Get the best price for your casks of whisky

MARK LITTLER IS ONE OF THE UK’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT ANTIQUES CONSULTANTS AND WHISKY BROKERS

LOOKING to make a profit on some whisky you bought years ago?

Casks of whisky bought up to 50 years ago may now be worth between £10,000 and £200,000, but many owners do not know what their casks are worth or how to sell them.

That’s where Congleton based antiques consultants and whisky broker, Mark Littler, comes in.

Mark helps people sell their casks of whisky and usually achieves over 100 per cent more than what the owner has been offered by the distillery.

WHAT’S THE HISTORY?

Casks were made available to the public through ownership schemes from the 1990s onwards.

Most distilleries sold casks to release funds as a result of financial pressures on the distilleries due to the 1980s “whisky loch” that resulted in the closure, or temporary closure of many distilleries.

The most sought after casks are from the super premium distilleries such as Macallan, Springbank, Ardbeg and Bowmore. Mark Littler has sold casks of Macallan for over £160,000, Springbank for £90,000, Ardbeg and Bowmore for £40,000.

Casks from other distilleries such as Bruichladdich, Tobermory, Arran, Speyside, Ben Nevis and many more are still very popular and can be worth £10,000 to £30,000.

All of the above casks would have cost around £1,000 to 4,000 to purchase, so some customers have made thousands of pounds worth of profit.

Incredibly, some of the casks were part of famous scams at the point of sale, but the market has grown so much that even these customers can see great profits.

WHY IS IT A GOOD TIME TO SELL?

The market has grown incredibly in the last few years as a result of single malt whisky morphing into a luxury asset rather than being merely a ‘drink’.

A lot of this growth is due to interest from Asia where casks, such as Macallan, Springbank, Ardbeg, are considered the crowning jewels in any collector’s crown.

The world record price for a single bottle of whisky was set by Macallan in 2019 and stands at £1,500,000.

IS THERE CASH IN YOUR CASK?

So how do you know if your cask is worth anything? That is where Mark Littler can help.

Mark adds: “We take care of the whole process from valuation, to finding a buyer to handling all of the paperwork. We can even arrange for you to keep a few bottles from the cask as a memento.”

Mark Littler has sold over £2 million pounds worth of casks and bottles for clients, many of which had no idea of their true value.