April 2025 Auction

Absolut Vodka

A classic bottle of vodka from Absolut.

Antiquary 21 Year Old Millennium Blend

J&W Hardie were established in Edinburgh in 1857 by James Hardie, operating as a wine and spirit merchant as well as a tea blender. Their famous Antiquary blend was created by his sons, John and William, who took the name from the eponymous Walter Scott novel in 1888. The company eventually became part of DCL, who made them licensees to the Benromach distillery for a while during the 20th century. It was purchased in 1994 by the Tomatin group, who continue to produce its Antiquary brand to this day. The J&W Hardie name was shelved in 2014 however.

The Millennium Blend is aged 21 years and presented in a replica of the original Antiquary blend packaging produced back in 1888.

Ardbeg Perpetuum Bicentenary Release

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997.

Released in 2015 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the legendary Islay distillery, this is the standard release of Perpetuum, which was launched during Feis Ile 2015. A higher proof offering was also available to Ardbeg Committee members and at the distillery.

Perpetuum is a blend of old and young whisky, matured in both bourbon and sherry casks.

Adrien Camut 12 Year Old Moon Import Calvados Pays d'Auge

Moon Import was founded by Pepi Mongiardino in 1980 and he bottled his first whisky in 1982. Always beautifully labelled, Pepi is acclaimed for designing the packaging for Moon Import bottles himself, often using images found in old books. These iconic designs, coupled with the quality of the liquid saw Moon Import steadily grow in popularity. The company is still going strong, and their early releases are some of the brightest gems in any whisky collection.

A total of 210 bottles of this Calvados were bottled by Moon Import in 2007.

Ardnamurchan 7 Year Old Warehouse Release #414PR 50cl

Ardnamurchan is the Highland distillery belonging to revered independent bottlers-turned-distillers, Adelphi. The Adelphi name has a rich history, operating as a distillery in the Gorbals district of Glasgow from 1825, producing spirit from the waters of Loch Katrine. The distillery ceased production in the early 20th century however and several changes in ownership culminating in a takeover by DCL in 1902. The Adelphi name was revived in 1993 by Jamie Walker, great-grandson of former distillery owner Archibald. Ardnamurchan is situated on the most westerly point of the British mainland, and opened in 2014, producing both peated and unpeated single malts.

This Ardnamurchan was matured in single Spanish oak Pedro Ximénez cask #414PR for 7 years. It was hand-bottled at the distillery in November 2024, as part of their AD/ Warehouse Release range.

Ardbeg Scorch Limited Edition

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997.

Ardbeg Scorch was the 2021 limited edition from the distillery. Released in May 2021, this would have been the tenth edition to celebrate Ardbeg Day at the world famous Fèis Ìle, however as with the previous year, the festivities were cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The whisky has been matured in the most heavily charred bourbon casks that the distillery has ever used. 

A higher-proof committee bottling was also released the month before.

Auchroisk 2007 SMWS 14 Year Old 95.60

\"Deep as the Mariana Trench\"

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 April 2007 and has been aged in an ex-Bourbon Hogshead before being finished in a 1st fill ex-PX hogshead.

Auchroisk distillery was built by Justerini & Brooks in 1972 to provide malt for their blends. Despite this, there was an immediate focus on its single malt as well, and it was first bottled in 1986. These were vintage-dated releases, and some of the earliest to use cask finishing. This was never advertised though, and the distillery left Balvenie to take the credit for the innovation. Its single malt has also appeared many times from independent labels like this.

One of 249 bottles.

Ardbeg Scorch Committee Release

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997.

Released in April 2021, Ardbeg Scorch has been matured in the most heavily charred bourbon casks that the distillery has ever used. 

Officially launched in January 2000, the Ardbeg Committee is a fan club that loosely tasked with safeguarding the distillery from a return to its darker days of the previous century. Open to anyone to register, the club has access to exclusive releases like this one, which are never available to the general public. Membership also have access to a private room at the distillery and are asked to adhere to semi-tongue in cheek set of Committee rules, one of which warns of grave consequences for those who mix their Ardbeg with anything other than water.

Ararat 20 Year Old Brandy

Made by the Yerevan Brandy Company, Nairi is a 20 year old grape brandy from the Ararat range. It is produced in Armenia.

