Whisky Hammer, a leading online whisky auctioneer, has made its first two appointments in Europe as it launches its first operational base in Alphen aan den Rijn, South Holland.
The company has appointed a general manager and an auction manager to spearhead the new venture which will accommodate Whisky Hammer’s European clients from 1st October 2025.
Tim Lagraauw (general manager) and Evan Urquhart (auction manager) bring a wealth of experience from existing roles across whisky auctioneering as well as logistics and operational management – the duo will be located in the Netherlands and will be running the day-to-day operations of the base with plans to build the team in the coming months.
Founded in 2015 in rural Aberdeenshire, near the world-famous Speyside whisky region, Whisky Hammer has grown into one of the world’s top-rated online whisky auction platforms. The business runs monthly global auctions featuring rare and collectible bottles, serving thousands of customers worldwide.
The opening of this new base in the EU enables Whisky Hammer to offer its service to private individuals in an expanded number of countries across Europe which, following BREXIT, it couldn’t deliver to before, these countries include Italy, Spain, Czechia, France and Sweden. With a worldwide presence already existing, the new base will make it easier for buyers and sellers based throughout Europe to utilise the online auction platform in a fully compliant manner.
Left to Right, Craig Milne, co-founder and operations director, Evan Urquhart, auction manager (Europe), Tim Lagraauw, general manager (Europe), Daniel Milne, co-founder and chief executive officer.
The Whisky Hammer team have worked in conjunction with their Dutch advisors over several months across legal, tax and customs and excise, to ensure the European business is fully compliant and able to continue to offer trusted customer service, in particular adhering to the regulations set by EU Directive 2020/262.
Daniel Milne, co-founder and chief executive officer, said: “Opening this new operational base in southern Holland will allow for more European buyers and sellers to get involved in our monthly auctions. We thank the Alphen aan den Rijn municipality in welcoming us, with such support for our business, and we are excited to welcome Evan and Tim to the Whisky Hammer team, where we are confident that their expertise and leadership will ensure a successful launch and continued growth of our presence in Europe.”
Craig Milne, co-founder and operations director, added: “We are always looking at new ways to provide smoother service for our clients and we are hopeful this move will help us achieve this. This is pivotal to our long-term growth strategy and reinforces our commitment to making Whisky Hammer more accessible across Europe."
Whisky Hammer have plans to further grow their team in the Netherlands over the coming months inline with the expansion of the business in the region.
More information on the new Whisky Hammer Europe service can be found at: https://www.whiskyhammer.com/buying-and-selling/europe
European sellers can consign bottles to the October auction (starting Friday 17th October) by getting in touch with the Whisky Hammer team at europe@whiskyhammer.com or by calling +44(0)1358 747470.