April 2025 Auction

Nikka Taketsuru 35 Year Old

Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, a former Suntory employee who had studied at the University of Glasgow, and later trained as a blender at the now lost Hazelburn distillery in Campbeltown. Taketsuru opened the Yoichi distillery in the same year as establishing the company, followed by the Nishinomaya and Miyagikyo distilleries in 1959 and 1969, respectively. Since 1989 the company has also has also had a stake in the Scotch whisky industry after they purchased the struggling Ben Nevis distillery. Today they are one of the second largest whisky producer in Japan.

The Nikka Taketsuru range marries single malt Japanese whisky produced at the company's Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries.

This 35 year old is the oldest available and originally reserved for the Japanese market.

One of only 1,000 bottles.

Nikka Taketsuru 35 Year Old

Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, a former Suntory employee who had studied at the University of Glasgow, and later trained as a blender at the now lost Hazelburn distillery in Campbeltown. Taketsuru opened the Yoichi distillery in the same year as establishing the company, followed by the Nishinomaya and Miyagikyo distilleries in 1959 and 1969, respectively. Since 1989 the company has also has also had a stake in the Scotch whisky industry after they purchased the struggling Ben Nevis distillery. Today they are one of the second largest whisky producer in Japan.

The Nikka Taketsuru range marries single malt Japanese whisky produced at the company's Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries.

This 35 year old is the oldest available and originally reserved for the Japanese market.

One of only 1,000 bottles.

Very Olde St Nick 18 Year Old Bourbon Lot #F107 / KBD

The Very Olde St Nick brand is owned by InterBev, a subsidiary of Allied Lomar in California, who's other products include Rare Perfection and Wattie Boone. Its president, Marci Palatella has been sourcing barrels and bottling them for several decades. She was Julian Van Winkle III's agent in the Japanese market in the 1980 and 1990s, and devised the Very Olde St Nick brand to capitalise on the Japanese demand for well-aged bourbon, which fortuitously was not popular in the US. Her first bottles were produced for her by Van Winkle at his Old Commonwealth bottling facility in the late 1980s.

At this time however, Van Winkle did not have a wealth of aged stock in his warehouses, and Palatella instead turned to Evan Kulsveen's Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD), who bottled Olde St Nick throughout the 1990s and early 2000s at the then-silent Willett distillery in Bardstown. KBD sourced most of their barrels from neighbours, Heaven Hill, although Kulsveen had joked in the past that their warehouses contained bourbon from every distillery in Kentucky except his own. Van Winkle was not finished with the Very Olde St Nick story however, and put Palatella in touch with representatives at United Distillers who sold InterBev a number of ageing casks that they no longer had any interest in. Much of this was placed into a steel tanks and warehoused in California to prevent any further maturation. 

When KBD fired up the still at Willett again in 2012, they began sourcing less casks from elsewhere, reserving the best stock for their own Willett Family Reserve label. Essentially cut off, the production of Very Olde St Nick moved to California where some of the tanked Stitzel-Weller casks were bottled by Frank-Lin Distillers.

In 2018, Palatella opened the Preservation Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. A small craft-distillery operating a pot still, its produces only a few barrels each day. The bottling of Very Olde St Nick now takes places there, and will eventually contain the distillery's own whiskey.

This 18 year old bourbon was bottled by KBD and exported to Japan.

Nikka Taketsuru 35 Year Old

Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, a former Suntory employee who had studied at the University of Glasgow, and later trained as a blender at the now lost Hazelburn distillery in Campbeltown. Taketsuru opened the Yoichi distillery in the same year as establishing the company, followed by the Nishinomaya and Miyagikyo distilleries in 1959 and 1969, respectively. Since 1989 the company has also has also had a stake in the Scotch whisky industry after they purchased the struggling Ben Nevis distillery. Today they are one of the second largest whisky producer in Japan.

The Nikka Taketsuru range marries single malt Japanese whisky produced at the company's Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries.

This 35 year old is the oldest available and originally reserved for the Japanese market.

One of only 1,000 bottles.

Very Olde St Nick Winter Rye Lot #R615

The Very Olde St Nick brand is owned by InterBev, a subsidiary of Allied Lomar in California, who's other products include Rare Perfection and Wattie Boone. Its president, Marci Palatella has been sourcing barrels and bottling them for several decades. She was Julian Van Winkle III's agent in the Japanese market in the 1980 and 1990s, and devised the Very Olde St Nick brand to capitalise on the Japanese demand for well-aged bourbon, which fortuitously was not popular in the US. Her first bottles were produced for her by Van Winkle at his Old Commonwealth bottling facility in the late 1980s.

At this time, however, Van Winkle did not have a wealth of aged stock in his warehouses, and Palatella instead turned to Evan Kulsveen's Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD), who bottled Olde St Nick throughout the 1990s and early 2000s at the then-silent Willett distillery in Bardstown. KBD sourced most of their barrels from neighbours, Heaven Hill, although Kulsveen had joked in the past that their warehouses contained bourbon from every distillery in Kentucky except his own. Van Winkle was not finished with the Very Olde St Nick story however, and put Palatella in touch with representatives at United Distillers who sold InterBev a number of ageing casks that they no longer had any interest in. Much of this was placed into a steel tanks and warehoused in California to prevent any further maturation. 

