Ulf Buxrud's Rare Malts Come To Auction

Ulf Buxrud, a prominent whisky collector, connoisseur and writer for more than five decades, will exclusively offer his complete personal collection of the Rare Malts Selection in a dedicated auction hosted by Whisky Auctioneer from 9 – 13 December 2021.

The auction will feature over 100 expressions from the Rare Malts Selection, which include complete verticals from legendary closed distilleries such as Brora, Port Ellen and Glenury Royal. The collection also features export editions which were bottled for the U.S. and South African markets.

Buxrud is most well-known in the whisky world for authoring his definitive book on the Rare Malts Selection in 2016, Rare Malts: Facts Figures and Taste. A signed copy of this book will also feature in the sale.

The auction comes at an exciting time, as earlier this year Whisky Auctioneer achieved a record-price for a bottle from the Rare Malts Selection in or dedicated Brora Auction in March 2021. The Brora 1972 Rare Malt 22-year-old 60.02% sold for a hammer price of £20,500, smashing the pre-auction estimate of £10,000-12,000.

Buxrud has been collecting whisky for more than 50 years and has been a leading educator, writer and personality in the industry. In addition to authoring his book on the Rare Malts Selection, Buxrud authored Japanese Whisky: Facts, Figures and Taste. An important figure in the industry, he is one of the famous Malt Maniacs and also contributed to the very first issue of The Malt Whisky Year Book.

Besides organizing themed, structured whisky tastings, Buxrud’s special interest lies in collecting volumes dealing with the subject ‘whisky’, and his extensive library includes 200+ titles spanning from mid-1700 to today.

“Selling a private collection is always exciting for us but handling the sale of a collection from such a prominent and respected name in the world of whisky is particularly special.

Ulf’s book is the most comprehensive historical account of this legendary collection of whiskies so it’s truly a privilege for us to bring his personal collection to auction. We are sure that the association and provenance of Ulf Buxrud’s name with the Rare Malts collection will entice connoisseurs from all over the world to take part.”

Joe Wilson, Head of Auction Content at Whisky Auctioneer

“It is a momentous occasion for me to see my complete Rare Malts collection come to auction. The series is one of the most iconic and collectible whisky series in the world and I am very fortunate to have tasted every expression. It was my admiration for these whiskies that set me onto a journey of research that eventually led to authoring my first whisky book."

I am very excited to unveil my collection in partnership with Whisky Auctioneer allowing future whisky lovers and lost distillery enthusiasts across the globe the opportunity to get hold of these extremely rare bottles.”

Ulf Buxrud, Whisky Collector and Author of Rare Malts: Facts, Figures and Taste

What is the Rare Malts Selection?

As interest in single malt continued to climb in the 1990s following the newly-formed United Distillers first committed play in the single malt market with the introduction of the 'Classic Malts of Scotland', one product of this was the historic Rare Malts Selection. This was a series of older, rarer single malt releases from operational and lost distilleries that were released by Diageo from 1995 to 2005. The Rare Malts were predominantly from closed distilleries, each distilled in the 1960s – 1980s, aged for at least 18 years and bottled at cask strength. This powerful triptych combined with liquid scarcity set the world of whisky collecting alight.

If you're interested in discovering more about this collection, keep an eye on our newsletters and social media as we will soon release our Ultimate Guide to the Rare Malts Selection.