The Whisky Ambassadors’ Collection Charity Auction featured 39 exceptional bottles donated by distillers and bottlers. From one-off releases created especially for the auction, to bottles signed by the master distillers, this auction had it all.
This unprecedented auction was curated in partnership with whisky ambassadors across the world to raise awareness and funds for The BEN in Scotland.
Full list of lots:
Aberfeldy 1999 Single Cask, Bottled 2019
A limited edition bottle of Aberfeldy Highland single malt Scotch whisky. This was distilled in 1999 and bottled by hand from a single cask on 2 July 2019. The label is signed by Stephen Burnett, Distillery Manager.
This is bottle number 444; it was bottled from cask number 20658.
Donated by Dewar’s Aberfeldy.
Aberfeldy distillery was built in 1896 by John Dewar & Sons, just yards from the Pitilie Burn, which is the distillery’s water source to this day. The distillery was forced to close for two years to conserve stocks of barley for food rations at the end of World War One. Most of its output went in to the Dewar’s blend, and in 1999 it became a single malt whisky brand in its own right with the launch of Aberfeldy 12 Year Old.
Winning bid £230
Ardnamurchan Spirit 2018 AD, Limited Release No. 0
A bottle of Ardnamurchan 2018 AD limited release No.03, matured in first fill ex-sherry casks and bottled by Lewis Hamilton of Adelphi Selection on 2 October 2018. This bottle is signed by Adelphi’s Managing Director Alex Bruce.
This is bottle number 4441 of 5000.
This was matured for fewer than three years so cannot be labelled Scotch Whisky.
Donated by Connal Mackenzie and the Adelphi team.
Independent bottler Adelphi opened Ardnamurchan distillery in 2014 on the western Highland peninsula of the same name, the most westerly point of the British mainland. The owners have opted for a sustainable approach: a hydro-electric generator produces the power, a biomass boiler provides all the hot water, and the pot ale and draff fertilises the fields and feeds the local cattle. Ardnamurchan produces both peated and unpeated malt using barley from the owner’s estate.
Winning bid £125
Arran 10 Year Old, White Stag Tasting Panel 2018 – Signed Bottle
A limited edition bottle of The Arran 10 Year Old. This is the fourth release from the White Stag tasting panel and was matured in four ex-bourbon barrels before bottling for the White Stag community of Arran friends worldwide in 2018.
The bottle and box are signed by Arran’s Master Distiller James MacTaggart.
This is bottle number 609 of 875.
Donated by Andy Bell and the Arran team.
The Isle of Arran was once home to over 50 distilleries and was a hotbed of illicit distillation and smuggling in the late 18th century, but it wasn’t until 1995 that the Arran distillery began producing whisky. Its location in the north of the island at Lochranza was chosen for its water source and its tourism potential, and today it welcomes more that 60000 visitors each year. In 2017, expansion saw Arran’s output double to more than 1.2 million litres per year.
Winning bid £170
Balblair 1990Bottled 2014 – 2nd Release
The second release of Balblair 1990 Highland single malt Scotch whisky. This was distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2014 after 21 years’ maturation in 2nd fill American bourbon barrels and three years in 1st fill oloroso sherry butts.
The bottle and the box are signed by John MacDonald, Distillery Manager.
Donated by Gordon Stevenson of Inver House.
Balblair distillery was built in 1790 by the Ross family, who would run the distillery for the next 100 years. In 1872, production was shifted to a new site to take advantage of the newly built railway between Wick and Inverness. The distillery closed in 1911, and was commandeered by the military during World War II, after which it resumed production. In the 1990s, Balblair was acquired by Inver House, and from 2007 released only vintage malts, the first of which were 1979, 1989 and 1997.
Winning bid £240
Benriach 1998 Single Cask, 20 Year Old – 120th Anniversary
A bottle of Benriach 20 Year Old single malt Scotch whisky. This was distilled on 11 February 1998, matured in a single Marsala hogshead and bottled at cask strength in 2018 to celebrate the 120th anniversary of Benriach Distillery. This bottle is signed by Rachel Barrie, Master Blender.
This is bottle number 231 of 290; it was bottled from cask number 10299.
Donated by Brown-Forman.
Benriach distillery was founded in 1897 by John Duff, builder of Glenlossie and Longmorn, and operated for just two years before it was hit by the Pattison Crisis, an economic downturn that shook the whisky industry at the end of the 1890s. While Benriach’s maltings continued to supply Longmorn, the distillery remained silent for 65 years until new owners The Glenlivet Distillers resumed production. The first 10 Year Old was released in the 1990s by then owners Seagram, and the distillery maintains a ‘peated season’ every year where peated malt is distilled, something that started in the 1980s to supply blenders and proved popular. Benriach was acquired by US drinks firm Brown-Forman in 2016.
Winning bid £500
Big Peat 1992 The Gold Edition, 25 Year Old
A limited edition bottle of Big Peat 25 Year Old The Gold Edition, a blended malt made from whiskies distilled at Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore, Port Ellen, and other Islay distilleries. The whiskies were distilled in 1992, matured for a minimum of 25 years and bottled at 52.1% ABV in 2017 by Douglas Laing for The Vintage Edition series.