Ardnamurchan AD/ Paul Launois Release 2023

Ardnamurchan is the Highland distillery belonging to revered independent bottlers-turned-distillers, Adelphi. The Adelphi name has a rich history, operating as a distillery in the Gorbals district of Glasgow from 1825, producing spirit from the waters of Loch Katrine. The distillery ceased production in the early 20th century however and several changes in ownership culminating in a takeover by DCL in 1902. The Adelphi name was revived in 1993 by Jamie Walker, great-grandson of former distillery owner Archibald. Ardnamurchan is situated on the most westerly point of the British mainland, and opened in 2014, producing both peated and unpeated single malts.

This 2023 release is an unpeated whisky which has been finished in 195 litre wine barriques from Domaine Paul Launois.

One of 2676 bottles. 

Ardnamurchan 2015 Peated Single Oloroso Cask #529 / UK

Ardnamurchan is the Highland distillery belonging to revered independent bottlers-turned-distillers, Adelphi. The Adelphi name has a rich history, operating as a distillery in the Gorbals district of Glasgow from 1825, producing spirit from the waters of Loch Katrine. The distillery ceased production in the early 20th century however and several changes in ownership culminating in a takeover by DCL in 1902. The Adelphi name was revived in 1993 by Jamie Walker, great-grandson of former distillery owner Archibald. Ardnamurchan is situated on the most westerly point of the British mainland, and opened in 2014, producing both peated and unpeated single malts.

This peated Ardnamurchan was distilled in August 2015 and matured in single first-fill American oak Oloroso butt #529. It was bottled exclusively for the United Kingdom. 

One of 662 bottles.

Ailsa Bay Single Malt Inaugural Release

Built in 2007 on the same site as the former Ladyburn distillery, Ailsa Bay is located within William Grant & Sons' Girvan grain complex. The company was prompted to revive single malt distilling there due to an increasing 21st century demand not only for its Grant's blends, but for its flagship single malt brands, Glenfiddich and Balvenie. It was pressure on the latter that was the ket catalyst, and the stills at Ailsa Bay are replicas of those at Balvenie. The distillery is a versatile facility however, and in addition to producing Balvenie-like spirit, it also distils spirits with estery, nutty, fruity and heavily peated flavour profiles. The distillery's first official single malt release was a heavily peated whisky, launched in February 2016.

This was the distillery's inaugural release, distilled from barley peated to 21ppm.

Akashi 2015 Single Sake Cask 3 Year Old #101528 50cl

Akashi is the name given to the the single malt produced at the Eigashima distillery. The site is often also referred to as the White Oak distillery, after the blend it produces. Because demand for White Oak is so high, most Eigashima single malt is reserved for this, so Akashi is quite rare.

This Akashi was matured for 3 years in single sake cask #101528 before bottling.

Ardbeg BizarreBQ Limited Edition

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997.

An Ardbeg limited release for 2023, this was matured in a combination of double charred oak casks, Pedro Ximenez casks and \"unique BBQ casks\". The style was inspired by smokey BBQ's with the help of Christian Stevensen under the stewardship of Master Distiller, Bill Lumsden.

Aultmore 18 Year Old​

Built in 1896 by Alexander Edward, Aultmore distillery was procured by John Dewar & Sons in 1923. They joined DCL two years later. So key is it to the Dewar's blends, that it has been part of their outfit ever since, and has rarely been bottled as an official single malt. United Distillers included it in the Flora & Fauna range of the 1990s, but it was not until after Bacardi acquired the Dewar's brand and associated distilleries in 1998 that Aultmore's excellent spirit was rewarded with a permanent range.

Ardbeg Scorch Limited Edition

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997.

Ardbeg Scorch was the 2021 limited edition from the distillery. Released in May 2021, this would have been the tenth edition to celebrate Ardbeg Day at the world famous Fèis Ìle, however as with the previous year,the festivities were cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The whisky has been matured in the most heavily charred ex-Bourbon casks that the distillery has ever used. 

A cask strength committee bottling was also released the month before.

Ardbeg Scorch Limited Edition

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997.

Ardbeg Scorch was the 2021 limited edition from the distillery. Released in May 2021, this would have been the tenth edition to celebrate Ardbeg Day at the world famous Fèis Ìle, however as with the previous year, the festivities were cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The whisky has been matured in the most heavily charred bourbon casks that the distillery has ever used. 

A higher-proof committee bottling was also released the month before.

