GRAND FINALE OF WORLD’S LARGEST PRIVATE WHISKY AUCTION
PR: "Last year the largest private whisky collection in the world came to auction, amassed by a true enthusiast who had over 9,000 bottles within his historical collection.
So far, 6,287 bottles have been sold by Whisky Auctioneer, the world's leading online platform for buying and selling whisky and spirits at auction. Known as ‘Pat’s Whisk(e)y Collection', the final bottles are going on sale Friday 12 running until 22 November.
Inspired by Pat and to mark the end of this historical collection, Whisky Auctioneer ran the world’s first-ever Summit of Collectibility, bringing industry leaders and experts together to pioneer a discussion around modern collectors and the future of whisky within the secondary market.
The Summit of Collectibility featured Pat himself, alongside market-leading panelists including NcNean's Brand Ambassador, Matt Hastings, The GlenDronach's Director of Scotch Whisky Advocacy, Douglas Cook, Co-founder and Executive Director of ARENI Global, Pauline Vicard, and Whisky Auctioneer's Head of Auction Content, Joe Wilson.
The event was hosted by award-winning journalist Alice Lascelles, who currently writes for The Financial Times and who has been a key commentator in the drinks industry for the past 20 years. Alice navigated a discussion on the history of collecting, what it means to be a collector, and the future of whisky collection while drawing on the panelists’ expertise. Summaries drawn from the Summit surrounded the growth of American and Irish whiskey within the secondary market, the importance of direct contact between distilleries and their consumers, and the importance of reaching new generations of whisky drinkers.
Joe Wilson, Head of Content at Whisky Auctioneer, said:
“Pat’s story, along with other collectors that we’ve worked with in the past, inspired us to hold the world’s first Summit of Collectibility. The Summit was an opportunity to discuss changes in the secondary whisky market, look at how collecting has evolved over the years, and what the ‘modern day’ collector looks like.
Whisky Auctioneer sees around 8,000 bottles pass through our auctions each month, so we have an insight into the trends and patterns of how customers are engaging with large collections like Pat’s. By bringing industry experts together, we wanted to dig deeper into these patterns, interrogating what makes a bottle desirable on the secondary market and the psychology behind collecting.
The Summit was an excellent opportunity to hear first-hand from Pat, who has crafted one of the most varied collections of all time. It’s this variety and accessibility that sets his collection apart from others, cementing him in history as a modern-day collector and a voice of authority when it comes to collecting for everyone.”
Pat, the collection’s owner, said:
“I've been emotional watching the components of my collection being auctioned off over the past year, but it has also reaffirmed the significance of the wide range of whisky styles, from single malts to grain and blends, that I have collected over the years.
“Whisky Auctioneer’s Summit of Collectibility gave me a chance to impart a little of the knowledge gained from my experience as a collector and to discuss with the esteemed panel what’s next for the whisky auction market. I hope that the legacy of this collection proves that anyone can collect whisky and that good whisky can be discovered anywhere and come at any price.”
The Summit of Collectibility recording is available in full here.
The November auction will be available to access on www.whiskyauctioneer.com."