April 2025 Auction

Cragganmore 2007 Distillers Edition CggD-6571

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.

Launched in 1997, The Distillers Edition range is a series of double matured versions of the standard Classic Malts. The Cragganmore releases are finished in Port wine casks.

Caol Ila 2013 Auld Goonsy 11 Year Old

Caol Ila distillery was built in 1846 by Hector Henderson, who was bought out from the venture a little over 10 year later by Bulloch Lade. The blending firm merged with DCL (now Diageo) in 1927, who still run the distillery today. In 1972 the original site was demolished and replaced by a new one. When distilling resumed in 1974, Caol Ila was the largest producer of single malt on the Isle of Islay. Despite this, due to its importance in popular blends such as Johnnie Walker, its single malt brand disappeared under United Distillers, and it was not until 2002 that it would return, when the 12 year old was revived by Diageo. The Flora & Fauna release was well-regarded in the meantime, but it was independent releases like this that gave the best opportunity to sample this much-loved single malt.

This Caol Ila was distilled in August 2013 and matured 11 years, initially in an American oak hogshead, then in single first-fill Pedro Ximénez cask #319939 for a further 12 months. It was bottled by Global Whisky in November 2024 under their Auld Goonsy label.

One of 291 bottles.

Chichibu 2014 Single Bourbon Cask #3804 / LMDW - Au Bon Marché 100th Anniversary

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 in 2014 and matured in single third-fill bourbon barrel #3804, which had previously held peated whisky. It was bottled exclusively for La Maison du Whisky, as part of their 2024 New Vibrations Collection. This release as also produced to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Au Bon Marché department store.

One of 204 bottles.

Caol Ila 1984 Gordon and MacPhail 38 Year Old Batch #23/021

Caol Ila distillery was built in 1846 by Hector Henderson, who was bought out from the venture a little over 10 year later by Bulloch Lade. The blending firm merged with DCL (now Diageo) in 1927, who still run the distillery today. In 1972 the original site was demolished and replaced by a new one. When distilling resumed in 1974, Caol Ila was the largest producer of single malt on the Isle of Islay. Despite this, due to its importance in popular blends such as Johnnie Walker, its single malt brand disappeared under United Distillers, and it was not until 2002 that it would return, when the 12 year old was revived by Diageo. The Flora & Fauna release was well-regarded in the meantime, but it was independent releases like this that gave the best opportunity to sample this much-loved single malt.

The Connoisseurs Choice label is one of the most recognisable independent bottlings on the market, and this release follows the 2018 rejuvenation of the brand, which saw it reimagined as a premium single casks range.

This was distilled in 1984 and bottled at 38 years old from a refill sherry hogshead.

Cask: Ardmore 1998 Hogshead #750704 / stored at Inveralmond Bond

This Ardmore single malt was distilled on 27th May 1998 and is currently maturing in single hogshead #750704 at a bonded warehouse in Inveralmond, Perth.

Ardmore was built by Wm. Teacher at the end of the 19th century, and as a rare peated Highland single malt, provided the smoky qualities in their well-loved blends. Now in the hands of Beam Suntory, there have been very few official bottlings, but the independent releases that have appeared over the years are much sought after.

The following are the results of a cask regauge on 19th March 2024.

• New Bulk Litres: 119.0
• Strength: 52.20%
• Regauged Litres of Alcohol: 62.1

*IMPORTANT NOTICE: The buyer of any cask which is stored at this location must have an existing account with the company that owns the warehouse. Please note that the buyer will also be fully responsible for all fees associated with the transfer of ownership of the cask.

Title of ownership for sold lots shall be passed on to the buyer within 14 days of the receipt of funds PROVIDED THAT a Buyer meets, and can demonstrate they meet, HMRC requirements for owning duty-suspended goods.  In short: a UK resident revenue trader must have a valid Owners of Warehoused Goods Regulations Certificate (“WOWGR”).  A UK resident who is not a revenue trader does not require a WOWGR but must make arrangements with the warehousekeeper storing the cask.  Non-UK residents should appoint a UK Duty Representative to act for them.  Further details and guidance can be found via the below websites.