Aberlour 1989 Scottish Millennium Celebrations / The Mylchreest Millennium

Aberlour is a picturesque Speyside distillery, built in 1879 by James Fleming after the original distillery of the same name was lost in a fire. It became the first distillery in the S. Campbell & Son portfolio when they acquired it in 1945, and produced fillings for their popular Clan Campell and White Heather blends. Production capacity was increased to meet rising demand for its spirit in 1973, and the following year the company was bought over by Pernod-Ricard who operated it under the Campbell Distillers before merging it with Chivas Brothers, which they acquired from Seagram in 2001. The reverence for the sherry-casked A'Bunadh, launched in 1997, has greatly boosted the popularity of the distillery, and its output from all eras is increasingly sought after.

The Scottish Millennium Celebrations releases were bottled from a series of specially reserved 1989 vintage hogsheads, for a variety of private individuals and companies. They were all bottled in 1999 to commemorate the turn of the century.

One of 360 bottles.

Arran 100 Proof

Although the Isle of Arran was once a hot-bed of distilling activity, there were no distilleries on the island for the majority of the 19th and 20th centuries. Isle of Arran Distillers opened their first distillery in 1995, and it quickly became a firm favourite. They bottled its first single malt in 1998, a limited edition 3 year old in a glass decanter. The distillery also produced a peated single malt called Machrie Moor, however an experimental second distillery on the other side of the island, called Lagg, is now the site of all the company’s peated production. As of 2019, the distillery was renamed Lochranza, however its single malt brand is still known by the old name, Arran.

Introduced in 2008, this was Arran's original cask strength offering. 

Auchroisk 17 Year Old The Netherton / Campsie Dram

Auchroisk distillery was built by Justerini & Brooks in 1972 to provide malt for their blends. Despite this, there was an immediate focus on its single malt as well, and it was first bottled in 1986. These were vintage-dated releases, and some of the earliest to use cask finishing. This was never advertised though, and the distillery left Balvenie to take the credit for the innovation.

One of just 84 bottles.

Ardnahoe 5 Year Old Inaugural Release

Hunter Laing & Co was established in 2013 by Stewart Laing. Having co-managed his father's Douglas Laing company with his brother Fred since 1982, the two eventually decided to split the company assets and strike out on their own with two separate enterprises. Stewart was joined by his two sons, Andrew and Scott, absorbing their Edition Spirits company in the process. Hunter Laing had grand ambitions beyond its traditional independent bottling roots, and announced its plans to open Ardnahoe distillery on Islay in 2016. The first casks were filled there two years later under the guidance of the legendary Jim McEwan.

This is the distillery's inaugural release, matured for 5 years in a combination of bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks.

Auchentoshan 16 Year Old Bourbon Matured 

Famed for its exclusive use of triple distillation, Auchentoshan is based on the outskirts of Glasgow and was owned for the duration of the 1960s by Tennents brewery. They sold it to Eadie Cairns at the end of the decade, who upgraded the site and began officially bottling it as a single malt. The distillery passed through the hands of Morrison Bowmore before becoming part of the Beam Suntory table today. Unusually, none of the Auchentoshan output is reserved for blends, meaning there has been a wealth of distillery bottled single casks and independent releases throughout the years.

Released in 2007, this 16 year old has been matured in Bourbon wood and was bottled at cask strength.

Ardbeg Ardcore Limited Edition

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997.

Ardcore is an experimental release that has been produced using heavily roasted barley. This resulted in a taste-profile of heavy peat and dark chocolate. The bottle design displays a Punk Rock style livery and was released in May 2022. 

Blended Scotch 2016 Thompson Brothers 6 Year Old / Whisky Mew 5th Anniversary

The Thompson Brothers began their whisky bottling in enterprise in 2013, establishing the Black Isle Whisky Company in their native Dornoch. The brothers, Simon and Philip, renamed the operation as the Dornoch Distilling Company in 2015, opening the Dornoch distillery the following year. In addition to distilling their own whisky, their independent bottlings continue to flourish, with many exceptional tasting and fantastically labelled single malts and rums released under the Thompson Bros banner.

Released in August 2022, this6 year old blended Scotch which has been matured in a single refill sherry butt. Produced under the title A Wonderful Serendipity, it was produced for the 5th Anniversary of Whisky Mew, in collaboration with Elysian Bar in Melbourne and Bar Mirai in Jakarta.

One of 732 bottles.

