With tariffs dominating the news headlines, auction houses have been busy assessing what the implications will be. Highland Whisky Auctions temporarily suspended all shipments to the U.S. in early April, before implementing new processes in line with the tariffs and offering U.S. collectors an additional three months of free storage. Spink, China, and Grand Whisky Auction updated their customer information to inform them that import tariffs into the U.S. will be based on the country of origin of where the goods are produced. That would mean the UK rate of 10% would apply to scotch, Welsh, and English whisky; the European Union rate of 20% would cover Irish and other whisky produced in EU countries; a rate of 24% on Japanese whisky; and Taiwanese whisky would be held to a 32% tariff. American whiskey bought from auction houses outside the U.S. would be free from tariffs. When the tariffs were then paused for 90 days and left at the 10% rate for most countries, the rules changed again. Our advice is to keep checking the FAQs on the auction website for updates. Auction houses will be able to calculate the tariffs payable on your winning auction bids as a percentage of the hammer price after the end of the auction. Whisky Auctioneer advised collectors that this is not included in the hammer price and is charged on top of the buyer’s premium and shipping costs, and that the situation is liable to change.
Unsurprisingly, that led to greater caution and less participation at many auctions. There’s plenty of time for further action before the end of the month, but it has been a while since there were so few bottles of Macallan in the provisional 20-highest hammer prices of the month. Bowmore has had a good month, attracting the highest hammer price so far this month at Whisky Auctioneer among a number of other interesting rarities in that sale such as Bowmore 1980 Queen’s Cask 21 year old for $19,728, the Bowmore Vaults Collection 1969 50 year old which sold for $17,198, and Bowmore 1964 38 year old Oloroso Cask which fetched $16,546. Scotch Whisky Auction’s highest hammer price in their 166th monthly sale was $7,569 for Macallan Archival Series Folio 1. We’ve not seen a highest hammer price that low at Scotch Whisky Auctions since their 57th auction, back in January 2016.
Whisky Auctioneer March 2025 Auction
Auction ended April 7th
- Scotch: Bowmore 1968 ARC-52, $32,456. This Aston Martin collaboration with the oldest distillery on Islay generated the highest hammer price of the month so far.
- Japan: Karuizawa Platinum Geisha 40 year old Cask No. 1650, $22,274. The closed distillery had a strong showing at Whisky Auctioneer this month, with this sherry cask expression, one of 227 bottles, achieving the highest single bottle hammer price for a Japanese whisky this month.
- American: Weller Millenium 2024 Release, $3,946. These can fetch $9,000 at auctions in the U.S., but there is less competition for them at auctions in Scotland.
Unicorn Auctions April 2025 No Reserves I
Auction ended April 14th
- Bourbon: Michter’s 20 year old Single Barrel Bourbon 2012 Release, $16,600. This mint-condition bottle was still boxed and factory sealed and took the highest price of the auction.
- Rye: Michter’s 25 year old Single Barrel Rye 2008 Release, $16,300. The hard-to-find first release in the series.
- Scotch: Macallan 30 year old Sherry Oak 2024 Release, $3,425. Always popular, demand for this Macallan pushed it close to the top of its estimate.
Lot of the Week
A new Port Ellen distillery reopened in March 2024 after the former distillery closed 40 years earlier in 1983. To celebrate the reopening, Diageo released a pair of Port Ellen whiskies aged for 44 years in a set called Port Ellen Gemini. Distilled in 1978, this was the oldest release of Port Ellen whisky to date, and 274 bottles were available. The set includes a bottle each from the 95-point original and 96-point remnant cask—a remnant cask is a barrel filled with the ends of different filling runs. Unveiled in February 2024 through the Diageo Private Client network for £45,000 (then equivalent to $56,385), it sold at Whisky Auctioneer for £18,000; a hammer price of just 40% of the original retail price. In a secondary market with fewer buyers, there are significant savings to be made on historic whiskies for your collection.
Lot: Port Ellen Gemini 44 year old
Sold at: Whisky Auctioneer, April 7th 2025
Hammer Price: $22,910
Upcoming Auctions:
April 26th, Whiskyauction.com: A rare bottle of Bowmore 1964 38 year old Oloroso Cask is currently leading the bidding.
April 29th, Bonhams Skinner: Curated Spirits: The Connoisseur Collection: This online auction is open for bidding and includes a bottle of Black Maple Hill Rye 23 year old.
May 9th, Sotheby’s New York: Bidding opens for their Whisky & Whiskey sale on April 23rd.
