CHARTREUSE THE GREAT
If there’s one category whose popularity never wanes from one auction to the next, it’s Chartreuse. Like whisky, it’s always at the forefront of Fine Spirits Auction’s events, despite there still only being a small number of lots under the hammer at each edition. Although the category has seen strong growth since 2019, with around ten bottles available per auction, supply remains well below demand. To take stock of its progression this year, we’ve put together a short summary of the category’s trends during 2022:
TRENDS: The most salient trend is the very low number of unsold lots at each auction and the stable number of bids each attracts. The category’s good health is reflected in bids that are on average 65% above each lot’s reserve price. 2022 bids on the Green VEP since the end of the summer in September, for example, have been at a level (€301) equal to or above the sale prices incl. VAT found in classic distribution channels in France. It’s a product whose market value increases upon release or in the months just after. The only other categories to enjoy such a trend are Japanese whiskies (Yamazaki, Chichibu) and Velier rums—which is to say, the auction industry’s safest bets.
FSA – 9 December 2022: Chartreuse Of. Marseille 1921-2021 One of 760 – €6,903
VELIER ROYAL NAVY, TIGER SHARK POST COVID
Verlier Royal Navy (VRN) bottlings are a blend of British-style molasses rums from the Caribbean. The first two editions were launched before the Covid-19 pandemic:
- Velier Royal Navy Rum, VERY OLD RUM 17.42, White Label, Release 2018, 1st Edition, 57.18%
- Velier Royal Navy Rum, TIGER SHARK, 14 Years Black Label, Release 2019, 2nd Edition, 57.18%
As things returned to normal, Luca Gargano was able to revive a plan that had been put on the back burner by the health crisis: a Single Bottle edition illustrated with personal photos taken during his many trips to the Caribbean. This VRN Edition #2 Single Bottle, Release 2019 is from the same batch and decorated with 120 different labels. Each lot was given a €150 reserve, equal to the average price for a first or second edition of Velier Royal Navy at auction in 2022. These were quickly snapped up. Several strategies were deployed, including one collector trying to take home every single lot. Others concentrated on bottle #1, hence its high hammer price, while others opted for specific numbers or labels. Many bidders simply tried to win one or two bottles for their collection. Ultimately, they went to some thirty buyers, now the only people in the world to own one or more bottlings of this edition.