This is bottle number 1245 of 3000.
The bottle is signed and dated by Director of Whisky Cara Laing, August 2019.
Donated by Douglas Laing & Company.
Douglas Laing & Company was founded in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing as a whisky blender and bottler. The family firm was managed by brothers Fred and Stewart until 2013, when the pair split the assets and each established his own bottling firm. Stewart created Hunter Laing & Company, and Fred, joined by his daughter Cara, continued with the Douglas Laing name. Single malt bottlings include the Provenance range, Old Particular, Premier Barrel and Director’s Cut. The Remarkable Regional Malts series was launched in the late 2000s and includes blended malts that showcase Scotch whisky’s regional characteristics: Scallywag (Speyside), Timorous Beastie (Highland), The Epicurean (Lowland), The Gauldrons (Campbeltown), Rock Island (Islands), and Big Peat (Islay).
Winning bid £135
Bowmore 1997 Distillery Manager’s Selection, Bottled 2019 – Signed Bottle
A bottle of Bowmore Distillery Manager’s Selection. This was distilled in 1997 and bottled from 12 first fill oloroso sherry hogsheads at 51.7% ABV in 2019.
This bottle is signed and dated by Distillery Manager David Turner, 19/4/19.
This is bottle number 1607 of 3000.
Donated by Distillery Manager David Turner.
Bowmore started distilling in 1779, though there is no evidence of whisky production until John Simpson was granted a licence to distil in 1816. The distillery passed through several hands, and even supplied a cask to Windsor Castle, before it was purchased by perhaps its most famous owner, Stanley P Morrison, in 1963. Bowmore maintains its own floor maltings which supply 40% of its barley, and is known for its medium-peated character. The whisky is left to mature in the No.1 Vaults, which is said to inhabit a unique microclimate, perfect for long periods of maturation.
Winning bid £825
Bruichladdich 2008 Valinch – Bottle 1 Of 110 Year Old – Signed Bottle
A distillery exclusive bottle from Bruichladdich. This was distilled on 27 February 2008, matured for 10 years in a single refill bourbon cask and specially bottled for The Second Annual Auction of the Ambassadors Collection 2019.
This bottle is signed by Adam Hannett, Head Distiller, and Allan Logan, Production Director, and comes with an Octomore t-shirt, size M.
This is bottle number 1 of 1; it was bottled from cask number 4.
Donated by Brand Ambassador Chloe Wood.
Bruichladdich’s unpeated character sets it apart from its Islay neighbours, and it has long been known as the malt that the locals drink. It was built by brothers William, Richard and John Harvey in 1881 and, like its late Victorian counterparts, mainly produced malt to supply blends. The distillery passed through several owners during the 20th century and joined Whyte & Mackay’s portfolio in 1993. It was closed for a short period until it was purchased by Murray McDavid and reopened in 2001. The new owners revitalised the distillery, re-racking some of the spirit into fresh casks (including ex-wine and fortified wine barrels), and investing in the bottling line which created jobs for the islanders. Today the distillery is owned by Rémy Cointreau and has become known for its innovation, producing peated expressions such as Port Charlotte and Octomore, reviving the archaic Bere barley variety, and using a recomissioned Lomond still to produce Botanist gin with botanicals grown on Islay.
Winning bid £800
Caol Ila 18 Year Old Darkness! Moscatel Sherry Cask Finished
A 50cl bottle of Caol Ila 18 Year Old Darkness!, finished in specially coopered, 80 litre Moscatel sherry casks for over three months. This bottled is signed by Atom Brands’ Head Spirits Buyer Toby Cutler, and Head of Whisky Sam Simmons.
This is bottle number 48 of 99.
Donated by Atom Brands.
Caol Ila was built in 1846 by Hector Henderson on Islay’s east coast, overlooking the Sound of Islay, from which it takes its name. It was purchased by Bulloch Lade in 1857 and by DCL in 1927, who ran the distillery continuously until 1972, when it was demolished and rebuilt with six stills rather than two. Caol Ila became Islay’s biggest producer and was a crucial component for blends, notably Johnnie Walker. The distillery survived the early 1980s downturn by producing an unpeated ‘Highland style’ malt, and it still produces unpeated whisky every year, depending on owner Diageo’s requirements. While Caol Ila had been bottled as a single malt by independents, the first official bottling was a 12 year old released in 2002. More expansion took place in 2011, with a new mash tun and washbacks installed which increased capacity to 6.5 million litres per year.
Winning bid £200
Caroni 1997 HTR – Bottle 1 Of 121 Year Old – Cadenhead’s
A bottle of Caroni 21 Year Old HTR rum from Trinidad. This was distilled in 1997 and bottled at cask strength in December 2018 by Cadenhead’s, specially for The Second Annual Auction of the Ambassadors Collection 2019.
This is bottle number 1 of 1.
Donated by Cameron McGeachy and Jenna McIntosh of Cadenhead’s.
