Online whisky auction house's sales hit £50m

More than £50m of whisky has been sold through a Perth-based online auction house this year, its owners have said.

Whisky Auctioneer said the sales, based on the total hammer price of lots in 2022, included a number of records for Scottish distilleries.

A 12-year-old Port Ellen whisky fetched £100,000, while a 1974 vintage Ardbeg became the most expensive bottle of Ardbeg ever sold, at £35,000.

The bottles were won by bidders in Hong Kong and Switzerland, respectively.

Whisky Auctioneer recorded 2.2 million bids this year across 115,000 lots which were shipped to buyers in 67 countries around the world.

The Scottish company, owned by entrepreneur Iain McClune, employs 74 people, having added 21 new staff this year across the UK and Germany.

Mr McClune, said: "2022 was another year of progress at Whisky Auctioneer, with the opening of our London office, record-breaking results and the development of new and continued partnerships across the whisky industry.

"2023 will be our 10th anniversary which we are excited to celebrate, and I can't wait to see how the next decade unfolds."