October Miniatures, Memorabilia & Books Auction Results

Our October Miniatures, Memorabilia and Books Auction saw some incredible miniature bottles go under the hammer with the chance for collectors to pick up some very rare mini bottles indeed. Read on to find out what was on offer.

Karuizawa

One of Japan’s most famous ghost distilleries never fails to attract attention when rare miniatures appear at auction. This month saw a handful of exciting miniatures from Karuizawa up for sale, with an auction leading hammer price of £1,600 for a Karuizawa 1964 48 Year Old Cask #3603, bottled for Wealth Solutions in 2012 at cask strength of 57.7% ABV.

Two celebratory bottles produced for the Hong Kong Miniature Liquor Club followed with this Karuizawa 1984 bottled in 2018 for the club’s silver jubilee, and one of only 150 bottles, selling for £725 and a Karuizawa 1999-2000 bottled in 2023 for the 30th anniversary fetching £440.

Two Karuizawa 1999-2000 bottled in 2020 for the China Miniature Bottle Club sold for £350 and £180 with the significantly higher price going to the bottle that was sold with its original wooden case.

Macallan

Runner up to our top lot was the Macallan 1954 47 Year Old Fine & Rare, that sold for £1,300. Part of the much sought after Fine & Rare collection, this malt was bottled from a single cask in 2002 at a cask strength of 50.2%.

Mid-20th century Macallan from the Select Reserve releases was also available with this Macallan 1948 Select Reserve fetching £440, the 1951 fetching £460, and the 1961 selling for £525.

Other Macallans’ of note in a stacked category were a pair of Easter Elchies Cask Selections, the 2010 and 2011 releases, sold for £160 and £130, a pair of Macallan Private Eye with their distinctive Ralph Steadman label (£270-£280) and a Macallan 12 Year Old 100 Proof bottled in the 1970s by Gordon & MacPhail that saw some very late bidding to take it to £130.

Islay

Star of the Islay malts this month was this beautifully preserved Laphroaig Old Scotch Whisky bottled in the 1950s at 20 under proof (or 46% ABV). This Islay gem sold for £825 after some spirited bidding.

There were some great bottles available in grouped lots for those looking for a taster of amazing Islay whiskies. This Bowmore Collection containing the iconic Bowmore Sherriff’s with its gorgeous label, as well as an interesting selection of other Bowmore whiskies provided a great selection to get a taster of a range of historic and modern malts from an Islay icon. It settled on a hammer price of £110.

If mature Bowmore was on your wish list, this Bowmore 1967 40 Year Old may have ticked that box. Originally released to accompany the full size equivalent bottle as part of the Premier Range this was bottled from a single cask, number 4538, and bottled at 44.1% ABV. It sold for £390.

For £360, you could have become the owner of a Port Ellen 12 Year Old, bottled by James MacArthur at a warming 62.7% ABV.

Memorabilia

As usual, the memorabilia section produced some weird and wonderful lots for any collectors of historic whisky paraphernalia or just curious enthusiasts looking for an interesting piece of decoration for their home bar. Some of the distilling tools on offer included this Sikes’s Hydrometer from the late 19th century (£290), a Vintage Whisky Refractometer (£220), a Copper Dipping Dog from Glengarioch distillery (£100) and a Cooper’s Reamer and Mallet (85).

The most popular lot of the evening was this set of Jack Daniel’s Zippo Lighters, engraved with various designs including all 7 images from the Scenes From Lynchburg series. The winning bid was £330.

Books

There was plenty of whisky literature for those with an interest in historic spirits and the personalities associated, including opportunities to delve into the minds of some well known collectors such as Valentino Zagatti in his The Best Collection Of Malt Scotch Whisky (£130).

This beautiful old copy of Sutton Sharpe & Co.’s Truths About Whisky received a lot of interest and late bidding saw it reach a final sale price of £650, while a 1930 first edition of Whisky by Aeneas MacDonald sold for £140.

There were some incredible bundles of literature to be had with lots containing books such as The Story Of Jim McEwan (£320), The Scottish Whisky Distilleries by Misako Udo (£150) and The Whisky Distilleries Of The United Kingdom by Alfred Barnard (£250).

Roundup

For those with an interest in British Politics, an opportunity to own a collection of Rutherford’s Ceramic Flag Decanters featuring British Prime Ministers (up to Boris Johnson) was too good to miss for some bidders, with the lucky winner picking up the 52 bottle collection for £525.

Other whiskies of note included a stunning Springbank 1952 (sold for £380), an interesting SMWS 49 St Magdalene 1975 released for the Japanese market (£80) and a historic Old Orkney Real Liqueur Blended Scotch Whisky bottled in the 1930s (£160).

Chartreuse proves ever popular and picking up vintage bottles can be pretty pricey, so buying a mini vintage tasting set at auction is the perfect opportunity to explore the historic liqueur. This assorted lot of vintage Green and Yellow Chartreuse bottles sold for £170.

See the full October Miniatures, Memorabilia & Books Auction results here.

See our past auction roundups here.