April 2025 Auction

Craigellachie 1999 SMWS 20 Year Old 44.125

'El Paraiso Oloroso'

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 Craigellachie was distilled on 24th August 1999 and laid to rest in a refill ex-Oloroso Butt for 20 years.  One of 445 bottles.

The town of Craigellachie is synonymous with Speyside whisky, but its eponymous distillery has only recently come into its own as a single malt brand. For the majority of the 20th century it was owned by White Horse Distillers, who became part of DCL (now Diageo) in 1927. Its malt was important to many of their blends, and as a result, the first official distillery bottlings did not appear until the 1990s as part of the Flora & Fauna and Rare Malt Selection series. Diageo eventually offloaded the distillery along with the John Dewar & Sons portfolio to Barcardi, who created a well-respected permanent range for Craigellachie in 2014. Despite the limited availability of official releases prior to then, there were a number of independent bottlings like this that allowed connoisseurs to sample the distillery's famously sulphuric spirit.

Chivas Royal Salute 21 Year Old Miniature / Harris Reed

The first Chivas Regal blend was launched by Chivas Brothers in 1909, a premium brand that quickly developed a big market in the US. While Prohibition put a temporary halt to its success ten years later, it also allowed Canadian distillers, Seagram, to become the biggest drinks company in North America, and they targeted Chivas Brothers straight away when buying into the Scotch market. They acquired the firm in 1949, adding Strathisla to its portfolio, and building a further three more distilleries. Over the years they also acquired the assets of Campbell Distillers and The Glenlivet Distillers, positioning it as one of the largest whisky companies in Scotland. The Seagram empire eventually collapsed in the early 2000s, with its Chivas Brothers arm picked up by Pernod-Ricard, along with Allied Domecq in a separate acquisition, bringing over the Ballantine's brand. Chivas now produces two of the top three selling blends in the world, and its distillery portfolio, with Glenlivet as its flagship brand, is rivalled only by that of Diageo.

Released in 2024, this miniature features artwork from fashion designer Harris Reed.

Though not stated on the miniature, the 70cl version of this flagon declares the whisky to be 21 years old.

Craigellachie 23 Year Old

The town of Craigellachie is synonymous with Speyside whisky, but its eponymous distillery has only recently come into its own as a single malt brand. For the majority of the 20th century it was owned by White Horse Distillers, who became part of DCL (now Diageo) in 1927. Its malt was important to many of their blends, and as a result, the first official distillery bottlings did not appear until the 1990s as part of the Flora & Fauna and Rare Malts Selection series. Diageo eventually offloaded the distillery along with the John Dewar & Sons portfolio to Bacardi, who relaunched it as part of its Last Great Malts collection in 2014.

This was launched in 2014 alongside a 13, 17 and 19 year old in the new core range from Bacardi.

Fleetwood Single 1981 Highland Single Malt 14 Year Old

A Highland single malt from a private cask belonging to Chris Brasher and John Disley.

Compass Box Flaming Heart 2015 / 15th Anniversary

Despite brands like Ballantine’s, Johnnie Walker and Chivas Regal remaining the best-selling Scotch whisky brands in the world, the blended Scotch category played second fiddle to the more fashionable single malt market in the second half of the 20th century. This remains largely true today, however in recent decades the perception of the blend has improved. The company at the forefront of this is Compass Box, founded in 2000 by John Glaser, a former marketing director for the Johnnie Walker brand. Their core range consists of The Spice Tree, The Peat Monster, Story of the Spaniard, Oak Cross and Hedonism blends, and they regularly produce limited editions as well. The company prides itself on its boundary-pushing approach to its creations, and on occasion, boundary-crossing creations, such as the original Spice Tree in 2005 which was banned by the Scotch Whisky Association for its use of suspended staves in casks. Despite investment from Bacardi in 2015, the company continues to push the envelope and rebel against tradition, most notably in its Scotch Whisky Transparency campaign, launched in 2016 following another disagreement with the SWA, this time about their detailed revealing of the recipes of their whiskies.