The Caribbean island of Trinidad was once to home to more than 50 distilleries, today just one remains. Caroni is one of the island’s lost distilleries, having closed its doors for good in 2002. It was established in 1923 and utilised both pot and column stills to produce the characteristic ‘heavy’ rum it has since become known for. The distillery supplied rum to the British Navy for many years and the raw materials were sourced from its own sugar refinery. In an unpopular move, the Trinidad government sold a 49% share of Rum Distillers Limited to Angostura, and the Caroni distillery closed a year later. Shortly after its closure, Luca Gargano of Italian spirits company Velier discovered hundreds of barrels of maturing Caroni rum, some dating back 30 years. These casks were purchased and bottled, ‘Caronimania’ took hold and the rum rapidly gained cult status amongst spirits fans.
Winning bid £2,200
Clynelish 1981, Richard & Stuart Urquhart – Signed Bottle
This lot contains two bottles of Clynelish 1981 single Highland malt Scotch whisky, specially bottled for Richard and Stuart Urquhart of independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail to celebrate their 21st birthday. One bottle is signed by Richard Urquhart and the other by Stuart Urquhart.
This whisky was mashed on 18 January 1981, the day of identical twins Richard and Stuart’s birth, and distilled on 20 January 1981. It was filled into a hogshead which was then divided into two quarter casks and warehoused in Elgin since 1983. The two casks were then vatted and bottled at 46.3% ABV in 2002.
Donated by Richard and Stuart Urquhart of Gordon & MacPhail.
Established in 1895 as a grocers and wine merchant, Gordon & MacPhail is one of Scotland’s oldest independent bottlers. John Urquhart joined founders James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail in their first year of business, and the Urquhart family has run the firm for four generations. In the early 20th century, John Urquhart, now a senior partner, developed the company’s whisky broking business, purchasing casks from a number of Speyside distilleries for bottling as single malts and for use in blends. Gordon & MacPhail’s Elgin warehouse holds a treasure trove of old and rare casks, and in 2010 the company bottled the world’s oldest single malt, a 70 Year Old Mortlach, followed by a Glenlivet of the same age a year later. The company’s best known range is the Connoisseurs Choice series of single malts. Launched by George Urquhart in the 1960s, a time when the whisky market was dominated by blends, this series gave a platform to many distilleries which had never been bottled as single malts. Other ranges include The Private Collection, Cask Strength, Rare Old and Generations. In 1993, Gordon & MacPhail purchased Benromach distillery from United Distillers.
Winning bid £2,500
Clynelish 1995, 13 Year Old – Murray McDavid
A bottle of Clynelish 13 Year Old, The Final Drops. This was distilled in 1995, matured for 13 years and bottled at 56.3% ABV by Murray McDavid as part of the Aficionado series.
This is bottle number 1 of 3.
From each of Murray McDavid’s bottlings, a little is saved for the archives. These Final Drops are used to create a collection of one-off releases to share with Scotch whisky lovers and aficionados around the world.
Donated by Paul McKendrick of Murray McDavid.
The Clynelish distillery we know today was built in 1968 alongside the original Clynelish, which was subsequently renamed Brora. The distillery was owned by Distillers Company Limited (later United Distillers then Diageo), and the malt, known for its waxy character, has played an important role in the Johnnie Walker blends. Some 1970s vintages were bottled as part of Diageo’s Rare Malt Selection in the 1990s, the official Clynelish 14 Year Old was launched in 2002, and the no-age-statement Select Reserve joined the Special Releases roster in 2014.
Winning bid £220
Famous Grouse Winter Reserve Blender’s Edition No. 2 – Signed Bottle
A limited release bottle of The Famous Grouse Winter Reserve. Blender’s Edition No. 2 uses a high proportion of malts matured in sherry casks. This bottle is signed by Master Blender Kirsteen Campbell.
Donated by Stephanie Harvey of Edrington.
Matthew Gloag & Son Ltd. was a Perth-based whisky blender and bottler best known for The Famous Grouse brand, first produced in 1896. In 1970 the company was sold to Highland Distilleries Co. Ltd., now part of Edrington.
Winning bid £65
Glen Moray 1998, Distillery Edition – PX Finish
A bottle of Glen Moray 1998 Distillery Edition, finished in Pedro Ximenz sherry casks and bottled at 45.5% ABV.
This is bottle number 538 from batch number 99913.
Donated by Visitor Centre Manager Iain Allan.
West Brewery was built on the outskirts of Elgin in 1828 and was converted into Glen Moray distillery in 1897. Like many of its neighbours, the distillery suffered in the slump at the start of the 20th century and closed in 1910. In 1923, the Glen Moray was purchased by Glenmorangie owner Macdonald & Muir. In 1958, the capacity doubled to four stills and a Saladin box was installed, though just 20 years later Glen Moray’s maltings were decommissioned. In the late 1990s, Glen Moray introduced its first wine cask-finished expressions – Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. After a short period under the ownership of LVMH, the distillery was sold to French distilling firm La Martiniquaise.
