September 2024 Whisky & Spirits Auction Results

Our latest auction saw competitive bidding for highly collectable old malts, beautiful ceramic decanters and rare limited releases. Read on for our highlights from the September 2024 Whisky & Spirits Auction Results.

*Aftersales*

Following the close of the September auction, our aftersales process resulted in further sales to some very happy customers.

Originally unsold bottles ended up taking the top two spots in the auction, with the Yamazaki 25 Year Old Limited Edition selling for £6,500 and the Dalmore 1996 40 Year Old beating its original reserve at £5,100.

Five of the unsold Glendronach bottles also sold for a little over their original reserves, including the Glendronach Grandeur 31 Year Old (£1,700) and the Glendronach 1992 25 Year Old (£480).

Macallan bottlings did well in the aftersales, with the beautiful Macallan 1981 Gran Reserva sold for £2,500 and a Macallan 1967 18 Year Old reaching £2,200.

The Midleton Very Rare 1987 and 1984 releases also found a home for £2000 and £1,200 respectively, while a bid of £1,000 was accepted by the seller for this Craigellachie 37 Year Old.

September Auction

Japanese Whisky

The top spots in our September auction were taken by Japan’s oldest commercial whisky distillery, Yamazaki, with two bottles of the Yamazki 25 Year Old reaching hammer prices of £4700 and £4200. The brand continued to dominate the top lots with the 2011 Sherry Cask, Yamazaki’s third annual Sherry Cask bottling, reaching £2600, while the 2013 Sherry Cask release hit £2300. Close behind came two stunning ceramic decanters of Hibiki 21 Year Old which both reached hammer prices of £2100.

Speyside Single Malts

In a rare occurrence for our Whisky & Spirits auctions, the top spot in Speyside wasn’t taken by Macallan. This month one of Speyside’s traditional workhorse distilleries Tormore took the highest single malt Scotch whisky hammer price, £3600, with a 1966 12 Year Old, matured in sherry wood and bottled by independent bottler Cadenhead’s. The Macallan was however close behind, with this 1967 25 Year Old Anniversary Malt reaching £3100 and the 1971 25 Year Old Anniversary Malt reaching £2500. Other notable Macallan sales included this Macallan Edition No.1 Edrington Americas US Import which closed at £2000 after some very close last minute bidding, while the Macallan 1997 14 Year Old Easter Elchies Cask Selection 2011 Release, which had been one of the most watched lots of the auction, reached £2200. The Macallan 1977 23 Year Old – Silver Seal continues to climb in auction prices, reaching £1150 this month.

Islay Single Malts

Some great old and rare Islay single malts attracted plenty of attention in our September auction, including this Laphroaig 40 Year Old Natural Cask Strength which reached £3200, while an Ardbeg Provenance 1974 hit £2,700. Bottled in the 1980s, this Bowmore 1965 ended on £2500 and this rare Lagavulin 1991 Single Cask, originally bottled to mark the 200th anniversary of the brand, reached £2400.

‘Closed distilleries’

With the legendary trio of lost distilleries, Brora, Port Ellen and Rosebank, all making whisky once more, liquid from their previous heydays continues to be highly collectable.This month saw this Brora 38 Year Old from Diageo’s 2016 Special Releases reach £2300, while a Port Ellen 1978 34 Year Old, this time from the 2013 Special Release series, reached £1900. Not to be left out, this Rosebank 20 Year Old bottled in the 1970s reached £875.

Gordon & Macphail

Collectors of bottlings from famous independent bottler Gordon & Macphail had plenty to get excited about this month. This beautiful Glenlivet 1946 50 Year Old from the rare Book of Kells series hit a hammer price of £2600, while two whiskies distilled in the 1930s, a Mortlach 1936 46 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice and a Strathisla 1937, sold for £1500 and £1000 respectively. This Glenlochy 1979 Rare Old saw some competition in the last minutes of the auction reaching £390, while the Glenugie 1967 Connoisseurs Choice was also in hot demand, eventually settling at £440.

Roundup

It wasn’t all about whisky in our September auction, this beautiful Baccarat Crystal Richard Hennessy Cognac reached £1650, while the Kweichow Moutai 50 Year Old Baijiu hit £1600. Louis VIII decanters from multiple decades reached between £1,250 and £925 and this elegant Camus Family Legacy decanter sold for £875.

We saw plenty of unusual decanters sell this month, including this Suntory Brandy Extra Banjo Dencater, £290, a pair of Whyte & Mackay Royal Doulton Owls, £160, a Suntory Blue Marlin Ceramic Decanter, £280, and not forgetting this Suntory Open Golf Tournament 1998 Royal 15 Year Old Ceramic Pelican Decanter, £260.

It was also a great auction for lovers of The Lakes Distillery, with bottles 1-8 of the Founder’s Club series selling between £320 and £170 each.

See the full September 2024 Whisky & Spirits Auction Results here.

See our past auction roundups here.