This was the fifth limited edition of Flaming Heart (first bottled in 2006). It was released in 2015 to celebrate the company's fifteenth anniversary.

Transparency:

• 38.5% 14 year old Caol Ila.
• 27.1% 30 year old Caol Ila.
• 24.1% Clynelish.
• 10.3% 7 year old blended (vatted) malt from Clynelish, Teaninch and Dailuaine.

Four Roses Barrel Strength Small Batch 2020 70cl

The origins of the Four Roses brand are historically hazy, with some speculating that it has been sold since the 1860s. The brand name itself was trademarked in 1888 by the Paul Jones company. At the onset of Prohibition, Paul Jones purchased the Frankfort Distillery, reorganising their company as part of it in order to use its medicinal license to continue to bottle Four Roses bourbon. The Four Roses distillery we know today was built in Lawrenceburg in 1910 by JTS Brown & Sons. Known back then as the Old Prentice, it is one of the Kentucky distilleries on the National Register of Historic Buildings for its distinctive Spanish mission style architecture. It was re-opened in 1933 after the repeal of Prohibition, Seagram purchased the Frankfort Distillery in 1943, and the Old Prentice distillery three years later, moving the production on the Four Roses brand there, renaming the plant after it in the process. When Seagram was wound up in the early 2000s, the distillery and its brands were bought by Japanese firm, Kirin, who continue to produce Four Roses to great acclaim.

This is the 2020 limited edition barrel strength, small batch release from Four Roses.

One of 4,560 bottles filled in the 70cl size.

Chita 2001 Wine Cask Finish 50cl / The Essence of Suntory

A single grain addition to The Essence of Suntory Whisky series.

This is a Chita distilled in 2001 and finished for 4 years in a wine cask before being bottled in 2018.

The Chita grain distillery was opened in 1972, and was Suntory’s second distillery. Previously its malt and grain had been produced at Yamazaki, but Chita was tasked with sole responsibility for the latter during the company’s expansions that decade, which saw its second malt distillery, Hakushu, opened the following year. Although it is primarily tasked with the provision of Suntory blends, The Chita single grain brand was launched in 2015.

Caperdonich 21 Year Old Small Batch Release / Batch 001

Caperdonich distillery was built next-door to Glen Grant in 1892, and for much of its history was known simply as Glen Grant 2. Expansion via additional distillery has been a method used by several producers over the years, but Glen Grant was the first. Glen Grant 2 was only open for 4 years after being built, and remained closed until 1965 when demand in Italy for Glen Grant single malt meant the second distillery was once again required to meet the needs of the blenders. Now legally required to have a different name, the site was christened Caperdonich. Glen Grant sold it on to Seagram in 1977, who continued to use it for blending purposes until they were wound up in the early 2000s. Pernod-Ricard acquired many of their assets in the Scotch industry in 2001, including Caperdonich which they shut down the following year. Its single malt was only briefly officially bottled while in operation, with further distillery bottlings only appearing from Pernod-Ricard in recent years. Production in its later years was high however, and many independent bottlings of this hidden Speyside gem have been produced.

This is the first batch of the brand's 21 year old, matured in first-fill American oak barrels. It was bottled as part of the Secrets of Speyside collection, which was launched in 2019 by Chivas Brothers and features 15 whiskies from four of its lesser known distilleries: the closed Caperdonich, as well as Glen Keith, Longmorn and Braeval.

Courvoisier VSOP Exclusive Cognac 3 Litre

Emmanuel Courvoisier started his journey into the drinks industry by teaming up with Louis Gallois in 1809. Together, they opened a small wine and spirits company in the Parisian suburb of Bercy and after a successful first few years, the duo decided that the only way to guarantee their customers the best cognac possible was to start producing it themselves. In 1828 their sons, Felix and Jules, moved the company to the town of Jarnac in the heart of the Cognac region where they began production at Château Courvoisier. Napoleon Bonaparte himself loved the cognac so much that he took several barrels with him to St. Helena when he was exiled in 1815. In 1869 his heir, Napoleon III, personally bestowed upon the company the honourary title of, \"Official Supplier to the Imperial Court,\" and this declaration is still displayed at Château Courvoisier. In early 2014, what became Beam Suntory acquired the brand for a staggering $16bn and today, Courvoisier remains one of the most successful cognac brands of all time.

