Whisky Auction Watch – 19th April 2012

Any Simpson gives us the very latest news on whisky investment…

This week has seen some interesting auction results. We have more proof that independent bottles are increasing in value and we’re starting to see some increases with older, less well known collectors bottles.

Firstly, my bargain of the week has to be a Glenmorangie Signet which sold for £80. Great dram for drinking on a driech (that means miserable, murky, misty and drizzly!) day in the Highlands like today!

An old decanter style 75cl bottle of Tamdhu 15 year old sold for £155 last week; a new record for a lovely old bottle.

Over to Islay: Bowmore price increases seem to be continuing with a new record of £112 for the long discontinued ‘Voyage’ and a record of £150 for the even longer discontinued ‘Deluxe’ (brown dumpy bottle at 26 & 2/3 fluid ounces and 70 degrees proof). Bowmore values still seem to be increasing steadily.

Douglas Laings Old and Rare Platinum bottle of 1970 34 year old Dallas Dhu saw a new record of £195. I like this on two fronts; firstly, it’s a new record for an independent bottle and secondly it’s a new record for Dallas Dhu. We haven’t seen many of those recently….. could this silent distillery be starting to take an upwards trend?

A distillery we don’t hear a lot about, Balmenach, saw their Flora and Fauna bottle reach a new record of £113. I’m expecting to see broader gains across the whole flora and Fauna range over the medium term.

Finally, Balvenie Rose 1^st release hit the £450 mark for the first time. For such a sought after bottle, these are very thin on the ground, so it’s probably no surprise values are increasing.

As both volumes and values are increasing for rare, old and valuable whisky, it looks like we are starting to see an increase in fake bottles. Whilst it’s increasingly difficult to be 100% sure a bottle is fake, my advice is to stay well away if you have any suspicions.

Remember - Provable Provenance = Probably Genuine!