When KBD fired up the still at Willett again in 2012, they began sourcing less casks from elsewhere, reserving the best stock for their own Willett Family Reserve label. Essentially cut off, the production of Very Olde St Nick moved to California where some of the tanked Stitzel-Weller casks were bottled by Frank-Lin Distillers.

In 2018, Palatella opened the Preservation Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. A small craft-distillery operating a pot still, its produces only a few barrels each day. The bottling of Very Olde St Nick now takes places there, and will eventually contain the distillery's own whiskey.

Very Old Fitzgerald 1955 Bottled in Bond 8 Year Old 100 Proof Half Pint / Stitzel-Weller

Originally registered as \"Jno. E. Fitzgerald,\" the Old Fitzgerald brand was devised by S.C. Hebst in 1870. Hebst was a rectifier by trade (using grain neutral spirit with colouring and flavourings to make \"whiskey\"), but he also had a passion for sourcing high quality barrels of pot still bourbon and rye, which he bottled as Jno. E. Fitzgerald. When the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 was passed, rectified whiskey fell out of favour and Hebst went into the distilling business, purchasing a distillery which he named Old Judge after his best-selling flagship brand. Old Judge did not survive Prohibition however, and Hebst sold the Old Fitzgerald brand for just $10,000 to a former customer, a certain Julian 'Pappy' Van Winkle, who was sourcing label for his new Stitzel-Weller venture. Van Winkle had a near-religious belief in the importance of quality above all else in the bourbon he produced and under his guidance, Old Fitzgerald became and remains to this day, one of the most sought-after and respected labels in American whiskey. Stitzel-Weller was eventually shut down by United Distillers, and as their successor, Diageo, sold the Old Fitzgerald brand was sold to current owners, Heaven Hill.

This is the 8 year old Very Old Fitzgerald, distilled at Stitzel-Weller in 1955 and bottled in 1963. While under his management, 'Pappy' Van Winkle refused to bottle Old Fitzgerald at anything less than the domestic requirement of 100 proof, set out by the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897.

The Stitzel-Weller company was officially established in 1933 at the repeal of National Prohibition in the US. It was the result of a merger between the A. Ph. Stitzel distillery and its biggest customer, W.L. Weller & Sons. The Stitzel-Weller distillery opened on Kentucky Derby day in 1935, and quickly developed a reputation for its high quality wheated bourbon, and its main brands were Old Weller, Old Fitzgerald and Cabin Still. The original ownership was shared between Alex T. Farnsley, Arthur Philip Stitzel and Julian Van Winkle. The former passed-away in 1941 and 1947, respectively, leaving the Van Winkle family as the sole heirs to the business. 'Pappy' died in 1965, having handed the reigns to his son, Julian II the year prior, who ran it until 1972 when the board of directors forced him to sell it to the Norton-Simon subsidiary, Somerset Imports. When they were bought over by the American arm of Scottish distillers, DCL, its subsequent iteration invested heavily in bourbon. So much so in fact, that their newly rebuilt Bernheim distillery had such capacity that Stitzel-Weller was rendered surplus to requirements. It was shut down in 1992. Still part of the Diageo portfolio, it has never re-opened and instead now houses the visitor experience for their Bulleit brand.

Van Winkle 13 Year Old Family Reserve Rye 2013 

The Old Rip Van Winkle brand was a pre-prohibition bourbon label, revived by the Van Winkle family after they were forced to sell their Stitzel-Weller distillery by its board of directors. New owners, Somerset Imports, granted Julian Van Winkle II (son of the famous 'Pappy') the continued use of an office at the distillery, and first option on purchasing casks to bottle his new brand with. When he died and the business passed to his son, Julian III, this courtesy was no longer extended, and he moved bottling to the old Hoffman distillery in Lawrenceburg in 1983, renaming it Old Commonwealth. He was still able to buy Stitzel-Weller stock though, and introduced the famous Pappy Van Winkle range in homage to his grandfather, using well-aged barrels from the distillery the now-legendary figure once so lovingly ran. When Stitzel-Weller was closed down by United Distillers in 1992, it was only a matter of time before stock would run out. This necessitated a partnership between Julian Van Winkle III and Buffalo Trace distillery in 2002, seeing all bottling move there, initially using the remaining Stitzel-Weller barrels, with these eventually replaced by Buffalo Trace distilled stock. The product from all eras is revered, and the brand is considered to be the first premium bourbon line to have been produced in the US.

As sought after as the other members of the 'family,' this product is the Van Winkle Family Reserve rye.

This is bottle E1071, and was bottled in 2013 when the whiskey was actually now 19 years old, despite the label. The Van Winkle Family Reserve rye actually continued to age in cask until 2004 when it was eventually tanked at Buffalo Trace. They are all labelled as 13 years old regardless.

