Top 5 Whiskies: Fascinating Blends from Pat's Whisk(e)y Collection
As our May Auction draws to a close, we've selected another five blended whiskies up for grabs from Pat's Whisk(e)y Collection, the world's largest private whisky collection to come to auction.
Last month we featured an article discussing what we love about older blended whiskies in particular, such as the chance to experience whiskies from different eras of production, with older blends offering a more accessible option for whisky lovers and enthusiasts to discover what a whisky distilled in the early 20th century, or legendary periods in the Scotch industry such as the 1960s, tastes like.
> Why You Should Give Blended Whiskies A Chance
Remember, if you're interested in browsing and bidding on a lot that is part of Pat's Whisk(e)y Collection in any of our regular monthly auctions, keep an eye on our lot photos for Pat's Whisk(e)y logo.
White Horse 1950s / US Import
A very rare bottle of White Horse bottled over 60 years ago in the 1950s and reputed to contain some very special liquid.The origins of White Horse Distillers dates back to 1880 and the foundation of whisky merchants, James Logan Mackie & Co. After just fours years in business, the company bought a stake in Islay’s Lagavulin distillery, which trained the art of distilling and blending to James’ nephew, Peter Mackie. He joined the company in 1980, launching the now famous White Horse blend the following year.
Haig Gold Label circa 1940s
A fine old example of Haig's Gold Label with the popular spring cap closure, we estimate this to be bottled in the 1940s. John Haig & Co was established in 1824 with the foundation of the Cameronbridge distillery. Already part of a great distilling dynasty, John's uncles had all been distillery owners, and his aunt had been married to John Jameson in Dublin. John Haig & Co were one of the five founding members of DCL in 1877, although were run independently from it until 1919. Best known for its Gold Label and Dimple blends, which were sold all over the world, the firm were also granted the licences to the Glenkinchie, Mannochmore and Glenlossie malt distilleries by DCL, but never bottled their single malts.
Benmore Scotch Whisky 1950s
A blended whisky liqueur from around the 1950s, this whisky was produced and bottled by Benmore Distillers Ltd of Glasgow and is named after the Scottish mountain which stands 1,174 m (3,852 ft) tall. The Benmore Distilleries Ltd originally had a distillery in Campbeltown and would go on to also own Lochindaal on Islay and Dallas Dhu in Speyside by the 1920s. The Benmore blend was also created around this time and included malts from all three distilleries, though only Dallas Dhu was ever mentioned on the label.
Ambassador 25 Year Old 1950s / US Import
Rare and collectible to many spirits and whisky enthusiasts, this is a blended Scotch whisky from Bloch Brothers. Ambassador contained malt from their portfolio at the time, including Glen Scotia and Scapa. The brothers used Scapa in their blend of Ambassador Scotch whisky until they sold Scapa in 1954 to Hiram Walker, dating this bottle's production prior to that year.
Hankey Bannister 1950s/60s
The story of this classic name in blended whisky begins in 1757 when Beaumont Hankey and Hugh Bannister launched a wine and spirits business in London's West End. Like most merchants of the day, they decide to create their own blended Scotch whisky which would carry their names. The blend slowly gained a strong following and would go on to become a favourite of King George V, who awarded the company a Royal Warrant in 1901. Among other beverages, Hankey Bannister was also a solid favourite of Sir Winston Churchill through the years of the Second World War, and was later supplied to Officers of Her Majesty's Services and the Diplomatic Core. The brand was purchased by Inver House Distillers in 1988 (today International Beverage) and has become a huge success in Eastern markets such as Thailand.
