The market for rare whiskies in the UK grew dramatically between April and June 2017.
Auction sales of high-end vintage bottles were 70% higher than for the same period the previous year, according to figures from Rare Whisky 101.
Whisky is increasingly seen as an investment
More than 12,000 bottles auctioned over those three months, for an average of $310 each. That’s a record total of $8.1m.
Andy Simpson, a broker for Rare Whisky 101, said: “Any question as to whether the recent increases in the rare whisky market would begin to plateau can, for now, be summarily dismissed.
“Even we wondered whether the market could continue to expand at such levels following another record-breaking year in 2016.
“The performance of Scotch malt whisky at auction over the past three months has been nothing short of phenomenal.”
Whisky is increasingly being seen as a solid investment.
Much of this trend has been driven by increasing demand from emerging markets, including China and Brazil.
As a result there has been an explosion in the number of auction houses and dealers supplying this new demand.
Simpson said: “Anecdotally, we have seen growing demand from North America and Asia over recent times.
“We have also experienced a dramatic increase in enquiries from Asian and US professional buyers looking to set up new supply agreements to capitalise on this dynamically-growing market.”
As well as traditional Scotch whiskies - there’s a growing interest in Japanese whisky, with international buyers seeking out names such as Hanyu and Karuizawa.
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