Maximizing the Value of Your Rare Whiskey Collection
Being a collector means more than just having a good eye; it means curating and protecting your collection to make it as valuable and worthwhile as possible for you and your family. This advice applies to all collections of any type, from coins to firearms to baseball cards, but it has a special meaning for collectors of rare and fine whiskies. Maximizing the value of your whiskey collection is not only advisable, but crucial, as whiskey is an emerging collector market. Like the Gold Rush, it can seem like everyone is rushing in to strike it rich quickly. Beyond that, your choices are incredibly wide, with a great variety of whiskies and other spirits available to collectors from both well-established distilleries and maverick craft operations. Thus, no two collections are alike. Maximizing the value of your whiskey collection, therefore, is absolutely necessary if you would like to make your collection worth it in the long run.
This is all well and good, but how does one actually maximize the value of their rare whiskey collection? Here are a few strategies and methods that can help:
- Collecting what’s worth collecting
- Storing your whiskey properly
- Working with a reputable dealer or auctioneer
These three simple strategies can help ensure that your collection is well worth your time and energy, and can even make you a few bucks on the side!
What’s Worth Collecting?
When I was growing up, I enjoyed collecting coins. I’d go down to the local coin shop and dig around in the fifty-cent bin, looking for interesting coins to add to my collection. This way, I could purchase cheap but interesting coins, and add many to my collection. My father was thrilled that I loved to collect coins, but he knew that I was going about my hobby all wrong; he told me that Quality is always better than Quantity. He said that it would be much easier for me to sell one rare coin later on for $100 than 100 common coins for $1 each – and a heck of a lot less work!
The principle of Quality over Quantity is probably the best piece of advice for any collector, especially the collector of rare whiskies. Quite simply, it is much easier to manage, store, and sell a few excellent bottles of whiskey than many “okay” bottles. A rare whiskey collector, then, should be discerning in what they choose to collect, and should only collect whiskies that are, well, worth collecting.
Determining whether a particular whiskey is worth adding to your collection can be a bit like consulting a crystal ball, but there are a few questions that can help you decide whether a bottle is worth the purchase.
What is the price of this whiskey?
While price is not always an indicator of quality, price is typically the best way to know if a bottle is worth buying. Simply put, a bottle of whiskey that is more expensive (and that is likely to hold its value) is a safer investment than a cheap bottle. That does not mean that you should reject a great deal on a rare bottle; the exact opposite is true. If you can find a bottle of whiskey that should sell for $1,000 and it’s listed for $300, you should pounce on that immediately (as long as your source is legitimate and reputable).
How much of this whiskey is out there?
Supply and demand are the cornerstone of almost any market. If there are ten thousand bottles of one whiskey and fifty of another, the smaller run is probably more collectible than the larger. That’s supply, but there is also demand. Say we have two whiskies: Whiskey A and Whiskey B. If there is a demand in the market for Whiskey A over Whiskey B, Whiskey A might be more valuable (and more worth collecting), even though Whiskey B may have been produced on a smaller run. In any case, however, popularity and small production numbers are usually good indicators of value.
Do I like this whiskey?
This last question may seem simple, but it is just as important as the other ones we have considered so far. More than anything, you should collect whiskey that you like. If you don’t like a particular whiskey, you could still collect it with the intent to sell it, but where’s the fun in that? Wouldn’t you rather purchase a whiskey you do enjoy, so that you have the option of selling it or savoring it?
Properly Storing Your Whiskey
If you like something, you take care of it. This is why you feed your kids, take your dog for a walk, or occasionally wash your car. While you do not need to feed, walk, or wash your whiskey collection (unless something spills on it), you do need to take care of your whiskey collection. The best way to do this is to properly store your whiskey. By storing your whiskey properly, you can ensure that your collection retains its value and its taste.
First and foremost, store your collection in a dark, cool place, free from moisture, direct sunlight, and temperature fluctuations. While whiskey is much more forgiving than wine with respect to these factors, these factors can still affect the whiskey, its cork, its bottle, its label, and its box. A dedicated cabinet in a temperate part of your house will do just fine.
You should also store your whiskey standing straight up, and only occasionally should you wet the cork. Storing a bottle of whiskey sideways, like a bottle of wine, will cause the cork to dissolve and contaminate the whiskey. You don’t want that.
Why go through all this trouble? Taking these steps will help your bottles to taste their best when they are finally opened, and to preserve the label, cork, and box (if that is present). Like any other collectible, a bottle of a particular whiskey in great condition will be worth more than that same bottle in not-as-great condition. If you want to get the best price for your whiskey when you sell it, or if you want to have the best experience when you finally crack it open, take these simple steps to protect your investment!
Work with Someone You Can Trust
If you were looking to buy a car, who would you rather buy a car from: the sketchy guy on the side of the road who says he can sell you your dream car for half the sticker price, or the established, reputable business that has exactly what you want for a fair price? If you want a good car (and value your kidneys), you should choose the reputable car dealership. When choosing who to buy and sell rare whiskies with, the same advice holds. Choosing a reputable and established business, dealer, or auctioneer is critical if you want to get the best prices when you sell.
Good Bottle Auctions, Connecticut’s first licensed whiskey and spirits auction, is both reputable and professional. We work to ensure that you will get a good price at auction, whether you are buying or selling. Beyond that, our staff are also collectors of rare whiskies who are passionate about acquiring and sampling the finest bottles that we can find (just ask us). We are honest, to-the-point, friendly, and professional. We are public-facing and Google-reviewed, so you can be sure of exactly who you are dealing with when you work with Good Bottle.
If you are interested in selling your rare whiskey with us, let us know! We would love to see what you have and sell it for you at a great price.
Works Cited:
George Koutsakis, “You’re Storing Your Whiskey All Wrong: 7 Tips for Protecting Your Prized Bottles”. Liquor.com. Published 10/7/2019. Accessed 6/17/2025.