HMRC Excise Notice 196

HMRC Excise Notice 206

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.

Camus Marque Cognac Baccarat Decanter

Jean-Baptiste Camus started out as an independent winegrower, distilling, and selling his cognac to other established houses. In 1863, he decided to expand his business by recruiting other producers to supply him with stock which he could sell his new brand, Camus La Grande Marque. Camus’ advantage of having people supply La Grande Marque was that he had total control over the quality of the product, from grape to the glass. The business would go on to enjoy great success over the next 150 years, remaining in the same family for over five generations. Perhaps the savviest tactic in the company’s history was the move towards the duty-free market in the 1960s. This saw recognition of the brand increase significantly and today Camus have a worldwide following, particularly in Asia.

An older bottling of Camus cognac presented in a beautiful Baccarat decanter.

Baccarat Crystal was founded in the commune of the same name in north-eastern France in 1764. The company was given permission to start the manufacture of window panes, mirrors and stemware by King Louis XV but it wasn't until 1816 when the first crystal oven was installed. For well over 250 years the company has become renowned for its high quality and craftsmanship.

Exclusive Blend 1991 Creative Whisky Co 21 Year Old

The Creative Whisky Company was established in 2005 by David and Dawn Stirk. David had been involved in the industry for a long time, both writing extensively about whisky in magazines and books, as well as being a former employee of Scotland's oldest independent bottler, Wm. Cadenhead. His new family company bottled its first whiskies in 2011. Their brands include the Exclusive Malts, Exclusive Grains, and a range of Exclusive Blends as well.

This is a blended Scotch containing malts and grain, all distilled in 1991 and married in ex-sherry butts. 

Cask: Speyside Single Malt 2016 Hogshead #8267 / stored at Inveralmond Bond

This Speyside single malt was sourced from a distillery under the ownership of one of whisky's most renowned luxury brands, and largely contributes to the production of the Famous Grouse blend (No, not that distillery, the other one).

The cask was filled on the 1st September 2016 and is maturing in single hogshead cask #8267 at a bonded warehouse in Inveralmond, Perth.

The following are the results of a cask regauge which took place on 24th October 2024.

• Bulk Litres: 232.2
• Strength: 65.60%
• Regauged Litres of Alcohol: 153.1

*IMPORTANT NOTICE: The buyer of any cask which is stored at this location must have an existing account with the company that owns the warehouse. Please note that the buyer will also be fully responsible for all fees associated with the transfer of ownership of the cask.

Title of ownership for sold lots shall be passed on to the buyer within 14 days of the receipt of funds PROVIDED THAT a Buyer meets, and can demonstrate they meet, HMRC requirements for owning duty-suspended goods.  In short: a UK resident revenue trader must have a valid Owners of Warehoused Goods Regulations Certificate (“WOWGR”).  A UK resident who is not a revenue trader does not require a WOWGR but must make arrangements with the warehousekeeper storing the cask.  Non-UK residents should appoint a UK Duty Representative to act for them.  Further details and guidance can be found via the below websites.

HMRC Excise Notice 196

HMRC Excise Notice 206

Chivas Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute

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.An incredibly rare edition of the Royal Salute from Chivas Brothers.

Named after th 62 gun salute that is fired on Royal anniversaries, the decanter is painted with 24 carat gold and contains over 40 year old whiskies.

Cask: Blue Hill 2018 Hogshead #180000030 / stored at Inveralmond Bond

This Speyside single malt was drawn from a distillery residing on a rather 'rocky hill', in a town of the same name. It draws its water from the underground Blue Hill spring.

The cask was filled on the 12th June 2018 and is maturing in single hogshead cask #180000030 at a bonded warehouse in Inveralmond, Perth.

The following are the results of a cask regauge which took place on 14th April 2025.

• New bulk litres: 234.2
• Strength 60.30%
• Regauged litres of alcohol 141.2

*IMPORTANT NOTICE: The buyer of any cask which is stored at this location must have an existing account with the company that owns the warehouse. Please note that the buyer will also be fully responsible for all fees associated with the transfer of ownership of the cask.

