Going Once, Going Twice ... Whisky Sold!

Going Once, Going Twice ... Whisky Sold!

If you’re looking for rare and exclusive Whiskies, or just to get your hands on your favourite discontinued malt, then a Whisky auction site is the perfect place to look.

What are they?

They are exactly what they sound like; a website where you bid on bottles of Whisky.

You’ll find lots of different and exciting expressions on these sites, from rare and exclusive malts to limited edition packaging and memorabilia.


Even if you’re not looking to find something out of the ordinary, they can also be useful for finding expressions that are no longer made, or re-sales of limited editions.

Auctions sites are also international, so if you’re into some niche drams from across the globe, they are a great place to find these.

If the bottle you’re looking for isn’t up there the first time you look, don’t worry; chances are it will come up again soon. These auctions go on all the time, so you will often find one you want a little later down the line.

How do they work?

They work quite simply. You register with the site, choose what you want to bid on, place your bid, and see what happens. Once you win, you pay.

Be careful if a site isn’t upfront about what you’re expected to pay to them at the end, you could end up more out of pocket than you’d planned for.

Of course, there are fees to pay as well, including commission and postage, but just make sure you know and are happy with these before you buy and everything should go smoothly.


What are the prices like?

This very much depends on what you’re buying. Obviously, the less bottles in existence and the rarer the malt mean the prices will be a lot higher.

On the flip side, for some more common bottlings, you can often find them at discounted or cheaper rates. Just keep an eye out and you could make some really good purchases.

Selling?

You can of course, sell on Whisky auction sites as well. They are often good places to increase interest in your bottle before you choose to sell.


They also offer some insurance, as you can trust the website will (hopefully) have reputable buyers and not chancers.

Again, just be aware that you will usually have to pay the site for the privilege of using their services, but this shouldn’t be very much.

You can also get some of them to deliver your bottle, which is also a good way to make sure it gets to the buyer in one piece.

Examples

Some particularly good sites that we’ve come across are:
- Scotch Whisky Auctions: There’s a good selection here, with lots of bottles in each auction. Their prices for buying and selling aren’t steep either.
- Whisky Auctioneer: With an auction every month, you will have lots to choose from here. They also do a lot of speciality bottles and have a good range of rare finds.
- Whisky Auction: A great site if you’re looking for rare bottles as well as memorabilia, and again, they are quite cheap to use.
- Just Whisky: It has a really good range of rare and common bottlings, so you’ll definitely find something you want. They are also one of the most economical to use.
- Whisky Hammer: This site allows you to build Hammer points that mean you can save money on future purchases. Definitely one of the best in terms of money saving.

Have you tried any of these? Any auction sites you recommend? Share with us.



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