July 2025 Whisky & Spirits Auction Results
Click here to view this auctionTake a look at some of the highlights from our July 2025 Whisky & Spirits Auction.
Our July 2025 Whisky & Spirits auction saw some stellar bottles up for sale with some incredible mature whiskies and stunning bottles. There were also plentiful vintage liqueurs and spirits to bid on. Here’s a look at just some of the highlights.
*Aftersales Update*
Our auction aftersales secured new owners for some fantastic bottles. Among them was this Dalmore 45 Year Old 2024 release receiving an offer of £8,500.
Two Havana Club Hunter’s & Frankau limited edition bottlings released to celebrate the 225th anniversary of the UK Havana cigar importer sold for £500 each, while a Havana Club Tributo 2016 fetched £380.
While Armagnac can often be overshadowed by Cognac prices, there are amazing vintage bottles to be picked up at auction at very reasonable prices such as this Baron De Sigognac 1940 that sold for £300.
Islay
It was a strong showing from Islay malts this auction with some enticing lots on offer. It may not have taken the top spot, but leading the way for Islay was this rare original case of 1970s Bowmore 8 Year Old Sherriff’s that sold for an impressive hammer price of £13,600. It’s unusual to see these bottles in such good condition and with the original case, so a fantastic addition to the lucky winning bidder’s collection.
Other results of note in our Islay section included a couple more Bowmore’s with this Black Bowmore 1964 Final Edition showing well compared to recent auction sales with a sale price of £8,800. After some competitive late bidding, this Bowmore Bicentenary 1979 also surpassed recent sales results with a hammer price of £3,500.
Bowmore was by no means the only Islay distillery performing well and we saw this Laphroaig 1960 40 Year Old Vintage Reserve fetch £3,700 and an enticingly dark Ardbeg 1967 28 Year Old from Signatory Vintage sold for £3,500.
Indie Bottlers
Speaking of Signatory, there were plenty of independent bottlings to choose from this auction, with an amazing array of vintage malts from bottlers such as Cadenhead’s, Gordon & MacPhail, First Cask and the aforementioned Signatory Vintage. Indie bottlers often have more freedom to play with age statements and bottling strength than official distillery releases, so can be a rewarding hunting ground for those taking their time to explore these bottlings at auction.
For those looking for old vintages, this Glenfarclas 1964 30 Year Old from Signatory Vintage fetched £1,550, while a Glenlivet 1959 24 Year Old from Cadenhead’s sold for £1,400.
Cask strength bottlings from much loved distilleries such as this Laphroaig 1984 12 Year Old, bottled at a spicy 58.3% (£900) and a Macallan Glenlivet 1976 19 Year Old bottled at 55.4% (£525), both from Cadenhead’s, offer a chance to taste these malts at natural cask strength.
Another advantage of indie bottlers is the chance to collect lost distilleries and just a couple from this auction were a Caperdonich 1977 19 Year Old Cadenhead’s (£550) and a Brora 1982 21 Year Old from Direct Wines First Cask series (£470).
Mature Malts
For those who like a bit of age on their malts, there was no shortage of interesting lots in this auction. I’ve yet to mention the top lot, which was secured by this beautifully presented Brora 1972 40 Year Old. The oldest Brora to be bottled at it’s time of release and one of only 160 bottles available, it sold for £19,500.
There were other 40 year old malts to bid on including a Speyside favourite Balvenie (£2,800) and a Glenglassaugh 40 Year Old that fetched £825.
At just a few years younger, a bottle of Talisker 1984 37 Year Old from Diageo’s Prima & Ultima series sold for £2,200 and 30 year old offerings included a Dalmore 2024 release (£2,200), Balvenie (£1,350), Laphroaig (£1,100) and more.
Chartreuse
Outside of single malts, there was much to explore among the other liqueurs and spirits. Chartreuse, as usual, received plenty of attention and late bidding on several lots saw prices jump late in the auction as this Chartreuse Yellow bottled in Tarragona between 1973-1985 fetched £1,550 and a Chartreuse Yellow ‘Le Cabochon’ sold for £1,400.
The oldest Chartreuse in the auction was also a Yellow Chartreuse (bottled 1945-51), that received a winning bid of £1,400.
Not to be outdone, a Green Chartreuse bottled in Tarragona between 1975-1982, fetched £1,500, while a mid 50s-60s bottled Green Chartreuse ended the sale on £1,250.
Roundup
Whether vintage cocktails are your thing or just trying or collecting beautiful vintage bottles, there was a wide variety of spirits and liqueurs for all tastes. Italian bottles in particular proved enticing to bidders and among them this well-preserved Cinzano Amaro, bottled in the 1920s-30s, sold for £470, a 1950s Bonomelli Bitter Milano (possibly the best label in the auction) sold for £290, and sales results for Campari and Cynar remained strong.
A Ballantine’s 17 Year Old blended whisky dating from the 1950s sold for £310 and there were also excellent prices for similarly aged blends such as this Haig’s Dimple (£140) and Buchanan’s De Luxe (£130), showing an uptick in prices for some vintage blended whiskies.
A couple of other vintage bottles worth a mention included a Jose Cuervo Blanco dating from the 1960s that received late interest before ending the evening on £775 and a 1960s Pimm’s No.3 Cup The Original Brandy Sling fetched £230.
Finally, longest battle of the night was fought over this Macallan 1950 Handwritten Label, with bidders going toe to toe until the very end of the auction. Once the dust settled, the winning bid was an impressive £6,400.