Tips for Buying Whisky at Auction
NAVIGATING AN AUCTION
Exploring the entire auction? Sort by the highest bid price, lowest bid price, lot title A-Z and lot title Z-A. If you are looking for a bargain, then sort the auction by Bid Price (Lowest) to explore the lower end of the auction and perhaps discover an overlooked gem!
Exploring a specific area? If your interest lies in a specific area then use our handy filter bar to narrow down your search. Our filter terms cover a wide range of criteria, so whether it is a specific distillery, region, type, age or a combination of these things, select all of the options that apply to your search and discover what the auction has to offer.
Know exactly what you are looking for? Enter the details of the bottle into the search bar at the top right of the page to bring up all the relevant lots in the current auction. Perhaps you would like to know what this bottle has sold for in a previous auction? Just tick the previous auction box next to the search bar to find every example previously sold by Whisky Auctioneer.
USING THE WATCH LIST FEATURE
So you’ve found multiple bottles that you are interested in, but are not ready to place a bid?
Don’t lose track of them in the wider auction and add them to your Watch List by selecting the star in the top right corner of the lot image. You can then access your full Watch List via your personal dashboard, monitor the bottles over the course of the auction and place that bid when you are ready.
REVIEWING A LOT BEFORE BIDDING
We provide clear images of every lot in the auction so that you have a good understanding of what you are bidding on. Lots are sold as seen, so before placing a bid be sure to carefully review the images and the lot description including any reports on condition and get in touch with any questions that might arise. Our team are also happy to provide further images or a condition report on request. Make sure you understaned the icons on the lot showing lot location and any other considerations such as whether it is in-bond for example - you can read the Guide to Lot Icons here.
SOME USEFUL LINKS
There is so much to explore and learn about the world of whisky, we love to provide insight into the bottles featuring in our auctions through our social platforms, e-newsletters and news articles but there are also many excellent websites that you can reference. We've listed some of our favourites below that can help expand your whisky knowledge if you're interested -
ScotchWhisky.com - Although no longer in operation, there is still a font of knowledge and information on the site, particularly in the Whiskypedia section.
The Scotch Whisky Association - The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is a trade organisation that promotes, represents and protects the interests of the whisky industry in Scotland and around the world.
FAQs
How can I appear as an anonymised bidder?
When browsing the bidding history on a specific lot, the list of recent bidders is shown as 'anonymised bidders' with the exception of any bids placed through your account - which would appear as your username.
When logged into your account your bids are shown with your username, however, other users are not able to see this and you will appear as an 'anonymised bidder'.
User information/identity will never be revealed in the bidding process. We take user data and information protection very seriously at Whisky Auctioneer. Find further GDPR info here.
How does an online whisky auction work?
Individual sellers deliver bottles that they wish to sell at auction to our office in Perth. Once they have been authenticated by our highly-experienced team, photographs are taken and the bottles are listed on the website in the next available auction. Whisky Auctioneer hosts whisky auctions on a frequent basis, during which registered users across the globe can bid on bottles online. The highest bidder at the close of the auction is then notified by email and asked for payment within 3 days. The seller receives payment within 21 working days of the end of the auction.
When and how does an auction end?
The end date of the current auction will always be clearly displayed on the orange notification bar at the top of the website.
Our auctions will end anytime from 7pm (UK Local Time). Once 7pm is reached, activity on any item will prolong the ENTIRE auction by a further 2 minutes.
This means that the entire auction will end when there has been no bidding activity placed within the last two minutes after 7pm. The auction will usually take several hours to finish after 7pm has passed.