The term V.S.O.P (Very Superior Old Pale) or “Reserve” indicates that the youngest element in this cognac will be aged for a minimum of four years. 

Please note due to the size of this lot, it will carry a four-bottle shipping fee.

Clynelish 1991 First Cask 19 Year Old #13209

Clynelish distillery as it is recognised today, was built in 1967 to replace the smaller distillery next-door, which was the original site of that name. The first distillery was closed, but later re-opened, changing its name to Brora (but that’s another story). Clynelish is part of the Diageo stable, having been taken over by DCL in 1925. Despite being an important part of the Johnnie Walker blends, it has long been bottled as a single malt.

This Clynelish was distilled in October 1991 and matured in single cask #13209 for 19 years. It was bottled by Direct Wines as part of their First Cask series.

The First Cask range is a no-frills collection of independent releases, simplistically labelled but with a real focus on high quality cask selection. The brand was produced by Direct Wines, a firm established in Windsor in 1973 and the casks are provided by Signatory Vintage. Often sold in mixed cases through Direct Wines' global distribution network, these bottles can be found all over the world yet have retained the allure of being a relatively boutique label, with many examples incredibly sought after.

Compass Box Duoklė Angelams

Despite brands like Ballantine’s, Johnnie Walker and Chivas Regal remaining the best-selling Scotch whisky brands in the world, the blended Scotch category played second fiddle to the more fashionable single malt market in the second half of the 20th century. This remains largely true today, however in recent decades the perception of the blend has improved. The company at the forefront of this is Compass Box, founded in 2000 by John Glaser, a former marketing director for the Johnnie Walker brand. Their core range consists of The Spice Tree, The Peat Monster, Story of the Spaniard, Oak Cross and Hedonism blends, and they regularly produce limited editions as well. The company prides itself on its boundary-pushing approach to its creations, and on occasion, boundary-crossing creations, such as the original Spice Tree in 2005 which was banned by the Scotch Whisky Association for its use of suspended staves in casks. Despite investment from Bacardi in 2015, the company continues to push the envelope and rebel against tradition, most notably in its Scotch Whisky Transparency campaign, launched in 2016 following another disagreement with the SWA, this time about their detailed revealing of the recipes of their whiskies.

Duoklė Angelams is a blended malt that has been aged in a combination of ex-Oloroso and ex-Bourbon casks.

One of 1,494 bottles.

Chivas Royal Salute Hundred Cask Selection / Release #7

The first Chivas Regal blend was launched by Chivas Brothers in 1909, a premium brand that quickly developed a big market in the US. While Prohibition put a temporary halt to its success ten years later, it also allowed Canadian distillers, Seagram, to become the biggest drinks company in North America, and they targeted Chivas Brothers straight away when buying into the Scotch market. They acquired the firm in 1949, adding Strathisla to its portfolio, and building a further three more distilleries. Over the years they also acquired the assets of Campbell Distillers and The Glenlivet Distillers, positioning it as one of the largest whisky companies in Scotland. The Seagram empire eventually collapsed in the early 2000s, with its Chivas Brothers arm picked up by Pernod-Ricard, along with Allied Domecq in a separate acquisition, bringing over the Ballantine's brand. Chivas now produces two of the top three selling blends in the world, and its distillery portfolio, with Glenlivet as its flagship brand, is rivalled only by that of Diageo.

Created by master blender, Charles H Julian, the Royal Salute was launched in 1953 as a tribute to the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II.

A very limited bottling of Chivas Royal Salute, known as the Hundred Cask selection. Comprised of whisky from casks which have been maturing for up to 40 years.

Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel Bourbon #28 / Selfridges

Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr is considered one of the true bourbon pioneers. Born in 1830, he was orphaned at the age of five and was adopted by his uncle, Edmund Haynes Taylor Snr, who rechristened him as his junior. E.H. Taylor Jr is also referred to as Colonel Taylor due to his holding of the honourary title of Kentucky Colonel, something he shares with a number of state's distinguished sons, most notably a certain fried chicken vendor. Throughout his career, Taylor set up and owned seven different distilleries, and his lobbying for the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 has seen him considered as \"the father of modern bourbon.\" Ten years earlier, having sold his stake in the OFC distillery (now Buffalo Trace), to George T. Stagg, he set up the Old Taylor distillery near Frankfort in Kentucky. The distillery featured a faux-Castle and sunken gardens on-site, and was the birthplace of bourbon tourism. Here he established the Old Taylor brand, which following Prohibition passed into the hands of National Distillers, one of the \"big four\" distilling company's who dominated the post-repeal market. The distillery itself closed in 1972, but production was moved to the neighbouring Old Grand-dad site until National Distillers were acquired by Jim Beam in 1987, who converted it into a warehousing and bottling facility. Beam marketed the brand alongside the other \"Olds\" from the National Distiller portfolio (Old Crow and Old Grand-dad) until 2009 when the Sazerac Company acquired it, returning Taylor's name to his early spiritual home at Buffalo Trace.

The Buffalo Trace version of the brand is known as Colonel E.H. Taylor. With the exception of the Barrel Strength releases, they are all Bottled in Bond at the 100 US proof required by the law that Taylor heroically campaigned for. This is a single barrel release.

This particular single barrel was selected exclusively for high-end British department store Selfridges.

One of 186 bottles.

Chichibu 2012 The Peated 2016

Chichibu distillery in Saitama, Japan was opened in 2008, and was the country’s first new distillery since Suntory opened Hakushu back in 1973. Chichibu was the brainchild of Ichiro Akuto, grandson of the founder of the legendary Hanyu distillery. The Ichiro’s Malt brand appeared in 2005 and rose to fame through the bottling of the last casks from Hanyu, particularly the sought after ‘Card’ series. The first Chichibu releases appeared under it in 2011.

Distilled in 2012, this is the 2016 edition of The Peated, produced from heavily-peated malt.

One of 6,350 bottles. 

Chivas Royal Salute 21 Year Old Miniature / The Couture Collection I - Richard Quinn

The first release of the Richard Quinn The Couture Collection, this 21 year old - featuring a floral design, was produced in collaboration with British fashion designer, Richard Quinn. 

The first Chivas Regal blend was launched by Chivas Brothers in 1909, a premium brand that quickly developed a big market in the US. While Prohibition put a temporary halt to its success ten years later, it also allowed Canadian distillers, Seagram, to become the biggest drinks company in North America, and they targeted Chivas Brothers straight away when buying into the Scotch market. They acquired the firm in 1949, adding Strathisla to its portfolio, and building a further three more distilleries. Over the years they also acquired the assets of Campbell Distillers and The Glenlivet Distillers, positioning it as one of the largest whisky companies in Scotland. The Seagram empire eventually collapsed in the early 2000s, with its Chivas Brothers arm picked up by Pernod-Ricard, along with Allied Domecq in a separate acquisition, bringing over the Ballantine's brand. Chivas now produces two of the top three selling blends in the world, and its distillery portfolio, with Glenlivet as its flagship brand, is rivalled only by that of Diageo.

Chartreuse Miniature Set 6 x 3cl

Chartreuse was originally created in 1605 by monks using a recipe for an elixir of long life.  It was produced produced between 1904-1989 in Tarragona (Spain) after the Carthusian Monks were exiled from France. In 1989 the distillery in Tarragona closed down and the production of this liquor returned to France. Today the bottles produced in the distillery of Tarragona have become some of the most expensive and sought after liquors in the world. The recipe contains more than 130 different plants and flowers.

This lot contains six miniatures of Chartreuse which was made in the Voiron production facility in France.

Calle 23 Blanco Tequila

An unaged Blanco Tequila made from 100% blue agave plants, sourced from 'Los Altos de Jalisco' from Calle 23 located in Zapotlanejo, Jalisco, Mexico.

