Victor Brierley’s Post

#WhiskyNews: This month, Sotheby’s Hong Kong set a new record with a hammer price of $256,162 for the Yamazaki 55-year-old, surpassing the previous highest price by nearly $46,000. Whisky Auctioneer also set a new high for the Macallan The Reach 81-year-old, with a 2024 record price of $775 more than the April Sotheby’s sale. Combined, these historic bottles represent 6 of the top 7 auction prices of the year, totaling $1.2 million. Additionally, recent 2024 releases are making waves, with Weller Millennium and Double Eagle Rare 20-year-old fetching impressive sums at auction—$9,000 and $6,250, respectively. For collectors seeking rare bottles, the auction market continues to be the place to find those elusive gems. https://lnkd.in/e-t7pc3H #whiskyadvocate #whiskyauction #whisky

Another great iteration of the Whisky Intelligence Report from Duncan McFadzean and Noble & Co. Broader macro issues have been impacting the secondary markets much like any other industry and the numbers are reflected in the latest performance across both volume (-35% vs. LY) and value (-36% vs. LY) of sales with #Speyside seeing the largest volume decline (-10%). That being said, the percentage of unsold bottles remained mostly the same despite these declines and as this report focuses mostly on the main, public auctions and sales data out of the U.K. and so it doesn't speak to the entire market and also can't capture a lot of the shadow market activity (FB Groups, private sales). The market still remains broadly healthy and will continue to reflect what the retail markets are seeing, we have a more conscious consumer - people are purchasing more deliberately and with a keener eye on quality, pricing, and prices. The team at BAXUS is working hard to bring as much transparency and pricing data as possible to the forefront of the drinks industry and the secondary market, in particular, watch this space. Looking forward to being a part of these reports in the future. #Drinksindustry #secondarymarket #whisky

We are delighted to publish our sixth Noble & Co Whisky Intelligence Report, in partnership with decision intelligence firm Brainnwave. In the report we review the performance of the fine and rare whisky at auction market. The key highlights are: - Volumes at auction are in decline, down by 11% in Q4 2023 vs Q4 2022 - This is mostly being seen in lower-priced bottles, with volumes of bottles selling for £100-£1,000 down by 11.4% and £1,000 to £10,000 down by 9.4% - Average prices are rising but this is predominantly a mix shift due to the weakness at the lower-priced end of the market - Volume declines worsened through December and January, even accounting for seasonality. Bottles selling between £100 and £200 were down by 20% in December 2023 vs December 2022, and 21% in January 2024 vs January 2023 - Most of the major brands have seen significant brand declines. The Macallan noted a very strong value in the quarter due to the sale of The Macallan Valerio Adami bottle - Our data shows that bottles that are “unsold” at auction are not increasing significantly in number overall. This implies sellers are being more careful in putting bottles to auction in a more fragile market - Overall, it is clear that the macro-economic climate is weighing on the auction market. If 2024 is a year of economic recovery, this may feed through to the auction market. - We now have 905,025 bottle sales in our dataset and over 20 million datapoints The full report can be downloaded for free here https://lnkd.in/eBTmR3ew Our thanks to all of those that partnered and assisted on the creation of this report. Our thanks to The Macallan; Sotheby's; Bonhams; Aste Bolaffi; Speyside Whisky Auctions Limited; Prestige Whisky Auction Ltd; Scotch Whisky Auctions Ltd; MALTDAQ; Volpe & Castello Limited; Just Whisky Auctions; Whisky.Auction; The Whisky Shop (Glenkeir Whiskies Ltd); Thought Collective; Martha Moger #Scotchwhisky #auctions #fineandrare #bottles #analysis

