Is Saburomaru a good whisky investment?

Based on 19+ auction observations across 8 expressions, the average bottle median is down 35.0% over the past 12 months. Volatility of returns sits at ±?%, meaning individual bottles can vary substantially around that average.

What's the best-performing Saburomaru bottle this year?

Saburomaru 2020 VI The Lovers is up -30.0% YoY — currently fetching £140 median at auction (vs £200 a year ago).

Where can I see live Saburomaru auction prices?

wsky1 aggregates hammer-price data from Scotch Whisky Auctions, Whisky Auctioneer, Whisky Hammer, Bonhams, Whisky Bull and whisky.auction. See the full Saburomaru catalog with live prices: /distillery/saburomaru.

wsky1

Whisky investment intelligence

Investing in Saburomaru

8 Saburomaru expressions tracked across 19+ auction observations.

12-mo avg return

-35.0%

Median return

-35.0%

Volatility (±)

—

Verdict

Significant decline — wait for stabilisation

Top performers (12 months)

Saburomaru bottles with the largest year-over-year median price gains.

Bottle	Current median	12mo ago	Change
Saburomaru 2020 VI The Lovers	£150	£200	-30.0%
Saburomaru 2020 IV The Emperor	£100	£150	-40.0%

Blue-chip Saburomaru

Highest median auction price — the established collectables.

Saburomaru 2020 VI The Lovers

£140

9 observations

Saburomaru 2020 IV The Emperor

£90

4 observations

Entry-level (under £150)

Affordable Saburomaru expressions for first-time collectors — at least 3 auction observations to confirm market liquidity.

Saburomaru 2020 IV The Emperor

£90

4 observations

Saburomaru 2020 VI The Lovers

£140

9 observations

Cooled off (12 months)

Saburomaru bottles that have softened — either fair-value entry points or bottles to avoid, depending on your thesis.

Saburomaru 2020 IV The Emperor	£100	-40.0%
Saburomaru 2020 VI The Lovers	£150	-30.0%

How wsky1 thinks about whisky investment

Past auction prices are the most defensible signal of a bottle's collectable value — but they are not a forecast. The data below comes from 19+ hammered lots across six major auction houses; none of it is curated or pay-for-placement.

Three rules-of-thumb a working collector should keep in mind:

Liquidity matters. A bottle that trades once a year cannot be priced reliably. Filter for ≥3 observations before you trust any "median" number.
Premium swings. Major auction houses charge 24–28% buyer's premium on top of hammer. Net return after both buy- and sell-side premium is roughly hammer × 0.78 ÷ paid × 1.26.
Concentrated risk. One bottle is a story; a 6-bottle portfolio across two or three distilleries is an asset class.

For a deeper view, the full Saburomaru catalog with live prices lists every tracked expression with its full price history chart.

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