Title of ownership for sold lots shall be passed on to the buyer within 14 days of the receipt of funds PROVIDED THAT a Buyer meets, and can demonstrate they meet, HMRC requirements for owning duty-suspended goods.  In short: a UK resident revenue trader must have a valid Owners of Warehoused Goods Regulations Certificate (“WOWGR”).  A UK resident who is not a revenue trader does not require a WOWGR but must make arrangements with the warehousekeeper storing the cask.  Non-UK residents should appoint a UK Duty Representative to act for them.  Further details and guidance can be found via the below websites.

HMRC Excise Notice 196

HMRC Excise Notice 206

Chivas Regal 20 Year Old Ultis

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.

Ultis contains five hand-selected signature malts from the Chivas Brothers portfolio. They are Allt-a-Bhainne, Tormore, Strathisla, Longmorn and Braeval. The Ultis is intended as a tribute to Chivas' five master blenders: Charles Howard (1895-1935), Charles Julian (1949-1960), Allan Baillie (1960-1966), Jimmy Lang (1966-1989) and Colin Scott (1989-present). Formerly a non-age statement expression, this is now bottled as a 20 year old.

Caol Ila 1991 Eidora Whisky 14 Year Old

Caol Ila distillery was built in 1846 by Hector Henderson, who was bought out from the venture a little over 10 year later by Bulloch Lade. The blending firm merged with DCL (now Diageo) in 1927, who still run the distillery today. In 1972 the original site was demolished and replaced by a new one. When distilling resumed in 1974, Caol Ila was the largest producer of single malt on the Isle of Islay. Despite this, due to its importance in popular blends such as Johnnie Walker, its single malt brand disappeared under United Distillers, and it was not until 2002 that it would return, when the 12 year old was revived by Diageo. The Flora & Fauna release was well-regarded in the meantime, but it was independent releases like this that gave the best opportunity to sample this much-loved single malt.

This whisky was distilled in 1991 and aged for 14 years before being bottled in 2006 for WhiskyAuction.com.

One of 287 bottles.

Compass Box Menagerie

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 limited to 7,741 bottles.

Transparency:

• 42.6% Mortlach Recharred barrel
• 17.1% Deanston refill sherry and hogshead.
• 16.8% Highland Malt Blend custom french oak
• 18.1% Glen Elgin recharred barrel and sherry seasoned butt
• 5.4% Laphroaig recharred hogshead.

Chateau de Laubade 1983 Bas Armagnac

The Laubade vineyards are in the top growth of the Bas Armagnac region. Ugni Blanc, Baco, Colombard and Folle Blanche are grown using organic methods, then vinified and distilled at the château prior to maturation. The oak used is Gascony, harvested from local forests and dried in the open air for three years then assembled into barrels; the cooperage produces over 150 a year. 

This Bas Armagnac was distilled in 1983 and bottled in June 1993.

Armagnac is a style of brandy produced in the southwest of France, using the short alambic-armagnacais still which tends to produce richer spirits than that of Cognac. The impurities found in the spirit owing to these short stills require a long ageing period in order to reveal their silky richnesses within - thus well-aged Armagnacs can be a thing of utter beauty.

Caol Ila 2001 Distillers Edition C-si;9-473

Caol Ila distillery was built in 1846 by Hector Henderson, who was bought out from the venture a little over 10 year later by Bulloch Lade. The blending firm merged with DCL (now Diageo) in 1927, who still run the distillery today. In 1972 the original site was demolished and replaced by a new one. When distilling resumed in 1974, Caol Ila was the largest producer of single malt on the Isle of Islay. Despite this, due to its importance in popular blends such as Johnnie Walker, its single malt brand disappeared under United Distillers, and it was not until 2002 that it would return, when the 12 year old was revived by Diageo.

Launched in 1997, the Distillers Edition range was a twist on the standard Classic Malts series, with each finished in a variety of different casks. The first Caol Ila inclusion was in 2006, and the second maturation is in Moscatel casks.

