This month’s auction saw some truly rare and stunning vintage bottles up for sale with some impressive results. Here’s a quick look at some of the standout lots from the December sale.
John Jameson & Son’s Redbreast 12 Year Old 1930s
This 1930s John Jameson & Son’s Redbreast 12 Year Old was something special and we’re all delighted that it enthralled the bidders as well as the historians. The exceptionally well-preserved Irish Whiskey came from a family run pub in County Antrim run by the seller’s grandfather until the 1960s. The rarity of this bottle in such pristine condition was reflected in not only the hammer price achieved but also the close combat battle of nerves at the closing stages of the auction. Bidding eventually concluded at a record breaking £19,000.
Japanese Whiskies
The strong interest in Japanese whiskies continues unabated and the auction saw bottles from collectors’ favourites Karuizawa, Yamazaki and Hanyu amongst the top sellers. The trio of beautifully labelled Geishas were memorably entertaining and sold for a total £44,000: Karuizawa 30 Year Old Cask #5347 Aika Geisha 58.2% ABV sold for £16,500; Karuizawa 29 Year Old Cask #8897 Aika Geisha 53.9% ABV sold for £14,200 and Karuizawa 34 Year Old Cask #3668 Ruby Geisha 58.5% ABV £13,600.
A Yamazaki 25 Year Old that fetched £7000 and a Hanyu Noh 21 Year Old sold for £4000. Meanwhile a bottle of Sanraku Ocean blended malt whisky produced in the 1970s and comprised of malts from the Karuizawa distillery and grain whisky from the Kawazaki distillery sold for £320.
Scotch Whiskies
Our eclectic selection of Scotch malt whiskies included beautiful bottles containing distillate from the 1950s and 1960s from collectors’ favourites including Macallan, Springbank and Ardbeg. Much like the Redbreast, this Arbeg 10 year old, bottled in the 1970s, was hotly contested and produced an extended bidding battle that lasted throughout much of the close of the auction. Also attracting plenty of attention were a couple of deliciously dark Springbanks bottled by Cadenhead’s, both distilled in 1965.
Not Just Whisky…
Looking beyond the whiskies there were some strong results in other spirits categories. This 1990s Kweichow Moutai fetched an impressive £2000 and there was plenty of interest in premium Cognacs with two Frapin Cuvee 1888s fetching a total of £4800.
