Update: October 2020 – If you want to see up to date prices, check out our collaboration partner, The Whiskey Companion here

Before I kick-off – I just wanted to thank the almost 1,000 facebook members and 450 instragrammers who are supporting not only this blog, but are adding their private sale results to The Survey which continues to expand. If you’re not already – please join the Facebook Group, and follow the Instagram page, and contribute to this great community!

So it’s been quite a rollercoaster for for collectors/investors since my first post on the Midleton Very Rare (MVR) range back in November ’18. In collating data points over the last 6 months, it’s become very evident that there has been a distinct shift not only in achievable prices, but also in the range of volatility.

I’ve been trying to understand the drivers behind the HUGE variations in prices being achieved – but I am genuinely at a loss. I typically exclude results for; very low fill bottles; those without correct paperwork; those in poor condition – but still there are huge variations – even within the same auction. It’s clear however that drivers such as a strong global economy (people with lots of money) and a heightened interest in in Irish whiskey has brought a plethora of new people into the market. Great for those looking to sell – but less so for those looking to secure those last few bottles.

For example – If you were looking to collate the full MVR set from scratch over the last 6 month, it would have cost you a between €34,844 and €53,161….. so almost €20k between the the top and bottom dollar paid.

Following feedback from the group, I’ve provided a valuations as a “Range” – similar to the previous update, but without the infograf (just a simple table this time. What you will see is the Range (after commission/fx) of each release that is an attempt to show one “standard deviation” from the mean (average). In theory this means c 68% of bottles were traded within this range – so it will exclude large outliers and give you a reasonable estimate to the current value of each of the bottles.

Beyond value, the hardest to find (least available) bottles continue to be the 86, 88, 89, 91, 92, 95, & 09 – so if you see value in these bottles – make sure you pick them up while you can – if the budget allows!

Now for the meaty bit – happy hunting!