Whisky Hammer

What Whisky Hammer does

Whisky Hammer Limited is a privately held Scottish online whisky auction house founded in 2015 and headquartered in Ellon, Aberdeenshire. The company operates a unified monthly online auction through which private collectors and VAT-registered businesses consign rare and collectible whisky bottles, and global buyers bid in real time. The technology stack centers on a web-based live-auction platform augmented by native iOS and Android applications, featuring real-time bidding and an automatic anti-sniping timer that extends lots by 10 minutes if bids arrive in the final 10 minutes. Operations are run from three strategically located hubs: the Scottish headquarters and main warehouse, a wholly-owned European subsidiary (Whisky Hammer B.V.) in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands, and a Hong Kong hub operated in partnership with 13 Degrees Wine Cellar. The platform has facilitated over 200,000 lots since founding.

The customer base segments into two primary personas — Whisky Collectors seeking rare and limited-edition bottles and Whisky Investors treating bottles as an asset class — supplied by two seller tiers, Private Sellers (non-VAT individuals, the primary group) and VAT-registered Business Sellers. Supporting services include a free Whisky Valuation Service, couriered Bottle Collection from the seller's location, two months of free post-auction storage to consolidate shipments, and optional 4% transit insurance. The affiliated brand Still Spirit provides an online retail/whisky-shop channel for non-auction sales. Customer access is supported via SEO-driven website traffic, an email auction-alert subscription, a blog of distillery and valuation content, and Trustpilot social proof. Payment processing is enabled through multiple third-party processors (Stripe, PayPal, Opayo, Global Payments) and international shipping uses DHL globally with FedEx handling last-mile delivery inside the USA.

Whisky Hammer's revenue model is transaction-based. Buyers pay a 12.5% commission on the hammer price (the headline stream), plus optional 4% insurance and shipping/handling fees calculated by weight and destination. Sellers pay a £7+VAT listing fee per bottle plus an optional £10+VAT reserve fee, with seller commission eliminated as of April 2024. A one-off £5+VAT registration fee covers account verification. Regulatory reporting under DAC7 in the EU and the UK Platform Operators Regulations 2023 is already in place, signaling formal marketplace infrastructure built for sustained, compliant international commerce.

Name

Whisky Hammer

Legal name

Whisky Hammer Limited

Website

https://whiskyhammer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Whisky Hammer is a Scottish online whisky auction house that runs monthly authenticated auctions of rare and collectible bottles for global collectors and investors, operating from hubs in Scotland, the Netherlands, and Hong Kong via web and mobile apps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Whisky Auctions

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Premium, Rare & Collectible Alcohol Retail (Fine Wine/Spirits) (CRANAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry) (CRAKAKAF)

Keywords

• Online whisky auctions
• Rare whisky marketplace
• Collectible spirits trading
• Whisky valuation services
• Spirits auction platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Ellon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Buyer's Commission: Buyers pay 12.5% commission on the final hammer price of won lots. Additional 4.0% optional insurance premium available at checkout.
2. Seller's Listing Fee: Sellers pay £7.00 plus VAT per bottle listed. Commission on sales is 0% from April 2024. Optional reserve fee of £10.00 plus VAT per lot.
3. Registration Fee: One-off registration fee of £5 plus VAT to verify user accounts.
4. Shipping and Insurance: Revenue from delivery charges calculated based on weight (approx. 2kg per standard bottle) and destination. Optional insurance at 4.0% of hammer price plus VAT.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Whisky Hammer operates a global online whisky auction platform running monthly live auctions of rare and collectible whisky bottles. The platform connects private collectors, sellers, and investors with buyers worldwide, supported by three strategic warehouse/operational hubs in Scotland (HQ), the Netherlands (Europe), and Hong Kong (Asia), with companion iOS/Android mobile apps for live bidding.

Product overview

Whisky Hammer operates as an online whisky auction platform (core product) with a companion mobile app for iOS and Android. The platform is supported by affiliated brand Still Spirit for direct retail sales, and complemented by services including free whisky valuation, bottle collection logistics, temporary global storage consolidation, and optional transit insurance. All offerings feed into the unified monthly auction accessible to global buyers and sellers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Still Spirit: Whisky Shop and Tasting Room, part of the wider Whisky Hammer group

Products and services

• Whisky Hammer Auction Platform Online whisky auction platform enabling users to buy, sell, and value rare and collectible whisky bottles through monthly live auctions. Operates from three global locations (Scotland HQ, Netherlands, Hong Kong) with a unified monthly auction accessible worldwide.
• Whisky Hammer Mobile App Native mobile application for iOS and Android enabling users to bid live on auctions, watch lots in real time, and manage their whisky collection from a mobile device.
• Still Spirit

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000+ lots facilitated
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 13 Degrees Wine CellarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2026Hong Kong-based 13 Degrees Wine Cellar serves as Whisky Hammer's official operational hub in Hong Kong, supporting the company's expansion into the Asian whisky market. The partnership enables local collection and logistics support for Asian collectors and sellers, with 13 Degrees managing bottles at their warehouse in Aberdeen, Hong Kong.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Scotch Whisky Auctions (SW_A): Long-running Scottish online whisky-only auction house running regular timed and live auctions. Highly comparable on geography, single-category focus and collector/investor target buyer.
• Just Whisky Auctions: UK-headquartered online whisky-only auction platform facilitating monthly live auctions to global buyers. Closely comparable business model, customer base (collectors and investors), and product category to Whisky Hammer.
• Whisky Auctioneer: Online-only whisky auction platform founded in Scotland, offering monthly global auctions of rare and collectible Scotch, Japanese and Irish whisky. Directly comparable on product focus (rare whisky), GTM (online global auction), target buyer/seller segments, and fee structure.
• The Grand Whisky Auction: Online whisky-dedicated auction platform serving global buyers and sellers. Directly comparable product focus, online live-bidding mechanic, and international shipping model.
• Acker Merrall & Condit: US-headquartered spirits and wine auction house with strong rare-whisky inventory. Comparable in selling rare and collectible bottles via global auction, with overlap on luxury buyer profile and premium lot types.

Regional players

• 13 Degrees Wine Cellar: Hong Kong-based fine wine and spirits retailer/cellar serving as Whisky Hammer's operational Asia hub. Comparable through trading in collectible whisky and wine; relevant as both partnership counterparty and an adjacent regional player in Asia luxury spirits.

Broad incumbents

• Sotheby's: Global luxury auction house with periodic wine and spirits auctions including rare whisky. Comparable on buyer/seller profile and auction-driven distribution, but multi-category mandate and far greater scale.
• Bonhams: Global auction house with a dedicated Hong Kong and London whisky auction programme. Comparable as a competing venue for high-net-worth whisky collectors, but operates across many luxury categories rather than whisky-specialised.
• Christie's: Global fine-art and luxury auction house running online and live rare-whisky sales. Comparable destination for premium whisky consignors and buyers, but with much broader luxury-category scope and brand reach.

Others

• Still Spirit: Sub-brand of Whisky Hammer operating a direct-retail whisky shop and tasting room. Adjacent / internal comparability rather than a competitor; included to clarify the company's existing horizontally-related retail arm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/whiskyhammer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Whisky Hammer