We’re pleased to announce the release of our eighth Noble & Co Whisky Intelligence Report, developed in partnership with Brainnwave. This quarterly update provides a comprehensive analysis of the fine and rare whisky auction market. Our takeaways: - Auction Market Challenges: Total value and volumes fell by 50% over the period versus the same period last year, with declines across all price segments. - Shifting Buyer Behaviour: Bottles auctioned for under £1,000 now account for 51% of total value transacted, up from 43% last year. - Savvy Collectors: Bottles over 50 years old saw a significant increase in the volumes remaining unsold, reflecting collector caution and signs of them holding on until better times return. - Price Drops: Average bottle prices fell 19% year-on-year, with volume declines driving down market values. A large part of this is due to the shift to higher volumes at lower prices. - Market Resilience: Despite the downturn, Glenfarclas and Port Ellen showed positive growth, while The Macallan retained its dominant brand market share, albeit with a 34% decline in absolute value transacted. As we look ahead, we’re closely monitoring the macroeconomic environment to gauge the potential for market recovery. For a full breakdown of these trends, download the report. 🔗https://lnkd.in/eBTmR3ew Our thanks to those that supported the publication of this report: The Macallan Scotch Whisky Auctions Ltd Sotheby's Bonhams Aste Bolaffi MALTDAQ Just Whisky Auctions Speyside Whisky Auctions Limited Prestige Whisky Auction Ltd Whisky.Auction Glenkeir Whiskies Ltd Thought Collective Martha Moger #WhiskyMarket #AuctionTrends #WhiskyIntelligenceReport #WhiskyCollecting #NobleAndCo #Brainnwave #FineAndRareWhisky

We have published today our seventh Noble & Co Whisky Intelligence Report, in partnership with Brainnwave, offering a comprehensive analysis of the fine and rare whisky auction market, focusing on the performance and trends observed during the first four months of 2024. This period has been notably challenging for the secondary market, reflecting broader economic pressures.   Key Points: - Volume Declines: Auction volumes were significantly down by 30% from January to April 2024 compared to the previous year. - Value Decrease: The total value transacted of bottles selling for over £100 fell by 36% during the same period. - Unsold Bottles: The percentage of bottles unsold at auction increased to 6.9% in Q1 2024 from 6.7% in Q4 2023. - Average Prices: Average prices for bottles were down 12% in January, 14% in February, saw a 21% increase in March, but dropped again by 23% in April. Overall, for the period January to April, the average price per bottle fell by 8% versus the same period a year ago - Segment Analysis: The £100 to £1,000 price bracket accounted for 90.4% of volumes traded, with significant declines observed in higher price brackets, particularly the £1,000 to £10,000 range. By value transacted, the £100 to £1,000 price bracket increased to 45% of total value from 41% a year ago. - Brand Growth: Glenfiddich showed the fastest growth in auction sales value (97%) among larger distilleries, while J. & G. Grant - Glenfarclas had the highest growth in auction sales volume (59%). The full report can be downloaded at https://lnkd.in/eBTmR3ew Conclusion: Our report underscores a period of substantial difficulty for the Scotch whisky auction market, driven by ongoing economic challenges. Despite some positive signs in March, the overall trend shows a marked decline in both volume and value, indicating a hesitant market with cautious collectors and reduced demand. As inflation stabilises and interest rates potentially fall, there is hope for market recovery, but current data does not yet reflect this optimism. Our thanks to those that supported the publication of this report: The Macallan Scotch Whisky Auctions Ltd Sotheby's Bonhams Aste Bolaffi MALTDAQ Just Whisky Auctions Speyside Whisky Auctions Limited Prestige Whisky Auction Ltd Whisky.Auction Glenkeir Whiskies Ltd Thought Collective Martha Moger