Ardnamurchan AD/ Sherry Cask Release

Ardnamurchan is the Highland distillery belonging to revered independent bottlers-turned-distillers, Adelphi. The Adelphi name has a rich history, operating as a distillery in the Gorbals district of Glasgow from 1825, producing spirit from the waters of Loch Katrine. The distillery ceased production in the early 20th century however and several changes in ownership culminating in a takeover by DCL in 1902. The Adelphi name was revived in 1993 by Jamie Walker, great-grandson of former distillery owner Archibald. Ardnamurchan is situated on the most westerly point of the British mainland, and opened in 2014, producing both peated and unpeated single malts.

Released in 2023, this partially-peated Ardnamurchan was matured in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.

Ardbeg Heavy Vapours Committee Release

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997.

Titled Heavy Vapours, this committee bottling celebrates Ardbeg Day at Fèis Ìle 2023. The spirt has been produced without using a purifier in the distillation process. The result is a much more robust flavour profile.

Officially launched in January 2000, the Ardbeg Committee is a fan club that loosely tasked with safeguarding the distillery from a return to its darker days of the previous century. Open to anyone to register, the club has access to exclusive releases like this one, which are never available to the general public. Membership also have access to a private room at the distillery and are asked to adhere to semi-tongue in cheek set of Committee rules, one of which warns of grave consequences for those who mix their Ardbeg with anything other than water.

Fèis Ìle, also known as the Islay Festival of Music and Malt had humble beginnings. It traces it origins back to 1985 and the establishment of The Islay Festival Association after it was realised that an event celebrating Gaelic, music and culture would drive tourism to the island. The inaugural event was two weeks of music, drama and workshops with ceilidhs, concerts and dances in the evening. The first whisky tasting took place as a festival event in 1990, and ten years later the island's distilleries began to be directly involved, organising their annual open days to coincide with it. Today it is one of the biggest events on the whisky calendar, annually drawing hundreds of revellers, and turning out an increasingly sought-after batch of limited edition whiskies like this.

Ardbeg Ardcore Limited Edition

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997.

Ardcore is an experimental release that has been produced using heavily roasted barley. This resulted in a taste-profile of heavy peat and dark chocolate. The bottle design displays a Punk Rock style livery and was released in May 2022. 

Akashi 6 Year Old Single Red Wine Cask #61695 50cl

Akashi is the name given to the the single malt produced at the Eigashima distillery. The site is often also referred to as the White Oak distillery, after the blend it produces. Because demand for White Oak is so high, most Eigashima single malt is reserved for this, so Akashi is quite rare.

AnCnoc 1991

Knockdhu could be considered by many to be the genesis of what is now the whisky giant, Diageo. Then known as DCL, a consortium of Lowland grain distillers, they built Knockdhu distillery in their first foray into malt whisky distilling in 1893. They operated the distillery until 1983 when, like much of their portfolio, they closed it down due to an oversupply resulting from the Scotch market downturn of the period. The distillery was bought and re-opened by Inver House in 1988, who quickly turned out the first official single malt bottlings. The product was swiftly rebranded as AnCnoc in 1993 however, purportedly to avoid confusion with the similarly named Knockando.

This was distilled in 1991 and bottled in 2005.

Ardbeg 13 Year Old Anthology / The Harpy's Tale

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997.

Released in Autumn 2023, this is the first edition in Ardbeg's Anthology Collection. Each release will recall a legendary tale from the Isle of Islay.

Titled The Harpy's Tale, this 13 year old has been matured in a combination of bourbon and Sauternes wine casks.

Agitator 2019 Caskshare Collective Series

This peated single malt was distilled at Sweden's Agitator distillery in 2019, and matured in single Sauternes cask #AG.19.05. It was bottled by Caskshare as part of their Collective Series.

One of 270 bottles.

Ardnahoe 5 Year Old Inaugural Release

Hunter Laing & Co was established in 2013 by Stewart Laing. Having co-managed his father's Douglas Laing company with his brother Fred since 1982, the two eventually decided to split the company assets and strike out on their own with two separate enterprises. Stewart was joined by his two sons, Andrew and Scott, absorbing their Edition Spirits company in the process. Hunter Laing had grand ambitions beyond its traditional independent bottling roots, and announced its plans to open Ardnahoe distillery on Islay in 2016. The first casks were filled there two years later under the guidance of the legendary Jim McEwan.

This is the distillery's inaugural release, matured for 5 years in a combination of bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks.