September 2025 Whisky & Spirits Auction Results

Our September auction saw some very fine bottles finding their way to new homes with plenty of choice across the board from single malts to vintage liqueurs and Cognac. Read on for a look at just a selection of the highlights.

Macallan

Macallan continues to be a fixture of the upper echelons of our auctions monthly and this month was no exception with the top spot being taken by this Macallan 1937 32 Year Old. Distilled almost 90 years ago and originally bottled in 1974, this was re-bottled in 2002 and presented as part of the prestigious Fine & Rare Collection.

Following on after some highly contested late bidding, the second spot went to this Macallan 1973, bottled in 1983 for the 10th anniversary of the Opimian Society Canada, a private club for wine and spirits enthusiasts. Not seen at auction too frequently, this bottle fetched an impressive £7,600.

Other highlights from Macallan included this beautiful Macallan 1950 Handwritten Label, bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, with a hammer price of £4,900 and a 2022 release of the Macallan M Black Lalique Decanter, sold for £3,000.

Islay

Islay provided plenty of peated delights for fans of a smoky malt. Leading the category was this Ardbeg Provenance 1974 selling for £2,100, followed closely by a Bowmore Bicentenary in its recognisable hand-blown decanter with a hammer price of £1,950.

The ever popular Port Ellen was well represented with a 1978 24 Year Old, the second release from Diageo’s Special Releases series selling for £825 and, distilled in the same year, a Port Ellen 1978 20 Year Old from the Rare Malts Selection fetching £750.

There were interesting indie bottles from Direct Wines First Cask series, including another couple of Port Ellen, a 1976 18 Year Old (£420) and a 1980 16 Year Old (£450) as well as a Caol Ila 1974 19 Year Old (£360) and Bunnahabhain 1980 19 Year Old (£180).

Hopping quickly to another island, there were good results for Skye’s Talisker with a hammer price of £2,800 for a Talisker 1976 46 Year Old Prima & Ultima. A Talisker 1957 bottled in the 1970s by Gordon & MacPhail fetched £2,200 , and a 1980s Talisker 10 Year Old Map Label sold for £270.

Springbank

There was competitive bidding on Springbank with some delicious malts up for grabs. This Springbank 12 Year Old 100 Proof bottled in the 1990s sold for £1,900, while a 25 Year Old US import bottle also from the 1990s fetched £925.

Keeping up the 90s theme, there was also a 21 Year Old (£525) and a selection of single casks including a pair of 1992 27 Year Old private bottlings (£410-£420 each) as well as a more unusual 1996 22 Year Old Cask Strength engraved with the crest of the Special Boat Service and bottled to commemorate Operation Frankton, a daring commando raid on the German occupied French port of Bordeaux involving kayaks deployed from submarines. This fetched a hammer price of £1,100.

Liqueurs, Spirits & Vermouth

It could be worth checking your cupboards for old liqueurs, spirits and vermouth as there were some impressive prices for vintage bottles. This vintage Lillet bottled in the 1940s fetched an auction record £1,050 and a much more recent 1980s bottling sold for a surprising £180.

Campari continued strong results with 1970s bottlings fetching £180-£210, a 1960s bottle sold for £270 and 1950s bottlings fetched £290-£320.

Auction favourite Chartreuse was hotly contested as ever with a Chartreuse Green bottled in Tarragona from 1973-1985 having the peak price of £800.

Among other liqueurs, a 1950s Picon Amer sold for £290 and a 1970s Fernet Branca fetched £170, while a more recent 1990s bottled Cherry Marnier fetched £130 after some late bidding.

Roundup

Some competitive late bidding saw this stunning Glenrothes 50 Year Old, one of only 50 created, reach a hammer price of £8,600.

There was also a strong finish in the Rum category for an Appleton Estate 250th Anniversary with some late bidding pushing it up to £1,550, a considerable increase on recent auction prices.

Looking to capitalise on Wrexham City’s new found fame and Hollywood connections was this single cask bottling from Penderyn, one of only 47 bottles exclusively available from Wrexham Visitor Information Centre, it sold for £190.

In the Irish Whiskey category, this Old Comber 7 Year Old bottled in the 1960s attracted plenty of attention, eventually ending the evening on £825.

Finally, a bottle not to be overlooked was this Oban 16 Year Old Bicentenary, bottled as part of the Manager’s Dram collection. Given an impressive score of 92 by Whiskyfun, this is a dream dram on many a connoisseur’s bucket list. The lucky winning bidder paid a hammer price of £1,200.

See the full September Whisky & Spirits Auction results here.

See our past auction roundups here.