2017 was another staggering year for whisky: five key facts
- A collection of six Lalique-bottled Macallan whiskies aged 50 to 65-years-old became the most expensive lot of whisky ever sold at auction, fetching over £700,000 in April 2017.
- A single bottle of whisky from closed Japanese distillery Karuizawa sold at auction in April 2017 for £100,100.
- The value of collectable bottles of single malt Scotch whisky sold at auction in the UK increased by 93% in the first half of 2017, and was expected to exceed £20 million over the course of the year (Rare Whisky 101).
- In July, a Chinese guest paid over £7000 for a dram of Macallan 1878 at a Swiss hotel. The bottle was soon proved to be a fake, and the gentleman was refunded.
- Scotch whisky exports remained strong throughout 2017, with the value of single malt exports (which account for 20% of total value) breaking the £1 billion mark for the first time (Scotch Whisky Association).
With ten new distilleries set to open in 2018, the future is looking bright for Scotch whisky. The secondary market also remains buoyant, with a Macallan 2009 Easter Elchies Cask Selection selling in January 2018 for £15,500 – the same bottle was first sold at auction in 2009 for only £200.
McTear’s sells more whisky than any other traditional auction house in the dedicated whisky auctions that take place monthly, run concurrently live online on a platform that attracts six million visitors annually from over 120 countries worldwide.
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