This month’s auction saw stand out whiskies from all over the world from Scotland to Japan, Ireland to USA and beyond. Here is a look around some of the highlights from our November Whisky & Spirits auction.
Japanese Whisky
A pair of Karuizawa 1981 35 Year Old single casks from the Splendid Age series sold for £12,000 each, Hibiki 30 Year Old presented in a Kagami crystal decanter fetched £5,200. Meanwhile strong results continued for auction regulars such as Yamazaki, Hibiki and Chichibu.
Scotch Whisky
The rarely seen Glen Ord 1962 22 Year Old Samaroli Bouquet sold for £6,400. This is one of two ‘Bouquet’ editions released by the legendary Italian bottler Samaroli, the other being the highly sought after Bowmore 1966. Macallan remains strong as ever, The Macallan 1962 25 Year Old Anniversary Malt fetched £5,200. The new, and first in a series released to celebrate the 60th anniversary of James Bond, The Macallan James Bond Decade I, sold for an astonishing £4,200. A personal favourite, the delicious Prestonfield Campbeltown 1967, a Springbank 20 Year Old bottled for the Prestonfield House Hotel in Edinburgh, sold for £2,600.
For fans of peated whisky there was plenty of choice amongst Islay malts. Laphroaig 30 Year Old fetched £1,600 and Port Ellen 1979 29 Year Old bottled by Douglas Laing raised £1,550. An old Ardbeg 10 Year Old bottled in the 1970s sold for £1,400, while more modern releases such as this Lagavulin 26 Year Old from Diageo’s 2021 Special Releases range ended at £1,450.
Irish Whiskey
Much of the evening’s last minute action came from late bids on Irish Whiskey. There was a flurry of activity in the closing moments of a flight of Midleton Very Rare vintages from 1992 to 2017. The top result went to the rarely seen Midleton Very Rare 2009 which fetched £4,400.
The most competitive lot of the evening was a well-preserved example of a John Jameson & Sons 3 Star 7 Year Old bottled in the 1940s. A hard fought battle ended with the bottle selling for £1,050.
Cognac
November’s spirits auction featured an outstanding crop of fine and rare Cognacs going back decades. There were 20 individual lots of Remy Martin Louis XIII which, dating back to the 1970s right up to 2021, sold for between £1,450 and £1,850. The star though, was Remy Martin Louis XIII Origin 1874 from the Time Collection, which sold for £4,100.
Hennessy Cognac ranging from XO to Paradis featured in 21 lots. Different releases of Paradis fetched between £600 and £675 each. The oldest Cognac in the sale was Augier Freres 1906 Cognac, bottled in the 1950s-1960s which sold for £1,700.
Liqueurs
Continuing demand for vintage cocktail ingredients saw prices for old liqueurs increase again. Watch out for vintage Amaro, Cynar and Benedictine before it’s too late.
For some of us though, the night belonged to Chartreuse which saw some auction records broken. Chartreuse Green bottled between 1941-1951 sold for £1,950 and Chartreuse Green bottled slightly later between 1956-1964 sold for £1,550. A new record was also set by Chartreuse Green produced in Tarragona between 1973-1985 which sold for £925.