Winning bid £85
Glen Scotia 25 Year Old, Bottled 2017 – Signed Bottle
A bottle of Glen Scotia 25 Year Old single malt Scotch whisky. This was matured in American oak barrels and bottled at 48.8% ABV in 2017. The bottle is signed by the distillery’s Master Blender Michael Henry and Brand Ambassador Ibon Mendiguren.
Donated by Donald MacLellan of Loch Lomond Group.
Glen Scotia was founded in 1835 by Stewart & Galbraith Co. in Campbeltown, at the time one of the most productive whisky regions in the world. Today, only three distilleries remain in Campbeltown: Glen Scotia, Springbank and Glengyle.
Winning bid £180
Glenallachie 18 Year Old, Bottled 2018 – Signed Bottle
A bottle of The Glenallachie 18 Year Old Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. This bottle is signed by Billy Walker, Master Distiller.
Donated by Alasdair Stevenson of Glenallachie.
Glenallachie distillery takes its name from the Gaelic ‘Gleann Aileachaidh’, meaning ‘valley of the rocks’. It was built in 1967 by Mackinlays, a subsidiary of Scottish & Newcastle Breweries. The distillery was designed by Welshman William Delmé-Evans, a key figure in Scotland’s post-war distillery building programme who also designed Tullibardine, Jura, and had a hand in the construction of MacDuff distillery. Glenallachie was owned by some of the big names from the 1980s to 2000s, including Invergordon Distillers, Pernod Ricard and Chivas Brothers, and by 2017 had passed to a consortium led by whisky maker Billy Walker. The core range of single malts was released in 2018, along with the 50th anniversary series of vintage single cask bottlings.
Winning bid £140
Glenfarclas 1981 The Family Casks – Bottle 1 Of 1, Bottled 2014 – The Ambassadors Collection 2019
A bottle of Glenfarclas 1981 The Family Casks. This special release was distilled in 1981, matured in port pipes and bottled on 11 July 2014. This bottling was specially selected for The 2nd Annual Auction of the Ambassadors Collection 2019.
This is bottle number 1 of 1; it was bottled from cask numbers 134 and 135.
Donated by Deborah Stewart and the Glenfarclas team.
Glenfarclas is one of the oldest distilleries in Speyside, and since it was purchased by John Grant in 1865 for £512, it has remained under the Grant family’s ownership. Known for its masterful use of European oak sherry casks and direct-fired stills, the distillery was the first to release a cask strength single malt (Glenfarclas 105° was released in 1968), and among the first to open a visitor centre in 1973. Though the distillery does supply blenders, it has always held a significant portion of its output for single malt bottlings, resulting in Glenfarclas retaining more significant volumes of aged stocks than most distilleries.
Winning bid £2,200
Glengoyne Teapot Dram – Signed Bottle
A bottle of Glengoyne Highland single malt Scotch whisky. This was matured in first fill oloroso casks and bottled as a part of the Teapot Dram Series. It was available only from the distillery.
The label reads: Until the 1970s, Glengoyne workers enjoyed a thrice-daily dram that flowed from a bashed copper teapot in the distillery canteen. Recreated by men with vague recollection of those days, our tribute is teeming with brown sugar, sweet fruits and soft spices.
This bottle is signed by Managing Director Leonard Russell and Global Brand Ambassador Gordon Dundas.
This is bottle number 2697 of 2772.
Donated by Leonard Russell and Gordon Dundas.
A distillery has stood on the site of Glengoyne since 1833, when local landowners the Edmonstone family were granted a licence to distil. The distillery, then known as Burnfoot, passed to the MacLelland family in the 1850s and from there to Glasgow blender Lang Bros in 1878. The name was changed to Glen Guin, meaning ‘glen of the wild geese’, and anglicised to Glengoyne in 1905. When Lang Bros became part of Robertson & Baxter (later Edrington) in the mid 1960s, the distillery was rebuilt with an additional still. The single malts released in the early 1990s were marketed as ‘the unpeated malt’, referring to Glengoyne’s tradition of drying its malted barley using only warm air. Ian MacLeod purchased the distillery in 2003 and focused on enhancing the core single malt range, as well as developing Glengoyne as a tourist destination.
Winning bid £160
Glenmorangie Allta Private Edition No.10 – Signed Bottle
A bottle of Glenmorangie Allta, the tenth release in the Private Edition series. Allta means ‘wild’ in Gaelic.
This expression was created using local yeast found growing naturally on the Cadboll barley near the Glenmorangie distillery. The strain of yeast, Saccharmyces diaemath, was unidentified before then. Both the barley and the wild yeast were used to make the spirit, which was matured in bourbon barrels before bottling.
This bottled is signed and dated by Head of Whisky Creation, Dr Bill Lumsden 14.3.19.
Donated by Bryan Simpson of LVMH.
Winning bid £95
Glenrothes Whisky Maker’s Cut – Signed Bottle
A bottle of Glenrothes Whisky Maker’s Cut single malt Scotch whisky. This was matured in first fill sherry casks and bottled at the strength selected by the distillery’s Master Whisky Maker.