We are on day three of the NY auction sales (15th May 2024) and we have two sales at Phillips – The Modern & Contemporary Art Day sale, morning session at 10 am EDT and an afternoon session at 2pm. In the Evening Sotheby’s have their Modern Evening Auction at 7:00 PM EDT. Reviewing the Phillips sales first, there are 131 lots in the morning session. To follow the sales online do go to the House’s website. It is always hard to drill down on your favourite lots, so I usually start by choosing 10 or 15 lots and then homing in on my top 1-5. My favourite 15 works are as follows: 1. Frankenthaler, (133); 2. Mitchell (138) 3. MANOLO VALDÉS (167); 4. Albers (153); 5. Bonnard at lot 119; 6. Elaine de Kooning at lot 108; 7. Raoul Dufy (116) 8. Richter (162) 9. Judd (154) 10. Matisse (121) 11. Redon (120) 12. Leger (124), 13. Magritte (105), 14. Alexander Calder (228) Willi Baumeister (125).   Cut down to just 5 lots and my choice is:  – Frankenthaler, Elaine de Kooning, Albers, Redon and Magritte. My favourite lot can be viewed here: https://lnkd.in/eku9Z_g5 133 HELEN FRANKENTHALER Spirits of Wine Estimate US$1,200,000 - 1,800,000 176.8 × 109.9 cm acrylic on canvas Everyone has their unique aesthetic and so it is always fascinating to find out which works a collector loves and why that is. It is generally never easy making a selection when there are lots of wonderful works on offer and you can get decision paralysis and so you need to ask yourself a few pertinent questions. To help concretise your choice– ask yourself do you love it?, is this an excellent example of the artist’s work?, is it commercially desirable?, does it have re-saleability (this is important as you may want to sell it in the future)?, is it well priced?   For assistance with buying blue-chip art at auction, in galleries and privately contact us at Vitruvian. #bluechipart #artcollector #artinvestor #artinvestment #privateequity #familyoffices #modernart #contemporaryart #auctions

Curious about the latest trends in the whisky auction market? 🥃 Higher End bottles: Bottles sold for between £10,000 to £100,000 saw sales continue to generally do well, including multiple sales of The Macallan’s Archival Series Folio 1-7. 🥃 Average Prices by Region The average price for bottles varied heavily by region, with Speyside leading the way at £721.37, followed by Lowland at £522.10. 🥃 Reserve Pricing More long term collectors are sticking to reserve prices more, and the number of bottles flipped have reduced in the near term as demand hasn’t been as high as last year. Dive into our latest article to discover what’s shaking things up in the world of whisky right now! https://lnkd.in/eKr96EWh

The Sotheby’s sale, which was estimated to make more than £1 million ($1.3 million), raised £1,538,490, and comprised 699 lots, including wines from Château La Mission Haut-Brion from 1920 onwards, Château Quintus, the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru estate that the family acquired in 2011, and its second wine, Le Dragon de Quintus. The auction, which was conducted on 7 November, was divided into two section – The Clarence Dillon era (1983-2022), which made up the majority of lots (1-646) and the earlier, pre-Clarence Dillon era (1920-1982) for lots 647-699. Overall, the sale was 82% sold by lot, with participation from 25 countries, and a quarter of the overall number of buyers being new to Sotheby’s, a spokesman said. Source: The Drinks Business & Sotheby's. https://lnkd.in/gEErmQwx

The market prices of premium whiskies are influenced by a variety of factors, many of which are similar to those affecting other collectibles and luxury goods. Here’s an overview of how prices are determined: 1. Rarity and Scarcity 2. Brand Reputation 3. Age and Condition 4. Provenance and Authenticity 5. Market Demand 6. Expert Appraisals As you can notice, we do not mention the auction prices, because they are often influenced by emotional pulses of the buyers and by a scarce visibility of the auction house websites. So we think the auction results aren't sources authoritative enough to consider them a definitive factor for pricing a bottle. Among the six points listed here, the most valuable "external factor" is the expert appraisals one: a whisky expert or, even better, a whisky expert team of a solidly established company specialized in premium whiskiy bottles investment, are a warranty when deciding to buy or sell your own collections. Contact The Spirits Club to know how to add some of the rarest and sought-after bottles to your collection, and assure a year-to-year two-digits profit. Call us, test us, and enjoy! #InvestmentOpportunity #LuxuryInvestments #SpiritsMarket #PremiumSpirits