released in August for a retail price of $82,500. Despite the result, it’s the highest hammer price of the month so far.
- Japanese: Karuizawa 1965 50 year old Japonisme Edition, $54,998. This fetched a much higher price than the bottle sold in June, as it was bottle 1 of 60.
- Bourbon: Willett Family Estate 17 year old Single Barrel Whiskey Keller, $10,741. This age stated Willett is one of 108 bottles from cask No. 58.
Unicorn Auctions Semper Fi Selections
Auction ended November 4th
- Bourbon: Van Winkle Special Reserve 1974 20 year old for Corti Brothers, $29,100. This gold wax-sealed bottle was distilled in 1974 and bottled for California grocers Corti Brothers by Julian Van Winkle III in 1994.
- Scotch: Macallan The Flask 22 year old, $5,650. One of 400 bottles, this U.S.-exclusive release was matured in American oak sherry casks.
- Irish: Midleton Master Distillers Private Collection 1973 30 year old, $2,775. Single cask No. 41422 was selected from the remaining stocks from Old Midleton Distillery by then master distiller Barry Crockett, and this bottle soared past its pre-sale estimate of $1,000–$1,500.
Sotheby’s, London – Finest & Rarest Spirits
Auction ended November 5th
- Scotch: Glenlivet 55 year old 200th Anniversary Edition 1 of 1, $54,660. Bidding on this single bottle release only just about matched the $55,000 price tag of the 100 bottles in the Glenlivet Eternal Collection 55 year old release, although the 200th Anniversary Edition included extra incentives including an invitation to the distillery to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime whisky experience.
- Japanese: Karuizawa 1965 50 year old Cask No. 2372, $16,919. This was bottled in 2016 from a single sherry cask for the 60th anniversary of La Maison Du Whisky, Paris.
Lot of the Week
It’s taken just over a year since release, but finally a bottle of Eagle Rare 25 year old has made it to auction. This oldest edition in the Eagle Rare lineup was created by master distiller Harlen Wheatley from stocks distilled in 1988. It reached this great age by spending the last 5 years under environmentally controlled conditions inside an experimental maturation area in Buffalo Trace’s Warehouse P. Buffalo Trace released 200 decanters with a suggested retail price of $10,000 each, making the result of this auction debut all the more impressive. Most bottles in our list of the 20-highest hammer prices of the month carry an age statement of 50 years or more, but the Eagle Rare 25 year old could be on track to put this brand on the list for the first time.
Lot: Eagle Rare 25 year old
Sold at: Unicorn Auctions
Hammer Price: $23,800
Upcoming Auctions
Bottles to bid on in the next few weeks:
November 21st, Fine & Rare Whisky, Sotheby’s, Singapore. Look out for another bottle of Karuizawa 1965 50 year old Japonisme Edition (est. $26,400–$37,700) and a bottle of Macallan 71 year old Tales of the Macallan Volume I (est. $37,700–$56,600) amongst other fine selections.
November 29h, The Ultimate Japanese Whisky, Bonhams, Paris. This event is a single lot online auction of a 54-bottle set of the Hanyu Ichiro Malt Card Series (est. $750,000–$1,300,000) signed by Ichiro Akuto, which includes both the color and monochrome Jokers.
November 30th, Connoisseur’s Treasures, Bonhams, Hong Kong. This auction promises a second auction appearance of the recently released 96-point Hibiki 40 year old (est. $44,000–$64,000), as well as a bottle of Macallan The Reach 81 year old (est. $170,000–$230,000).