The label describes the character of the whisky: Creamy vanilla, orange peel and nutmeg.
This bottle is signed by the Glenrothes Master Whisky Maker Gordon Motion, and comes with a branded notepad.
Donated by Clara Ross of Edrington.
Glenrothes distillery was built by James Stuart & Co. with William Grant, Robert Dick and John Cruikshank in 1878, during challenging financial circumstances due to the collapse of the Glasgow Bank. A timely loan from the United Free Presbyterian Church of Knockando allowed the distillery to begin operations in 1879. The distillery changed its name to Glenrothes-Glenlivet in 1884 and three years later it merged with Islay Distillery Co., owner of Bunnahabhain, to form Highland Distillers. With a reputation as excellent blending whisky, Glenrothes malt found its way into the Cutty Sark and Famous Grouse blends. The distillery was damaged by fire in 1897, and six years later an explosion caused significant damage. The 1960s saw expansion from four to six stills, and over the next 26 years this was raised to 10 stills. In 1987, Glenrothes joined the Berry Bros portfolio and the firm repackaged the brand and began to release single vintage malts in the early 1990s. Today, The Glenrothes is owned by Edrington.
Winning bid £95
A bottle of High Coast 63 Single Malt Whisky from Sweden. This peated whisky was matured in the far end in warehouse #3, exactly where the 63rd parallel cuts through the distillery. Using malt peated to 63ppm, this whisky was matured for 63 months, 63 decimetres above ground in 63 litre first fill bourbon casks, fermented for 63 hours and bottled at 63% ABV.
Donated by Roger Melander.
High Coast distillery began production in 2010 under the name Box Destilleri. The name is taken from the distillery’s location on the Swedish coast on the Gulf of Bothnia. High Coast operates seven days a week with just three production staff, producing one or two batches per day of peated and unpeated spirit. Distillery Manager Roger Melander has experimented with different malts, yeasts and fermentation times, with particular focus on cask types and how to harness the effect of Sweden’s highly variable temperature during maturation.
Winning bid £75
Highland Park The Light, 17 Year Old
A bottle of Highland Park The Light, inspired by the changing seasons on the island on Orkney, this release follows The Dark from 2017. This 17 Year Old expression was matured in refill American oak casks and bottled at cask strength. The bottle is decorated with a serpent dragon and runes from Norse mythology.
This is one of 28000 bottles.
Donated by Martin Markvardsen and the Highland Park team.
The history of Highland Park distillery is shrouded in mystery, with even the identity of its founder being disputed. It was built on the remote island of Orkney in 1798, either by farmer David Robertson, or priest turned whisky smuggler Magnus Eunson. The first single malts were released in the 1970s, and the distillery has become known for its use of Orcadian peat to dry the barley (lighter than mainland or Islay peat), and sherry casks for maturation. Recent years have seen Highland Park pay homage to its island heritage, with releases named after local landmarks and Norse gods.
Winning bid £170
Imperial 21 Year Old, The Ambassadors Collection 2019 – Signed Bottle
A bottle of Imperial 21 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch whisky, matured in a single bourbon barrel and bottled at 46.8% ABV by The Whisky Exchange for The Ambassadors’ Collection Charity Auction 2019.
The label is signed by Whisky Ambassador Billy Abbott, and The Whisky Exchange’s Creative Director and Label Designer Raj Chavda.
This is one of 186 bottles.
Donated by The Whisky Exchange.
Imperial distillery was built by Thomas Mackenzie in 1897, the year of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. The timing was poor and the distillery was mothballed in 1899. Bad timing would plague the distillery throughout its life, and it was only open for six years from 1919 to 1925 before it closed again and remained silent for another 30 years. After reopening, expansion, more mothballing, and more reopenings, the distillery closed for the last time in 1998. A 10 year old bottling was released in 2000 by owners Allied Distillers. Imperial was demolished in 2013 and Dalmunach distillery now stands on the site.
Winning bid £360
Inchmoan 1992 Loch Lomond – Signed Bottle
A bottle of Inchmoan Peated single malt Scotch whisky. This was distilled in 1992 in the Lomond still at Loch Lomond distillery, matured in refill bourbon barrels for 25 years and bottled as a part of the Loch Lomond Island Collection.
This bottle is signed by the distillery’s Malt Master Michael Henry.
Donated by Donald MacLellan of Loch Lomond Group.
Loch Lomond distillery was established in 1966 by Duncan Thomas (then owner of Littlemill) and US firm Barton Brands. The intention was to be a versatile and self-sufficient distillery, producing both malt and grain whisky in a variety of stills, and this innovative approach has continued despite a period of closure in the mid 1980s. The distillery houses Lomond stills (a type of pot still with rectifying plates in the necks), traditional ‘swan neck’ copper pot stills, and column stills which produce both grain and malt whisky. All of this allows the distillery to produce 11 different distillates for its brands, which include Inchmurrin, Inchmoan, Old Rosdhu, Croftengea and Craiglodge among others.