Clynelish Ainslie and Heilbron 12 year old 1960s

The original Clynelish distillery 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. The distillery remains an important part of Diageo blends to this day, however nowadays it is produced at a new Clynelish, opened by DCL in 1967. The original distillery was briefly run in tandem with new one, known as Clynelish B (and the new one Clynelish A), until being closed down in early 1968. Although operating under the same name, the original Clynelish has a distinct profile, particularly prior to its modernisation in the 1960s. Its single malt is increasingly revered, not least due to its re-opening in 1969 as Brora distillery. Having closed again in 1983, the distillery became legendary in the years that followed, with both original Clynelish and Brora becoming huge collector's items. 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.

As was often the case with the distilleries in the DCL portfolio, Clynelish was licensed to one of the blending companies within its portfolio. In this case it was Ainslie & Heilbron, a constituent of whom, James Ainslie & Co, had owned the distillery until 1912. When DCL were succeeded by United Distillers, one of the new company's first orders of business was to regain control of the distribution of its single malts, taking the licenses back from the blending houses. Clynelish single malt was not bottled again until 1991 when it became part of the Flora & Fauna range, and it would not be until 2002 that it was bottled with its own unique brand again.

Calvados des Aieux 1955

Calvados is a type of Brandy named after its home region in Normandy, northern France. It is made from apples (and sometimes pear) cider distilled into Brandy.

This was distilled in 1955 by Les Caves de Normandie and likely bottled in the 1980s before being imported for the Italian market by A. Sutti.

North of Scotland 1963 Scott's Selection

North of Scotland began production in 1958, and was the first venture from George P. Christie, who later opened the Speyside distillery as well. North of Scotland originally distilled malt whisky as well, known as Strathmore, but its pot still were removed after just one year to focus on its grain production. Sadly the distillery was short-lived, shut down by Christie in 1980 in anticipation of the era of oversupply, also referred to as the \"whisky loch.\" The site was sold to DCL in 1982 and is nowadays used as a bond and warehousing operation by Diageo. Primarily tasked with provision for blends, there are very few releases of North of Scotland grain. An official 50 year old was bottled in 2017 in partnership with Elixir Distillers, but the majority of independent bottlings are from independent labels like this.

This North of Scotland whisky was distilled in 1963. It was bottled at cask strength in 1998 as part of the Scott's Selection range.

The Scott's Selection range was launched in the 1990s and was originally bottled from casks hand-selected by former Speyside distillery Master Distiller, Robert Scott. They are always filled un-chillfiltered and at a natural cask strength.

Courvoisier 3 Star Luxe Cognac

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. (Very Special) or \"Three Star\" indicates that the youngest element in this cognac will be aged for a minimum of two years.

Chartreuse Voiron Yellow Label circa 1960s

Chartreuse was originally created in 1605 by monks using a recipe for an elixir of long life.  It was 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 rare bottling was produced at the Voiron facility, and was bottled around the 1960s.

Please note there is no volume or ABV stated on the bottle.

Edradour 1992 Signatory Vintage 10 year Old

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.

For a long time Edradour was Scotland's smallest distillery. Owned by William Whitely for much of the 20th century, it contributed malt for their King's Ransom blend, which had developed a strong sales network in the US with dubious Mafia boss, Frank Costello, as its representative. The distillery was eventually sold to Campbell Distillers in 1982, who opened it up to visitors and bottled its first official single malt in 1986. Despite its small size, the distillery has always found itself interested parties, with independent bottlers-turned-distillers, Signatory Vintage, purchasing it in 2002 when it was deemed surplus to requirements by Campbell Distillers parent firm, Pernod-Ricard.

Bottled in their first year of ownership, the Edradour was distilled on 14th of July 1992 and bottled from single case #743 on 20th September 2002.

One of 902 bottles. 

Chartreuse Voiron Yellow Label & Green Label Miniature x 2 circa 1960s

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.

These were produced at the Voiron facility in France.

• Chartreuse Voiron Yellow Label Miniature, 75 Proof
• Chartreuse Voiron Green Label Miniature, 96 Proof

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.

Edradour 2000 Oloroso Cask Finish 21 Years Old

An oloroso sherry cask finished whisky from the small Pitlochry distillery.

