Spirit collectors

Some buyers will go to great lengths to find items to add to their collections and look after them once they get them home.
Whilst some will scour catalogues for the perfect addition well in advance, others will buy on the spur of the moment. I have seen clients go to great lengths to protect their collections, even investing in special display cabinets, lights and alarms. Railway memorabilia collectors have even been known to build replica platforms and stations to show off their prized items.

One group of collectors came to my attention last month and deserve a special mention. Wine and spirit collectors not only have to buy and store their prized trophies, but they have to resist sampling them as well.

The Grantham saleroom of Golding Young & Mawer offered a specialist wine and spirits section in their last auction, which sold for a total of £28,000. Interest was truly worldwide, with bidders registering from as far away as New Zealand, China and the United States of America.

The top price paid was £4,000, including auction commission, for a 1948 bottle of Macallan single malt whisky in its original presentation box. The bottle was highly sought after because only 366 bottles were released by the Macallan Distillers. Should the buyer ever succumb to temptation and open the bottle, I calculate it works out at around £250 a measure!

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