Compass Box The One I Love

Despite brands like Ballantine’s, Johnnie Walker and Chivas Regal remaining the best-selling Scotch whisky brands in the world, the blended Scotch category played second fiddle to the more fashionable single malt market in the second half of the 20th century. This remains largely true today, however in recent decades the perception of the blend has improved. The company at the forefront of this is Compass Box, founded in 2000 by John Glaser, a former marketing director for the Johnnie Walker brand. Their core range consists of The Spice Tree, The Peat Monster, Story of the Spaniard, Oak Cross and Hedonism blends, and they regularly produce limited editions as well. The company prides itself on its boundary-pushing approach to its creations, and on occasion, boundary-crossing creations, such as the original Spice Tree in 2005 which was banned by the Scotch Whisky Association for its use of suspended staves in casks. Despite investment from Bacardi in 2015, the company continues to push the envelope and rebel against tradition, most notably in its Scotch Whisky Transparency campaign, launched in 2016 following another disagreement with the SWA, this time about their detailed revealing of the recipes of their whiskies.

This is a limited edition blended malt that contains whiskies that has been aged in first-fill and refill ex-Sherry butts, custom French ask barrels, refill and recharred barrels. The whiskies themselves hail from the Highlands, Islay and the Isle of Mull.

One of 2,010 bottles produced to celebrate the 'I Love Compass Box Whisky' Facebook Group reaching 1,000 followers in September 2021. 
 

Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon 1970s

The origins of the Four Roses brand are historically hazy, with some speculating that it has been sold since the 1860s. The brand name itself was trademarked in 1888 by the Paul Jones company. At the onset of Prohibition, Paul Jones purchased the Frankfort Distillery, reorganising their company as part of it in order to use its medicinal license to continue to bottle Four Roses bourbon. The Four Roses distillery we know today was built in Lawrenceburg in 1910 by JTS Brown & Sons. Known back then as the Old Prentice, it is one of the Kentucky distilleries on the National Register of Historic Buildings for its distinctive Spanish mission style architecture. It was re-opened in 1933 after the repeal of Prohibition, Seagram purchased the Frankfort Distillery in 1943, and the Old Prentice distillery three years later, moving the production on the Four Roses brand there, renaming the plant after it in the process. When Seagram was wound up in the early 2000s, the distillery and its brands were bought by Japanese firm, Kirin, who continue to produce Four Roses to great acclaim.

This is a 1970s bottling of Four Roses Kentucky straight bourbon.

At this time, Seagram preferred to promote their Seven Crown as the whiskey brand of choice in the US, limiting Four Roses as a straight bourbon to the export market. US customers had to make do with a blended \"light\" whiskey variant until the brand was acquired by Kirin in 2002, who re-introduced the straight bourbon to its native market.

Chivas Regal 25 Year Old

The first Chivas Regal blend was launched by Chivas Brothers in 1909, a premium brand that quickly developed a big market in the US. While Prohibition put a temporary halt to its success ten years later, it also allowed Canadian distillers, Seagram, to become the biggest drinks company in North America, and they targeted Chivas Brothers straight away when buying into the Scotch market. They acquired the firm in 1949, adding Strathisla to its portfolio, and building a further three more distilleries. Over the years they also acquired the assets of Campbell Distillers and The Glenlivet Distillers, positioning it as one of the largest whisky companies in Scotland. The Seagram empire eventually collapsed in the early 2000s, with its Chivas Brothers arm picked up by Pernod-Ricard, along with Allied Domecq in a separate acquisition, bringing over the Ballantine's brand. Chivas now produces two of the top three selling blends in the world, and its distillery portfolio, with Glenlivet as its flagship brand, is rivalled only by that of Diageo.

A bottle of the Chivas Regal 25 Year Old, in an impressive presentation box. 

Clynelish 12 Year Old Hand Filled Batch #2021/002

A distillery exclusive release from Clynelish. This whisky has been aged for 12 years before being bottled by hand in 2021.

