Is Thompson Brothers a good whisky investment?

Based on 17+ auction observations across 5 expressions, the average bottle median is down 2.7% over the past 12 months. Volatility of returns sits at ±?%, meaning individual bottles can vary substantially around that average.

What's the best-performing Thompson Brothers bottle this year?

Thompson Brothers 38 Year Old Blended Malt (1986) is up 7.1% YoY — currently fetching £150 median at auction (vs £140 a year ago).

Where can I see live Thompson Brothers auction prices?

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

wsky1

Whisky investment intelligence

Investing in Thompson Brothers

5 Thompson Brothers expressions tracked across 17+ auction observations.

12-mo avg return

-2.7%

Median return

-3.0%

Volatility (±)

—

Verdict

Soft market — selective buys only

Top performers (12 months)

Thompson Brothers bottles with the largest year-over-year median price gains.

Bottle	Current median	12mo ago	Change
Thompson Brothers 38 Year Old Blended Malt (1986)	£150	£150	+7.1%
Thompson Brothers 40 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky (1984)	£150	£150	-12.5%

Blue-chip Thompson Brothers

Highest median auction price — the established collectables.

Thompson Brothers 38 Year Old Blended Malt (1986)

£150

6 observations

Thompson Brothers 40 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky (1984)

£140

8 observations

Entry-level (under £150)

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

Thompson Brothers 40 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky (1984)

£140

8 observations

Cooled off (12 months)

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

Thompson Brothers 40 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky (1984)

£150

-12.5%

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 17+ 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 Thompson Brothers catalog with live prices lists every tracked expression with its full price history chart.

Track your Thompson Brothers portfolio — free for 3 bottles

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