Just Accepted Manuscripts
Original Research Article

Analysing Price Dynamics in the Whisky Market: Insights into Price Explosivity and Co-explosivity: Special Issue "The Economics of Spirits Markets"

Marcin Potrykus
Gdańsk University of Technology
Kashif Ali
University of Central Punjab, Faculty of Management Sciences
Kacper Guzewicz
Gdańsk University of Technology

Published 2026-01-28

Keywords

  • Whisky investment,
  • price explosivity,
  • GSADF test,
  • co-explosivity

How to Cite

Potrykus, M., Ali, K., & Guzewicz, K. (2026). Analysing Price Dynamics in the Whisky Market: Insights into Price Explosivity and Co-explosivity: Special Issue "The Economics of Spirits Markets". Wine Economics and Policy. https://doi.org/10.36253/wep-17104

Abstract

The dynamics of price explosivity in the whisky market are crucial for investors seeking portfolio diversification, particularly during periods of global economic instability. This article examines thirty-one whisky indices, grouped into three market groups (Market Performance Indices, Distillery Specific Indices, Collector Specific Indices) in terms of the occurrence of price explosivity periods and their co-explosivity. We use GSADF test to analyze price explosivity periods by using weekly data from December 31, 2012 to March 25, 2024. We find that the period most affected by price explosivity in the whisky market spans from 2016 and 2018. Bowmore, Springbank, Glenfarclas Family Cask, Macallan M18 and Macallan M25 show the highest level of price explosivity. We also confirm the strong co-explosivity effect among studied index groups. However, we find that whisky market does not prone to price explosivity during COVID-19 or the Russian aggression in Ukraine, unlike other markets. This stability makes the whisky market a valuable source of portfolio diversification in times of crisis.The dynamics of price explosivity in the whisky market are crucial for investors seeking portfolio diversification, particularly during periods of global economic instability. This article examines thirty-one whisky indices, grouped into three market groups (Market Performance Indices, Distillery Specific Indices, Collector Specific Indices) in terms of the occurrence of price explosivity periods and their co-explosivity. We use GSADF test to analyze price explosivity periods by using weekly data from December 31, 2012 to March 25, 2024. We find that the period most affected by price explosivity in the whisky market spans from 2016 and 2018. Bowmore, Springbank, Glenfarclas Family Cask, Macallan M18 and Macallan M25 show the highest level of price explosivity. We also confirm the strong co-explosivity effect among studied index groups. However, we find that whisky market does not prone to price explosivity during COVID-19 or the Russian aggression in Ukraine, unlike other markets. This stability makes the whisky market a valuable source of portfolio diversification in times of crisis.

