The highlights from our October auction included some extremely rare bottles, some wonderfully long-aged whiskies and a plethora of interesting memorabilia. Here’s some of the highlights.
Fabulous Fifties
Top lot honours this month went to this Dalmore 50 Year Old, presented in a crystal decanter. The bidding ended on a hammer price of £2500.
If one 50 year old was wasn’t enough, the auction also featured a few other quinquagenarians, including a Tomatin 1967 50 Year Old (sold for £700), and this beautiful miniature ceramic decanter of Glenfiddich 50 Year Old that fetched £1,300. In addition, there were a handful of Gordon and MacPhail bottlings reaching the half century, including this Mortlach 1938 50 Year Old sold for a winning bid of £160 and a Glenlivet 1940 50 Year Old, sold for £170.
Vintage Malts
In addition to some exceptionally long-aged whiskies, there was a huge range of vintage scotch with distillate dating back as far as the 1930s. Malts from the 1950s such as this Macallan 1951, sold for £675, and a Talisker 1955 Cask Strength fetched £210. Moving into the sixties there was an enticing pair of mid 60s Clynelish on offer in the shape of this Clynelish 1965 23 Year Old from Cadenhead’s (sold for £400) and Clynelish 1965 28 Year Old bottled by Signatory (sold for £410). This beautiful Laphroaig 10 Year Old, also bottled in the 1960s, reached a winning bid of £230.
We had a massive range of miniatures from Gordon & MacPhail in the auction, with just a few stand outs including this Talisker Black Label Gold Eagle 100 Proof bottled in the 1970s and sold for £160, a Glenburgie 1948 Centenary Reserve (£80), and a Caol Ila 1966 Centenary Reserve, sold for £150.
Around The World
It wasn’t just Scotch whisky catching the eye of bidders with the likes of this rarely seen Midleton Very Rare 30th Anniversary Pearl Edition sold to a lucky winning bidder for £850 and topping the Irish Whiskey category.
There were also rarities from Japan including this Karuizawa 1999-2000 bottled in 2020 for the China Miniature Bottle Club, one of only 350 miniatures given to club members, and sold for £360. Also bottled for whisky club members, this time the Club Español de Coleccionistas de Botellines de Licor (CECBL), was a pair of Chichibu CECBL, bottled in 2022 for the club’s annual meeting and numbering 165 bottles in total. These two sold for £170 each.
Heading to the USA, there was a well preserved pair of Old Forester, distilled in 1942 and bottled at 100 proof, that sold for £70 and £75. This Bourbon Heritage Collection containing five miniatures from a variety of well known US whiskey brands, sold for £200.
Memorabilia
For those looking to add some talking points to their bar, there was some interesting memorabilia items that attracted plenty of attention. There were fascinating vintage tools of the exciseman such as this Sikes Hydrometer from the late 19th century in its original case that sold for £650, this Ash & Sons Saccharometer from the same period, which fetched £210, and a Vintage Collapsible Whisky Gauging Rod, with a winning bid of £320.
A Port Ellen Distillery Model Pot Still, sold for £675, will make an excellent addition to the winning bidder’s bar or whisky shelves.
Game of Thrones fans looking for a way to display their bottle collections need look no further than the rustic Game of Thrones Chest of which there were three available in the auction fetching between £900 and £950 each.
A particular highlight was a quartet of beautiful hand signed and numbered Alfred Daniel’s Distillery Prints, with the winning spot in the battle to be most sought after distillery going to this gorgeous image of Laphroaig 1996, fetching £150.
Gorgeous Glassware
A good drinking vessel is a must for the spirits connoisseur and there was no shortage of luxurious glassware on offer. For Cognac drinkers, this set of Remy Martin Louis XIII Crystal Glasses sold for £400 and two sets of stunning crystal Hennessy Paradis Imperial glasses sold for £260-£270.
Whisky drinkers could choose from these Yamazaki 55 Year Old Tasting Glasses sets (£210 each), a Macallan Lalique nosing glass (£110) or limited edition Glenfiddich 50 Year Old stemware, handmade by Eisch (£60-£65 each).
For those who like their drinks in larger measures, there were Argyle Glasses ranging in size from a foot to three quarters of a yard.
Roundup
Royal Salute was the leading brand amongst blended whiskies this month taking four of the top five spots in the category. The top three lots, all ending the evening on £370, were taken by a sample of Royal Salute Platinum Jubilee Edition, a Royal Salute Gift Set containing three bottles of 30, 32 and 38 year old blends, and a Royal Salute Forces of Nature, a 53 year old blend designed in collaboration with sculptor Kate MccGwire.
The books category contained a wide range of reading materials for building a whisky library and this first edition copy of Whisky by Aeneas MacDonald, published in 1930, proved to be one of the most highly contested lots of the evening, eventually settling on a winning bid of £650 after some intense bidding.
Finally, a personal favourite novelty lot from the auction was this La Priere Junos Brandy Bike, which clearly attracted some other admirers as it sold for £60.
