Rare bottle and collection appraisal

The bottles that break a generic appraisal

A small number of products account for a large share of the value in almost every serious spirits inventory or private collection: allocated American whiskeys and their annual limited releases, long-aged single malts, sought-after Japanese whisky, prestige cognac, and first-growth and cult wines.

These do not sit on a shelf at retail. They are allocated, released in small quantities, and change hands well above their suggested price. An appraiser who does not know the category will value them at invoice or at suggested retail, and be off by a multiple.

What we provide

• Identification. Producer, expression, release year or batch, bottle size, fill level, label and closure condition, and authenticity indicators, from photographs or in-person inspection.
• Valuation. Replacement cost and market value with the basis explained and the sources cited: live distributor pricing where it exists, verified retail, auction results and secondary-market data.
• Schedules. Itemized schedules for scheduled-property insurance, estates, divorce and partnership matters, and collateral.
• Loss valuation. Valuation of a collection or inventory of rare bottles destroyed, stolen or damaged, including reconstruction from photos and purchase records.

Who this is for

Insurance carriers and adjusters handling scheduled-property or collection claims, attorneys handling estates and dissolutions, fiduciaries, and lenders taking collections as collateral. Private collectors seeking a valuation for their own insurance schedule are welcome to enquire.

A note on secondary-market pricing

Secondary prices for allocated spirits are volatile and vary by region and channel. Our reports state the basis of value, the date, the sources, and the range, so that the reader understands what the number represents and how confident they should be in it.