References

  1. Abildgren, K., Hansen, N. L., & Kuchler, A. (2018). Overoptimism and house price explosivity. Journal of Macroeconomics, 56(January), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmacro.2017.12.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmacro.2017.12.006
  2. Al-Shboul, M., Assaf, A., & Mokni, K. (2023). Does economic policy uncertainty drive the dynamic spillover among traditional currencies and cryptocurrencies? The role of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research in International Business and Finance, 64, 101824. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2022.101824 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2022.101824
  3. Borowski, K., & Matusewicz, M. (2020). Atrakcyjność inwestowania na rynku whisky inwestycyjnej. Studia i Prace Kolegium Zarządzania i Finansów, 179, 9–26. https://doi.org/10.33119/sip.2020.179.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33119/SIP.2020.179.1
  4. Bouri, E., Shahzad, S. J. H., & Roubaud, D. (2019). Co-explosivity in the cryptocurrency market. Finance Research Letters, 29(July 2018), 178–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2018.07.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2018.07.005
  5. Chowdhury, M. S. R., & Damianov, D. S. (2024). Uncertainty and explosivity in cryptocurrencies: Evidence from newly developed uncertainty indices. International Review of Financial Analysis, 91, 102949. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2023.102949 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2023.102949
  6. Czupryna, M., & Oleksy, P. (2015). Rational Speculative Explosivity in the Fine Wine Investment Market. Kwartalnik Kolegium Ekonomiczno-Społecznego. Studia i Prace, 3(3), 159–172. https://doi.org/10.33119/kkessip.2015.3.3.12 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33119/KKESSiP.2015.3.3.12
  7. Diba, B. T., & Grossman, H. I. (1988). The Theory of Rational Explosivity in Stock Prices. The Economic Journal, 98(392), 746–754. https://doi.org/10.2307/2233912 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2233912
  8. Dickey, D. A., & Fuller, W. A. (1979). Distribution of the Estimators for Autoregressive Time Series With a Unit Root. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 74(366), 427–431. https://doi.org/10.2307/2286348 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1979.10482531
  9. Etienne, X. L., Irwin, S. H., & Garcia, P. (2014). Explosivity in food commodity markets: Four decades of evidence. Journal of International Money and Finance, 42, 129–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jimonfin.2013.08.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jimonfin.2013.08.008
  10. Facts & Figures. (2024). https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/insights/facts-figures/
  11. FactMR. (2022). Whisky Market Outlook (2022-2032). Fact.MR. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://www.factmr.com/report/4515/whisky-market
  12. Fromentin, V., Pecchioli, B., & Moroz, D. (2024). Time-varying Causality among Whisky, Wine, and Equity Markets. Finance Research Letters, 105345. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2024.105345
  13. Gharib, C., Mefteh-Wali, S., & Jabeur, S. Ben. (2021). The explosivity contagion effect of COVID-19 outbreak: Evidence from crude oil and gold markets. Finance Research Letters, 38, 101703. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2020.101703 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2020.101703
  14. Gharib, C., Mefteh-Wali, S., Serret, V., & Ben Jabeur, S. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on crude oil prices: Evidence from Econophysics approach. Resources Policy, 74, 102392. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102392 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102392
  15. Hasan, I., Tunaru, R., & Vioto, D. (2023). Herding behavior and systemic risk in global stock markets. Journal of Empirical Finance, 73, 107–133. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jempfin.2023.05.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jempfin.2023.05.004
  16. Hirshleifer, D., Subrahmanyam, A., & Titman, S. (2006). Feedback and the success of irrational investors. Journal of Financial Economics, 81(2), 311–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2005.05.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2005.05.006
  17. Hughes, P. S., & Buxton, I. (2020). The Science and Commerce of Whisky 2nd Edition. Royal Society of Chemistry. https://books.google.pl/books?id=5re-vwEACAAJ
  18. Inoua, S. M., & Smith, V. L. (2023). A classical model of speculative asset price dynamics. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, 37, 100780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbef.2022.100780 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbef.2022.100780
  19. Jovanovic, B. (2013). Explosivity in prices of exhaustible resources. International Economic Review, 54(1), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/iere.12000 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/iere.12000
  20. Khan, K., Su, C. W., & Rehman, A. U. (2021). Do multiple explosivity exist in coal price? Resources Policy, 73(April), 102232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102232 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102232
  21. Kollewe, J. (2016). Top tipple: rare whisky outperforms wine and gold as 2015 investment. 5th February 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/feb/05/whisky-2015-investment-outperforms-wine-gold-ftse-100
  22. Le Fur, E. (2023). Rare whiskies’ market: new Eldorado for investors and collectors? Managerial Finance, 49(10), 1596–1613. https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-02-2023-0089 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-02-2023-0089
  23. Le Fur, E., Thelisson, A. S., & Guyottot, O. (2023). Wine prices in economics: A bibliometric analysis. Strategic Change, October, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2561 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2561