Clynelish distillery as it is recognised today, was built in 1967 to replace the smaller distillery next-door, which was the original site of that name. The first distillery was closed, but later re-opened, changing its name to Brora (but that’s another story). Clynelish is part of the Diageo stable, having been taken over by DCL in 1912. Despite being an important part of the Johnnie Walker blends, it has long been bottled as a single malt.

Caperdonich 1994 Liquid Library 18 Year Old

Caperdonich distillery was built next-door to Glen Grant in 1892, and for much of its history was known simply as Glen Grant 2. Expansion via additional distillery has been a method used by several producers over the years, but Glen Grant was the first. Glen Grant 2 was only open for 4 years after being built, and remained closed until 1965 when demand in Italy for Glen Grant single malt meant the second distillery was once again required to meet the needs of the blenders. Now legally required to have a different name, the site was christened Caperdonich. Glen Grant sold it on to Seagram in 1977, who continued to use it for blending purposes until they were wound up in the early 2000s. Pernod-Ricard acquired many of their assets in the Scotch industry in 2001, including Caperdonich which they shut down the following year. Its single malt was only briefly officially bottled while in operation, with further distillery bottlings only appearing from Pernod-Ricard in recent years. Production in its later years was high however, and many independent bottlings of this hidden Speyside gem have been produced.

This Caperdonich was distilled in 1994 and matured in a single refill hogshead for 18 years. It was bottled for The Whisky Agency's Liquid Library series in 2012.

The Whisky Agency was founded in Germany by Carsten Ehrlich, who is also the driving force behind The Whisky Fair in Limburg, one of the world's most renowned annual whisky gatherings. Their passion is unquestionable, and they have a regular release schedule of high quality single casks, often in collaboration with some of the most respected whisky bars and retailers. The Whisky Agency's labels include The Perfect Dram, Liquid Library, Private Stock, and Liquid Sun.

One of 312 bottles.

Caperdonich 1991 Whisky Agency 22 Year Old

Caperdonich distillery was built next-door to Glen Grant in 1892, and for much of its history was known simply as Glen Grant 2. Expansion via additional distillery has been a method used by several producers over the years, but Glen Grant was the first. Glen Grant 2 was only open for 4 years after being built, and remained closed until 1965 when demand in Italy for Glen Grant single malt meant the second distillery was once again required to meet the needs of the blenders. Now legally required to have a different name, the site was christened Caperdonich. Glen Grant sold it on to Seagram in 1977, who continued to use it for blending purposes until they were wound up in the early 2000s. Pernod-Ricard acquired many of their assets in the Scotch industry in 2001, including Caperdonich which they shut down the following year. Its single malt was only briefly officially bottled while in operation, with further distillery bottlings only appearing from Pernod-Ricard in recent years. Production in its later years was high however, and many independent bottlings of this hidden Speyside gem have been produced.

This Caperdonich was distilled in 1991 and matured in a single refill hogshead for 22 years. It was bottled for the Whisky Agency in 2013.

The Whisky Agency was founded in Germany by Carsten Ehrlich, who is also the driving force behind The Whisky Fair in Limburg, one of the world's most renowned annual whisky gatherings. Their passion is unquestionable, and they have a regular release schedule of high quality single casks, often in collaboration with some of the most respected whisky bars and retailers. The Whisky Agency's labels include The Perfect Dram, Liquid Library, Private Stock, and Liquid Sun.

One of 299 bottles.

Chivas Royal Salute 21 Year Old Blended Malt Miniature / Estancia Polo Edition

The first Chivas Regal blend was launched by Chivas Brothers in 1909, a premium brand that quickly developed a big market in the US. While Prohibition put a temporary halt to its success ten years later, it also allowed Canadian distillers, Seagram, to become the biggest drinks company in North America, and they targeted Chivas Brothers straight away when buying into the Scotch market. They acquired the firm in 1949, adding Strathisla to its portfolio, and building a further three more distilleries. Over the years they also acquired the assets of Campbell Distillers and The Glenlivet Distillers, positioning it as one of the largest whisky companies in Scotland. The Seagram empire eventually collapsed in the early 2000s, with its Chivas Brothers arm picked up by Pernod-Ricard, along with Allied Domecq in a separate acquisition, bringing over the Ballantine's brand. Chivas now produces two of the top three selling blends in the world, and its distillery portfolio, with Glenlivet as its flagship brand, is rivalled only by that of Diageo.