Winning bid £150
Karuizawa Ambassadors’ Collection Elixir Distillers – 1 Of 2 Bottles
A bottle of Karuizawa Ambassadors’ Collection singe malt Japanese whisky. This is a marriage of some of the last remaining casks of Karuizawa, distilled between 1972 and 1999. The whisky was matured in ex-sherry casks and bottled at 59.1% ABV for the Whisky Ambassadors’ Collection Charity Auction 2019.
This is one of two bottles, the other bottle will remain in the Elixir Distillers archive.
Donated by Elixir Distillers.
Karuizawa was founded in 1956 by Japanese wine and spirits producer Daikoku Budoshu to supply malt whisky for the company’s Ocean blends. Despite a rocky start due to import restrictions, the distillery began importing Golden Promise barley from the UK and producing a Scottish-style spirit which was matured in Spanish sherry casks, though it was still destined for the company’s blending vats. By the late 1980s and 1990s, Karuizawa started to earn a reputation as a single malt, but this wasn’t enough to stop the distillery closing in 2001 when its owner, by then called Mercian, was acquired by drinks giant Kirin. In 2007, UK bottler Number One Drinks started to release single casks of Karuizawa and these grabbed the attention of whisky fans worldwide. More independent bottlings were to follow, and with stocks depleting, each new release has become a major event in the whisky calendar.
Winning bid £20,000
Kilchoman 11 Year Old Feis Ile 2019 – Signed Bottle
A bottle of Kilchoman 11 Year Old Islay single malt Scotch whisky, released to celebrate Fèis Ìle 2019. This is a vatting two casks: a fresh bourbon barrel filled on 13 June 2007, and a fresh oloroso sherry butt filled on 28 February 2008. This was bottled at cask strength on 20 May 2019.
The bottle and box are signed by Kilchoman Founder and Managing Director Anthony Wills and his family, Kathy, George, James and Peter Wills.
This is bottle number 619 of 939.
Donated by Kilchoman distillery.
Kilchoman is a farm distillery located on the west coast of Islay, an area known as The Rhinns. There is speculation that Scotland’s first distillation took place in the parish of Kilchoman, where the MacBeatha family settled from County Antrim in 1300. The family were doctors to the kings of Scotland for centuries and translated Latin texts on distillation into Gaelic. Surrounded by fields of barley which supply the distillery, Kilchoman began production in 2005 and released the first 3 Year Old in 2009. Former Bunnahabhain manager John MacLellan took the helm in 2010, and in 2011 the distillery launched 100% Islay, an expression made solely using ingredients sourced from the island. Other releases inspired by Kilchoman’s remote location include Machir Bay, Loch Gorm and Coull Point.
Winning bid £230
Ladyburn 1973 Statement, 43 Year Old – Blackadder
A bottle of Ladyburn 43 Year Old Lowland single malt Scotch whisky, Edition No.17 in the Statement Raw Cask series. This was distilled on 28 September 1973, matured in a single cask and bottled at cask strength in October 2016 by Blackadder International.
As with all of the Raw Cask series, this whisky has not been filtered at all and may contain harmless cask sediment.
This is bottle number 4 of 60; it was bottled from cask 5678.
Donated by Robin and Michael Tucek of Blackadder International.
Ladyburn was built within William Grant & Son’s Girvan grain distillery in 1966. The four pot stills were used to supply malt whisky for Grant’s blends, freeing up stock from Glenfiddich which was becoming popular as a single malt. Demand for Girvan’s grain whisky grew and Ladyburn was dismantled in 1975, meaning the stills were operational for just nine years. Given its short lifespan, only a handful of official bottlings were released, including a 1973 vintage, as well as some from independent bottlers such as Cadenhead’s, Blackadder and Signatory Vintage.
Winning bid £950
Linn House Reserve 26 Year Old Cask Strength Edition, Bottled 2018 – Batch 001
A bottle of Linn House Reserve 26 Year Old Cask Strength Edition blended Scotch whisky, bottled on 26 September 2018 by Chivas Brothers.
This bottle is from batch number 001.
Donated by Ken Lindsay of Chivas Brothers.
Linn House is a 19th Century mansion on the banks of the river Isla in the Speyside region. Chivas Brothers purchased the property in 1993 and restored it to its former glory.
These bottles are normally only given as gifts exclusively to guests of Chivas who stay at Linn House.
Winning bid £115
A bottle of Paul John Classic Select Cask single malt whisky from India. This was distilled at John Distilleries, Goa, matured in American white oak bourbon barrels and bottled at cask strength in 2016.
This was bottled from batch number 1.
Donated by Shilton Almeida of Paul John Whisky.
Paul John is a brand of Indian single malt whisky produced by John Distilleries. The range includes single cask bottlings of both peated and unpeated malt, as well as single vintage and cask strength expressions. The brand was launched in the UK in 2012 and is named after the founder of John Distillers, Paul P John.
Winning bid £60
Port Charlotte 2004 Rona’s Cask, Bottled 2018 – The Islay Boys
A bottle of Port Charlotte 13 Year Old Rona’s Cask. This was distilled on 15 July 2004 at Bruichladdich distillery, matured in a single refill sherry hogshead and bottled at cask strength in March 2018 by The Islay Boys Ltd. It was bottled for Rona MacKenzie of Port Charlotte, Islay Boy Donald MacKenzie’s mother.