  24. Li, Y., Zhang, W., Urquhart, A., & Wang, P. (2022). The role of media coverage in the explosivity formation: Evidence from the Bitcoin market. Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, 80, 101629. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intfin.2022.101629 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intfin.2022.101629
  25. McFadden, D. (1974). Conditional logit analysis of qualitative choice behavior. In Frontiers in econometrics (pp. 105–142). Academic Press.
  26. Mesly, O. (2023). Irrational exuberance and deception — Why markets spin out of control. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, 37, 100707. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbef.2022.100707 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbef.2022.100707
  27. Moroz, D., & Pecchioli, B. (2021a). Do Whisky Investors Read the Bible? The Effect of Expert Ratings on the Vintage Single Malt Secondary Market. Journal of Wine Economics, 16(1), 86–101. https://doi.org/10.1017/jwe.2020.53 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/jwe.2020.53
  28. Moroz, D., & Pecchioli, B. (2021b). Transaction price vs. ask price in hedonic regressions: evidence from the vintage scotch whisky market. Applied Economics Letters, 28(2), 129–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2020.1738323 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2020.1738323
  29. Ozgur, O., Yilanci, V., & Ozbugday, F. C. (2021). Detecting speculative explosivity in metal prices: Evidence from GSADF test and machine learning approaches. Resources Policy, 74(August), 102306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102306 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102306
  30. Pan, W. F. (2018). Sentiment and asset price explosivity in the precious metals markets. Finance Research Letters, 26(December 2016), 106–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2017.12.012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2017.12.012
  31. Pecchioli, B., & Moroz, D. (2023). Do geographical appellations provide useful quality signals? The case of Scotch single malt whiskies. Economic Modelling, 124(April), 106331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2023.106331 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2023.106331
  32. Phillips, P. C. B., Shi, S., & Yu, J. (2015). Testing for multiple explosivity: Historical episodes of exuberance and collapse in the S&P 500. International Economic Review, 56(4), 1043–1078. https://doi.org/10.1111/iere.12132 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/iere.12132
  33. Pindyck, R. S. (1993). The Present Value Model of Rational Commodity Pricing. The Economic Journal, 103(418), 511–530. https://doi.org/10.2307/2234529 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2234529
  34. Potrykus, M. (2023a). Investing in wine, precious metals and G-7 stock markets – A co-occurrence analysis for price explosivity. International Review of Financial Analysis, 87(August 2022), 102637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2023.102637 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2023.102637
  35. Potrykus, M. (2023b). Price explosivity in commodity market – A single time series and panel data analysis. Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 87, 110–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2022.12.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2022.12.002
  36. Shahzad, S. J. H., Anas, M., & Bouri, E. (2022). Price explosiveness in cryptocurrencies and Elon Musk’s tweets. Finance Research Letters, 47(PB), 102695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2022.102695 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2022.102695
  37. Smith, G. (2018). Step away from stepwise. Journal of Big Data, 5(1), 32. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40537-018-0143-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40537-018-0143-6
  38. Stewart, G., Russell, I., & Anstruther, A. (2021). An introduction to whisk(e)y and the development of Scotch whisky. In Whisky and Other Spirits: Technology, Production and Marketing (Second Edi). Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822076-4.00032-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822076-4.00032-2
  39. Su, C. W., & Li, X. (2020). When will explosivity occur in the fine wine market? Economic Computation and Economic Cybernetics Studies and Research, 54(1), 141–158. https://doi.org/10.24818/18423264/54.1.20.10 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24818/18423264/54.1.20.10
  40. Taera, E. G., Setiawan, B., Saleem, A., Wahyuni, A. S., Chang, D. K. S., Nathan, R. J., & Lakner, Z. (2023). The impact of Covid-19 and Russia–Ukraine war on the financial asset volatility: Evidence from equity, cryptocurrency and alternative assets. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 9(3), 100116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2023.100116 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2023.100116
  41. Tegtmeier, L. (2022). Does Rare Whisky Add Value in Multi-Asset Portfolios? Journal of Alternative Investments, 24(4), 90–109. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3905/jai.2022.1.154
  42. The DCI Model. (2023). Rare Whisky 101. https://www.rarewhisky101.com/indices/insight/dci-model
  43. Thomé, K. M., Paiva, V. A. L., & Gois, T. C. (2022). Through the liquid sunshine: international whisky market structure and competitiveness. Competitiveness Review, 32(4), 600–617. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-11-2020-0140 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-11-2020-0140
  44. Vasilopoulos, K., Pavlidis, E., & Martínez-García, E. (2022). exuber: Recursive Right-Tailed Unit Root Testing with R. Journal of Statistical Software, 103(10 SE-Articles), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v103.i10 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v103.i10
  45. Wu, L. H. (2013). Rational explosivity exist in the G-7 stock markets? Threshold cointegration approach. Romanian Journal of Economic Forecasting, 16(4), 32–43.
  46. Youssef, M., & Waked, S. S. (2022). Herding behavior in the cryptocurrency market during COVID-19 pandemic: The role of media coverage. The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 62, 101752. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.najef.2022.101752 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.najef.2022.101752