For a long time Edradour was Scotland's smallest distillery. Owned by William Whitely for much of the 20th century, it contributed malt for their King's Ransom blend, which had developed a strong sales network in the US with dubious Mafia boss, Frank Costello, as its representative. The distillery was eventually sold to Campbell Distillers in 1982, who opened it up to visitors and bottled its first official single malt in 1986. Despite its small size, the distillery has always found itself interested parties, with independent bottlers-turned-distillers, Signatory Vintage, purchasing it in 2002 when it was deemed surplus to requirements by Campbell Distillers parent firm, Pernod-Ricard.

Bottled on 12th October 2022 at the age of 21 years old.

One of 1308 bottles.

Chichibu 2016 Single Sherry Cask 7 Year Old #6960 / Cask By Cask No.4

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 whisky was distilled in 2016 and aged in single refill sherry cask #6960 for 7 years.

One of 266 bottles.

Chichibu 2014 Single Bourbon Cask #3905/ Sweden & Norway

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 is one of 185 bottles charged from single Bourbon cask #3905.  Distilled in 2014 and bottled exclusively for Sweden and Norway.

Caol Ila 2003 Signatory Vintage 12 Year Old

Caol Ila distillery was built in 1846 by Hector Henderson, who was bought out from the venture a little over 10 year later by Bulloch Lade. The blending firm merged with DCL (now Diageo) in 1927, who still run the distillery today. In 1972 the original site was demolished and replaced by a new one. When distilling resumed in 1974, Caol Ila was the largest producer of single malt on the Isle of Islay. Despite this, due to its importance in popular blends such as Johnnie Walker, its single malt brand disappeared under United Distillers, and it was not until 2002 that it would return, when the 12 year old was revived by Diageo. The Flora & Fauna release was well-regarded in the meantime, but it was independent releases like this that gave the best opportunity to sample this much-loved single malt.

This Coal Isla was distilled on 10th September 2003 and matured in hogsheads #302468 + 302469 for 12 years before being bottled on 14th September 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

Clacquesin Ogenac Three Star Armagnac

Armagnac is a style of brandy produced in the southwest of France, using the short alambic-armagnacais still which tends to produce richer spirits than that of Cognac.  The impurities found in the spirit owing to these short stills require a long ageing period in order to reveal their silky richnesses within - thus well-aged Armagnacs can be a thing of utter beauty.

This is a Three Star Armagnac from French liqueur producers, Clacquesin, sold under the Ogenac brand.

Clan Campbell 5 Year Old 

Muir, Mackenize and Co was a subsidiary of Campbell Distillers, after it was acquired by them in 1936. Its Clan Campbell blend became one of the firm’s best-selling products, alongside the parent company’s White Heather. Nowadays Muir, Mackenzie & Co is a trading name owned Pernod-Ricard. The French firm purchased Campbell Distillers in 1974, later merging it with their newly acquired Chivas Brothers portfolio in 2001.

A very well known blend which sells well in mainland Europe, this Clan Campbell was aged for 5 years.

Clynelish 1982 Flora and Fauna Cask Strength

Following on from the successful introduction of the Classic Malts range in 1988 (at the time only six expressions), Diageo sought to build on this by releasing a further 22 single malts in 1991. These became affectionately known as the Flora & Fauna series, a term coined by whisky writer, Michael Jackson, in reference to their labels, and the range showcased the lesser-seen distilleries from the extensive Diageo portfolio at the time. Despite four further additions in 2001, only a handful of these are still permanent distillery bottlings, making this a highly collectible series.

One of the nine rare Flora & Fauna releases bottled at cask strength, this Clynelish was distilled in 1982 and bottled in 1997.

Clynelish distillery as it is recognised today, was built in 1967 to replace the a smaller distillery next-door, which was the original site of that name. The original distillery was closed, but later re-opened, changing its name to Brora (and the rest is history). 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. 

Clynelish departed the Flora & Fauna stable when Diageo revived its single malt brand, repackaging the 14 year old in 2002.

Chichibu On The Way 2024 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 is the 2024 instalment of the distillery's On the Way release, produced with floor-malted barley.

One of 12,000 bottles.