This is bottle number 147 of 267; it was bottled from cask number 883.
Donated by Islay Boys owner Donald MacKenzie.
Port Charlotte is the name given to heavily-peated whiskies produced at Bruichladdich distillery.
Bruichladdich’s unpeated character sets it apart from its Islay neighbours, and it has long been known as the malt that the locals drink. It was built by brothers William, Richard and John Harvey in 1881 and, like its late Victorian counterparts, mainly produced malt to supply blends. The distillery passed through several owners during the 20th century and joined Whyte & Mackay’s portfolio in 1993. It was closed for a short period until it was purchased by Murray McDavid and reopened in 2001. The new owners revitalised the distillery, re-racking some of the spirit into fresh casks (including ex-wine and fortified wine barrels), and investing in the bottling line which created jobs for the islanders. Today the distillery is owned by Rémy Cointreau and has become known for its innovation, producing peated expressions such as Port Charlotte and Octomore, reviving the archaic Bere barley variety, and using a recomissioned Lomond still to produce Botanist gin with botanicals grown on Islay.
Winning bid £250
SMWS 3.305 The Scents Of Perfection, Bowmore 1989
A bottle of Bowmore 28 Year Old bottled by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. This whisky was distilled on 11 March 1989 then aged 26 years in a refill bourbon hogshead followed by two years in a first fill Pedro Ximénez hogshead.
The bottle is signed by the SMWS Spirits Manager Euan Campbell.
This bottling is subtitled: The scents of perfection.
This is one of 209 bottles.
Donated by Julien Willems of SMWS.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) was established as a private members’ club in 1983 by a group of friends and whisky enthusiasts. After moving into the Vaults in Leith (former home of J G Thomson), the group bottled their first whisky, labelled 1.1., a 1975 Glenfarclas. From there the Society grew and began to release monthly bottlings, focusing on single cask expressions bottled at cask strength, each identified only by their code and tasting notes. In 1995, founder Philip ‘Pip’ Hill resigned as director. The Society opened two more venues in London and Edinburgh, and was purchased by Glenmorangie in 2004. The labels and bottles were redesigned in 2008 to mark the 25 anniversary of the club, but the code system still remained (though it is now widely known which number refers to which distillery). While still focusing on Scotch whisky, SMWS also bottles rum, Cognac, Armagnac, bourbon and other spirits. It was purchased by a consortium of investors in 2015.
Winning bid £750
Spey 18 Year Old, Limited Release
A limited edition bottle of Spey 18 Year Old single malt Scotch whisky from the Speyside Distillery. This was matured in fresh sherry casks and bottled at 46% ABV by Speyside Distillers Company Limited.
This is bottle number 99-1449 of 1500.
Donated by Paul Dempsey and the Speyside Distillers team.
Speyside distillery was built in 1962 and is located near Kingussie in the south of the Speyside region. Its founder, George Christie, had previously built the North of Scotland grain distillery in Clackmannan, and sourced Speyside’s stills from Lochside. The distillery’s malt has been bottled under the Drumguish, Glentromie and Cu Dhub labels, among others, and has also found its way further afield: in blends destined for the Asian market, as an addition to neutral spirit to make Bhutanese whisky, and as a single malt range called ‘Spey’ in Taiwan. The distillery was purchased by Harvey’s of Edinburgh in 2013.
Winning bid £70
Springbank 14 Year Old, Bottle 1 Of 1
A bottle of Springbank 14 Year Old, bottled at cask strength for The Second Annual Auction of the Ambassadors Collection 2019. This single bottle was specially selected by the Springbank team from one of their favourite casks, a fresh sherry butt. This was bottled on 23 November 2018, aged 14 years.
Donated by the Springbank team.
Springbank is a family-owned Campbeltown distillery, founded in 1828. The distillery has been owned by the Mitchell family since 1837, when John and William Mitchell purchased it from their brother-in-law and distillery founder William Reid. Springbank survived the crash of the 1920s while many of its Campbeltown neighbours closed down. Following a period of closure between 1979 and 1987, a decision was made to no longer supply blenders and focus solely on single malt bottlings. With the maltings reopened in 1992, the complete process of whisky production is carried out on site, from malting the barley to bottling the whisky. Three distinct whiskies are produced at Springbank distillery: in addition to the eponymous single malt there is the triple-distilled, unpeated Hazelburn, and the heavily peated Longrow. Today, it is one of only three distilleries remaining in Campbeltown.
Winning bid £1,900
Tamdhu 10 Year Old Special Edition – Signed Bottle
A special edition bottle of Tamdhu 10 Year Old Speyside single malt Scotch whisky, matured in 100% first fill sherry casks and bottled at 46% ABV. This bottling was produced to celebrate the reopening of Tamdhu distillery in 2012.
This bottle is signed by Managing Director Leonard Russell and Global Brand Ambassador Gordon Dundas.
