Bidding advice
You can place bids either under the lot image on the main auction page or on the right side of the individual lot page.
Placing a Maximum Bid
Use the "Set your bid limit" button on the left side of the bidding panel to enter the highest amount you're willing to bid on a lot. Our system will then automatically raise your bid in set increments if you’re outbid, up to your maximum. If someone bids above your set limit, we’ll notify you by email so you can choose whether to increase your bid.
Placing a Single Bid
Alternatively, place a single bid by selecting the button on the right side of the bidding panel. The button displays the amount needed for the next increment. For example, if the current highest bid is £50.00, the button will show "+ £55.00" (reflecting a £5.00 increment).
Incremental Bidding Explained
Our system increases bids based on preset increments, as shown in the table below, whether you set a maximum bid or make a single bid.
Bottle Details
Brora 1977 SMWS 19 Year Old 61.5
'An Islay by another name'
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) was founded in 1983 by a group of friends lead by tax accountant Phillip ‘Pip’ Hills as a private members club. The concept behind the society was to source casks from all over Scotland which would then be bottled and made available exclusively to its members. Perhaps the most famous feature of these bottles are the unique codes. Each distillery is represented by a different number and the following digits indicate that particular release. That same year, the SMWS set up its first location in Leith’s Vault buildings in Edinburgh where it still stands today.
This whisky was distilled in February 1977 and aged for 19 years.
Brora distillery (originally known as Clynelish) was built by the Duke of Sutherland in 1819. Prized by blenders, the distillery found itself in the hands of DCL in 1925 when they acquired shareholders, Ainslie & Heilbron and John Walker & Sons. DCL closed the distillery in 1967 after opening a new, larger Clynelish next-door, but re-opened the first site, now renamed as Brora the following year. Bottlings of the whisky it produced between then and its second closure in 1983 are now increasingly sought after. Official bottlings of Brora did not appear until 1995, long after its closure, but independent bottlings like this were produced from the late 1980s. In 2017 it was announced that Diageo planned to re-open this formerly lost gem, and the revived distillery filled its first casks on 19th May 2021.
Brora
A storied distillery in the Sutherland area of Scotland. Despite having closed in 1983, it developed cult status for the high quality single malt it had produced, particularly a peated style between 1969 and 1973. Such was its popularity, it was eventually rebuilt by Diageo and opened again in 2021.
Scotch Malt Whisky Society
A private members club established by Pip Hills in 1983. It has flagship members bars in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London, and partner venues across the world. Its regular outturn of single cask bottlings are renowned for their unique coded method of non-disclosure of their distilleries of origin.
Auction results
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Frequently asked questions
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When browsing the bidding history on a specific lot, the list of recent bidders is shown as 'anonymised bidders' with the exception of any bids placed through your account - which would appear as your username.
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