Created by master blender, Charles H Julian, the Royal Salute was launched in 1953 as a tribute to the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II.

Chichibu 2010 The Peated 2013 Release

Chichibu distillery in Saitama, Japan was opened in 2008, and was the country’s first new distillery since Suntory opened Hakushu back in 1973. Chichibu was the brainchild of Ichiro Akuto, grandson of the founder of the legendary Hanyu distillery. The Ichiro’s Malt brand appeared in 2005 and rose to fame through the bottling of the last casks from Hanyu, particularly the sought after ‘Card’ series. The first Chichibu releases appeared under it in 2011.

This Chichibu was distilled from heavily peated malt in 2010, and bottled in 2013.  The barley used had a phenol level of 59.6ppm, higher than most Islay malts. 

One of 6,700 bottles.

Four Roses Barrel Strength Small Batch 2022 70cl

The 2022 limited edition release of the barrel proof, small batch from Four Roses, bottled at a high strength of 54.5%. It is a blend of whiskey from 4 barrels, aged between 14 and 20 years old.

The origins of the Four Roses brand are historically hazy, with some speculating that it has been sold since the 1860s. The brand name itself was trademarked in 1888 by the Paul Jones company. At the onset of Prohibition, Paul Jones purchased the Frankfort Distillery, reorganising their company as part of it in order to use its medicinal license to continue to bottle Four Roses bourbon. The Four Roses distillery we know today was built in Lawrenceburg in 1910 by JTS Brown & Sons. Known back then as the Old Prentice, it is one of the Kentucky distilleries on the National Register of Historic Buildings for its distinctive Spanish mission style architecture. It was re-opened in 1933 after the repeal of Prohibition, Seagram purchased the Frankfort Distillery in 1943, and the Old Prentice distillery three years later, moving the production on the Four Roses brand there, renaming the plant after it in the process. When Seagram was wound up in the early 2000s, the distillery and its brands were bought by Japanese firm, Kirin, who continue to produce Four Roses to great acclaim.

One of 4,890 bottles in the 70cl size.

Four Roses Barrel Strength Small Batch 2024 70cl

The origins of the Four Roses brand are historically hazy, with some speculating that it has been sold since the 1860s. The brand name itself was trademarked in 1888 by the Paul Jones company. At the onset of Prohibition, Paul Jones purchased the Frankfort Distillery, reorganising their company as part of it in order to use its medicinal license to continue to bottle Four Roses bourbon. The Four Roses distillery we know today was built in Lawrenceburg in 1910 by JTS Brown & Sons. Known back then as the Old Prentice, it is one of the Kentucky distilleries on the National Register of Historic Buildings for its distinctive Spanish mission style architecture. It was re-opened in 1933 after the repeal of Prohibition, Seagram purchased the Frankfort Distillery in 1943, and the Old Prentice distillery three years later, moving the production on the Four Roses brand there, renaming the plant after it in the process. When Seagram was wound up in the early 2000s, the distillery and its brands were bought by Japanese firm, Kirin, who continue to produce Four Roses to great acclaim.

This is the 2024 release of the Barrel Strength Small Batch expression from Four Roses.

One of 6,000 bottles.

Cragganmore 1989 Berry Brothers and Rudd

Cragganmore distillery was built by John Smith at the end of the 19th century. An astute businessman, he selected the location of his distillery to facilitate easy trade with his customers, and produced spirit geared fully towards the needs of the blending companies. It was not long before it was considered one of the finest for such a purpose, and the distillery was eventually acquired by White Horse Distillers. When White Horse were bought by DCL, its subsequent iteration, United Distillers, selected it as part of their Classic Malts series in 1988, officially launching its single malt brand. Despite this, its continued importance to Diageo blends means that distillery bottlings like this are scarce, with only the 12 year old and these annual Distillers Editions making up a permanent range.

