The July Miniatures, Memorabilia & Books auction did not disappoint, with stunning whiskies, spirits, memorabilia and books to expand your whisky library. Read on to find out about some of our highlights.
Indie Bottlers
This month’s auction featured some superb liquids presented in miniature form from a range of independent bottlers including the likes of Cadenhead’s, James MacArthur, Signatory Vintage and Gordon and MacPhail.
Talisker 1955 Cask Strength fetched £370 and £380 respectively and a pair of 1965 vintage Clynelish including this Clynelish 1965 23 Year Old from Cadenhead’s and a Clynelish 1965 28 Year Old bottled by Signatory Vintage, both fetched a hammer price of £310. Sticking with the 1965 vintage, there was also a miniature of Springbank 1965 28 Year Old bottled for Milroy’s from a single cask which sold for £170.
From James MacArthur, there was a Springbank 1967 27 Year Old, one of only 200 bottles produced that fetched £150, as well as a bottle of cask strength Port Ellen 12 Year Old that achieved a hammer price of £230.
The top whisky lot though, went to a 1cl sample of the amazing Mortlach 75 Year Old, which sold for £410. The whisky, distilled in 1937 and matured for 75 years in a first fill sherry butt by Gordon & MacPhail, is presented with a branded tumbler and accompanying book written by Charles Maclean and Alexander McCall-Smith.
Scotch Whisky
There was plenty to explore from official distillery releases alongside the independent bottlings. Bottlings from the 1960s of Laphroaig 10 Year Old (sold for £250), Ardbeg 10 Year Old (£75) and Clynelish 12 Year Old (£75) were some of the highlights. A miniature version of the Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Wedgwood Decanter sold for £180.
Inevitably, much of the bidding focused on the various miniatures of Macallan. The highest price was achieved by this Macallan 1972, which sold for a hammer price of £210. There were two Macallan 1966 26 Year Old Limited Edition which fetched £200 and £180 respectively and an American import of the red labelled Macallan Cask Strength fetched £140.
Memorabilia
Our top lot of the month was not a bottle but this Yamazaki 55 Year Old Tasting Glasses Set that fetched an amazing £700. The stunning glassware is finely crafted by Stoltzl and presented in a wooden box with an accompanying booklet.
Equally unusually, perhaps the most eagerly fought over lot of the night, with competitive bidding continuing well after the allotted closing time, was this 1921 Dom Perignon Wooden Box, that eventually settled on a winning bid of £320. For a more modern option of transporting your bottles around, there was a VinGarde Valise VGV02 travel case, capable of carrying 12 x 75cl bottles. It sold for £170.
A personal favourite was one well preserved 1930s Hydrometer in its original box complete with weights and a glass beaker. The winning bid was £110.
Roundup
Miniatures auctions can provide an opportunity to bid for a taster of those bottles that sell for eye-watering amounts in their full size form such as this 3cl sample of Karuizawa 34 Year Old Ruby Geisha, that fetched a hammer price of £310.
Some decanters look just as good, if not better, in miniature form, such as this Remy Martin Louis XIII jewel, which sold for £360.
Among the blended whiskies this month, one of the stand out lots was a well-preserved Mackie’s 12 Year Old Ancient Scotch bottled in the 1930s to 1940s that sold for £160.
For those looking to grow their knowledge and whisky library, there were plenty of out of print drinks books. Someone planning on trying their hand at a spot of distillation bid £55 on this copy of the Alcohol Distillers Handbook.