This is bottle number 305 of 1000.
Donated by Leonard Russell and Gordon Dundas.
Tamdhu distillery was built in 1897 by a group of blenders led by William Grant. The famous distillery designer Charles Doig was the architect, and whisky writer Alfred Barnard wrote in 1898 that Tamdhu was ‘perhaps the most efficient and designed distillery of its era’. Like its neighbour Knockando, it was a late Victorian railway distillery which quietly supplied blenders since its foundation. Today, the distillery is owned by Ian Macleod Distillers.
Winning bid £125
Tobermory 2008, 10 Year Old – North Star
A bottle of Tobermory 10 Year Old from independent bottler North Star Spirits Ltd. This was distilled in September 2008, matured in a sherry butt and bottled at cask strength in October 2018.
This is one of 330 bottles from cask series 006.
Donated by North Star Spirits Ltd. owner Iain Croucher.
Tobermory is the only distillery on the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides, producing peated malt under the name Ledaig, and unpeated malt as Tobermory. It was built as Ledaig in 1798 by John Sinclair, but by 1837 the site had stopped producing whisky. After a period of ownership by John Hopkins Ltd., the distillery became part of Distillers Company Limited in 1916 and resumed production, but in 1930 the Tobermory again fell silent for more than 40 years. When it reopened in 1972, the owners were a Liverpool shipping company, sherry producer Domecq, and a group mysteriously referred to as ‘Panamanian interests’. This collective refurbished the distillery and increased capacity before the site closed again in 1975. After more changes of ownership and another period of closure, Burn Stewart (later part of Distell) purchased the distillery in 1993. In 2017, a major refurbishment project began, forcing the distillery to close for another two years.
Winning bid £70
Tomatin 1996 Bottled 2019 – Distillery Exclusive
A limited edition bottle of Tomatin 2006 Distillery Exclusive. This was distilled on 25 May 2006, matured in a single cask and bottled at cask strength on 23 January 2019.
This is one of 366 bottles; it was bottled from cask number 2842.
Donated by Nigel Robinson and the Tomatin team.
Tomatin distillery was built in 1897 close to the Highland and Speyside border. Following a period of expansion in the 1950s and 1960s, it became one of the largest distilleries in the Highlands. After a downturn, the distillery went into liquidation before becoming the first Scotch whisky distillery to come under Japanese ownership when it was purchased by Takara Shuzo and Okara companies in 1986. Today, the distillery is known for supplying blends such as The Antiquary as well as its core range of single malts, which benefit from Tomatin’s use of first-fill sherry and bourbon wood for maturation.
Winning bid £130
Tomintoul 1977 – Bottle 1 Of 1, Bottled 2015
A bottle of Tomintoul 1977 The Gentle Dram. This vintage single cask expression was distilled on 12 April 1977 and matured in sherry casks before bottling at cask strength in 2015. This was selected for the Ambassadors Collection 2019.
This is bottle number 1 of 1.
Donated by Global Brand Ambassador Iain Forteath.
Tomintoul is a relatively modern distillery located in the south of the Speyside region, the name comes from Scotland’s highest village just a few miles away. It was built in 1965 by whisky brokers Hay & MacLeod and W & S Strong, and merged with Whyte & Mackay in the early 1970s. Capacity was expanded and the distillery changed hands several times before it came under the ownership of Angus Dundee Distillers in 2000, and the first 10 Year Old single malt was released in 2002. A peated malt named Old Ballantruan was launched in 2005, named after Tomintoul’s water source, the Ballantruan Spring.
Winning bid £875
Wemyss Peat Chimney 19 Year Old – Bottle 1 Of 1, The Ambassadors Collection 2019
A bottle of Wemyss Peat Chimney 19 Year Old blended malt whisky. This is vatting of seven single malts from four of Scotland’s whisky regions: Islay, Highland, Speyside and Lowland. These whiskies, peated and unpeated, were matured in refill hogsheads, barrels and sherry casks before bottling exclusively for The Ambassadors Collection 2019.
This is bottle number 1 of 1.
Donated by Steven Shand and the Wemyss team.
Wemyss Malts (pronounced ‘weems’) was established in 2005 by William Wemyss. As an independent bottler the company is known for its blended malts named for their flavour descriptors, such as Kiln Embers, Peat Chimney and Spice King. Wemyss Malts also has a range of single cask bottlings of vintage single malts, and Wemyss Distillery Ltd. completed the construction of Kingsbarns distillery in 2014.
Winning bid £420
Wolfburn Northland – Signed Bottle
A bottle of Wolfburn Northland single malt Scotch whisky. The bottle and box are signed and dated by Distillery Manager Shane Fraser, 31 January 2019, his last day of work at Wolfburn Distillery.
Donated by Global Brand Ambassador Mark Westmorland.
The original Wolfburn distillery ran from 1821 to the 1850s, after which it was largely forgotten. The new distillery, the northernmost on the Scottish mainland, released its first whisky in 2016, over 150 years after the last distillery closed.
Winning bid £210
Whisky Ambassadors’ Collection Charity Auction Results
