Whiskystats Unveils Major Differences In Retail Versus Auction Whisky Prices!

Whiskystats Unveils Major Differences In Retail Versus Auction Whisky Prices

Whiskystats, a premier whisky data analytics firm, has unveiled an exhaustive study showing a significant price difference between the retail and auction markets for whisky.

This study highlights that in 2023, whisky prices were 50-75% more at retail outlets than at auctions, suggesting auctions as a more budget-friendly option for whisky purchases.

Titled ‘Has Whisky Become a Buyer’s Market?‘, the report delves into the performance and trends of various whisky brands.

Key Insights:

– There was a 5% decrease in the volume of whisky bottles traded at auction houses, along with a 19% drop in their total sale prices in 2023.

– Over 10,000 bottles did not achieve their reserve prices at auction, a 36% increase from 2022.

– The auction market saw the most significant value drops in three Japanese brands: Chichibu (down 43%), Karuizawa (down 36%), and Yamazaki (down 33%).

– Glendronach and Port Charlotte emerged as the top performers in terms of ratings for their 2023 releases, based on analysis of Whiskybase data by Whiskystats.

– Conversely, Ardmore and Jura experienced the most significant drops in perceived quality, as reflected in public ratings.

– Craigellachie earned the title of the most improved brand of 2023, judging by shifts in public perception.

Whiskystats also launched a first-of-its-kind ‘collector-drinker gauge’ to compare secondary market turnover to public ratings and reviews.

The gauge reveals that Macallan, Hibiki, and Yamazaki are the most collector-oriented brands, while Ledaig, Kavalan, and Glen Scotia are the most drinker-focused.

Data shows that the whisky market is shifting. Buyers’ willingness to purchase whisky at listed retail prices has dropped significantly. And even for whiskies that eventually sell, bottles tend to remain on shelves far longer than in the recent past.

What we’re seeing in the auction market data is clear: prices are no longer reaching the peak prices of the COVID era, and there are some great bottles for sale at the lowest prices in years.
– Johannes Moosbrugger:

A full copy of the report is available for free download at: whiskystats.com/reports

About Whiskystats

Whiskystats is a Whiskybase company. Whiskystats and Whiskybase are independent: the report was not funded by any distillery group, bottler, whisky-adjacent agency, or related concern.

Each month, Whiskystats collects tens of thousands of auction price observations and tracks over 1.6 million whisky retail prices. Whiskystats incorporates ratings from Whiskybase, the world’s largest whisky database of more than 239,000 unique whiskies. Thanks to this unsurpassed dataset, Whiskystats is the standard bearer for whisky market analysis for collectors, producers, and investors.

On Whiskystats, users have access to reliable bottle-level details that allow them to accurately track auction lots, view historical and current auction prices, create and track the current market value of their whisky collection(s), set whisky watchlists, schedule notifications, and view millions of whisky ratings.