Distilled in 1989 and bottled in 2010 after being matured in a single cask, Cask #2880

Berry Brothers & Rudd is a firm steeped in history. They were established in the late 17th century, and received a Royal Warrant from King Edward VII in 1903. The company has been bottling single malt whisky from almost as early as that, and produced their first ever blend, Cutty Sark, in 1923.

Clynelish 1998 Signatory Vintage 17 Year Old

Clynelish distillery as it is recognised today, was built in 1967 to replace the smaller distillery next-door, which was the original site of that name. The first distillery was closed, but later re-opened, changing its name to Brora (but that’s another story). Clynelish is part of the Diageo stable, having been taken over by DCL in 1925. Despite being an important part of the Johnnie Walker blends, it has long been bottled as a single malt.

This Clynelish was distilled on 27th May 1998 and aged in hogsheads #7772 + #7773 for 17 years before being bottled on 16th July 2015.

Signatory Vintage were established in 1988 by Andrew Symington and are one of Scotland's most prolific independent bottlers. Their offices and bottling facility are located next to Edradour distillery, which they have also owned since 2002.

Famille Vallein-Tercinier Lot 86 Maltbarn 33 Year Old Cognac

Vallein Tercinier was established in 1850 by Georges Vallein, and today remains in the same family five generations down the line. For over a century and a half the family have developed a global reputation for fine cognac and the quality of its blending. They have also purposely steered clear of expanding to a size where they would no longer be a boutique producer, meaning they have never become a household name, but those who know their cognac will happily consider the house as a “best kept secret.\" Today the Maison is ran by Catherine and Louis Tercinier who have embraced a mixture of modern production techniques and traditions gathered from 170 years’ worth of experience.

This 33 year old was bottled for independent label, Maltbarn.

Four Roses Barrel Strength Small Batch 2024 70cl

The origins of the Four Roses brand are historically hazy, with some speculating that it has been sold since the 1860s. The brand name itself was trademarked in 1888 by the Paul Jones company. At the onset of Prohibition, Paul Jones purchased the Frankfort Distillery, reorganising their company as part of it in order to use its medicinal license to continue to bottle Four Roses bourbon. The Four Roses distillery we know today was built in Lawrenceburg in 1910 by JTS Brown & Sons. Known back then as the Old Prentice, it is one of the Kentucky distilleries on the National Register of Historic Buildings for its distinctive Spanish mission style architecture. It was re-opened in 1933 after the repeal of Prohibition, Seagram purchased the Frankfort Distillery in 1943, and the Old Prentice distillery three years later, moving the production on the Four Roses brand there, renaming the plant after it in the process. When Seagram was wound up in the early 2000s, the distillery and its brands were bought by Japanese firm, Kirin, who continue to produce Four Roses to great acclaim.

This is the 2024 release of the Barrel Strength Small Batch expression from Four Roses.

One of 6,000 bottles.

Chivas Royal Salute 21 Year Old Special Batch / Miami Polo Edition

The first Chivas Regal blend was launched by Chivas Brothers in 1909, a premium brand that quickly developed a big market in the US. While Prohibition put a temporary halt to its success ten years later, it also allowed Canadian distillers, Seagram, to become the biggest drinks company in North America, and they targeted Chivas Brothers straight away when buying into the Scotch market. They acquired the firm in 1949, adding Strathisla to its portfolio, and building a further three more distilleries. Over the years they also acquired the assets of Campbell Distillers and The Glenlivet Distillers, positioning it as one of the largest whisky companies in Scotland. The Seagram empire eventually collapsed in the early 2000s, with its Chivas Brothers arm picked up by Pernod-Ricard, along with Allied Domecq in a separate acquisition, bringing over the Ballantine's brand. Chivas now produces two of the top three selling blends in the world, and its distillery portfolio, with Glenlivet as its flagship brand, is rivalled only by that of Diageo.

Created by master blender, Charles H Julian, the Royal Salute was launched in 1953 as a tribute to the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II.