The Family Reserve Rye is presumed to have been distilled at Medley in Owensboro, and acquired by Julian III through his connection to Stitzel-Weller, as United Distillers closed it down in the same year. The whiskey is also thought to have had the 1980s-distilled \"Cream of Kentucky\" rye from George T. Stagg blended though it prior to being tanked in 2004. The rye was the last of the remaining reserves that Julian Van Winkle III warehoused at Buffalo Trace by the time it finally ran out in 2016. A new batch distilled at Buffalo Trace was first bottled in 2018.

Glass laser-code: B13346 - remainder is obscurred by UK duty sticker.

Very Old Fitzgerald 1951 Bottled in Bond 8 Year Old 100 Proof Half Pint / Stitzel-Weller

Originally registered as \"Jno. E. Fitzgerald,\" the Old Fitzgerald brand was devised by S.C. Hebst in 1870. Hebst was a rectifier by trade (using grain neutral spirit with colouring and flavourings to make \"whiskey\"), but he also had a passion for sourcing high quality barrels of pot still bourbon and rye, which he bottled as Jno. E. Fitzgerald. When the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 was passed, rectified whiskey fell out of favour and Hebst went into the distilling business, purchasing a distillery which he named Old Judge after his best-selling flagship brand. Old Judge did not survive Prohibition however, and Hebst sold the Old Fitzgerald brand for just $10,000 to a former customer, a certain Julian 'Pappy' Van Winkle, who was sourcing label for his new Stitzel-Weller venture. Van Winkle had a near-religious belief in the importance of quality above all else in the bourbon he produced and under his guidance, Old Fitzgerald became and remains to this day, one of the most sought-after and respected labels in American whiskey. Stitzel-Weller was eventually shut down by United Distillers, and as their successor, Diageo, sold the Old Fitzgerald brand was sold to current owners, Heaven Hill.

This is the 8 year old Very Old Fitzgerald, distilled at Stitzel-Weller in 1951 and bottled in 1959. While under his management, 'Pappy' Van Winkle refused to bottle Old Fitzgerald at anything less than the domestic requirement of 100 proof, set out by the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897. When he stepped back from management in 1964 however, the board put pressure on Julian II to meet the market demand for a lighter style product. In the US, they launched the Old Fitzgerald Prime, however in export markets where the Bottled in Bond law did not apply, they were able to simply reduce the proof as is the case here.

The Stitzel-Weller company was officially established in 1933 at the repeal of National Prohibition in the US. It was the result of a merger between the A. Ph. Stitzel distillery and its biggest customer, W.L. Weller & Sons. The Stitzel-Weller distillery opened on Kentucky Derby day in 1935, and quickly developed a reputation for its high quality wheated bourbon, and its main brands were Old Weller, Old Fitzgerald and Cabin Still. The original ownership was shared between Alex T. Farnsley, Arthur Philip Stitzel and Julian Van Winkle. The former passed-away in 1941 and 1947, respectively, leaving the Van Winkle family as the sole heirs to the business. 'Pappy' died in 1965, having handed the reigns to his son, Julian II the year prior, who ran it until 1972 when the board of directors forced him to sell it to the Norton-Simon subsidiary, Somerset Imports. When they were bought over by the American arm of Scottish distillers, DCL, its subsequent iteration invested heavily in bourbon. So much so in fact, that their newly rebuilt Bernheim distillery had such capacity that Stitzel-Weller was rendered surplus to requirements. It was shut down in 1992. Still part of the Diageo portfolio, it has never re-opened and instead now houses the visitor experience for their Bulleit brand.

Very Olde St Nick 12 Year Old Bourbon Lot #M349

The Very Olde St Nick brand is owned by InterBev, a subsidiary of Allied Lomar in California, who's other products include Rare Perfection and Wattie Boone. Its president, Marci Palatella has been sourcing barrels and bottling them for several decades. She was Julian Van Winkle III's agent in the Japanese market in the 1980 and 1990s, and devised the Very Olde St Nick brand to capitalise on the Japanese demand for well-aged bourbon, which fortuitously was not popular in the US. Her first bottles were produced for her by Van Winkle at his Old Commonwealth bottling facility in the late 1980s.

At this time however, Van Winkle did not have a wealth of aged stock in his warehouses, and Palatella instead turned to Evan Kulsveen's Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD), who bottled Olde St Nick throughout the 1990s and early 2000s at the then-silent Willett distillery in Bardstown. KBD sourced most of their barrels from neighbours, Heaven Hill, although Kulsveen had joked in the past that their warehouses contained bourbon from every distillery in Kentucky except his own. Van Winkle was not finished with the Very Olde St Nick story however, and put Palatella in touch with representatives at United Distillers who sold InterBev a number of ageing casks that they no longer had any interest in. Much of this was placed into a steel tanks and warehoused in California to prevent any further maturation. 

When KBD fired up the still at Willett again in 2012, they began sourcing less casks from elsewhere, reserving the best stock for their own Willett Family Reserve label. Essentially cut off, the production of Very Olde St Nick moved to California where some of the tanked Stitzel-Weller casks were bottled by Frank-Lin Distillers.

In 2018, Palatella opened the Preservation Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. A small craft-distillery operating a pot still, its produces only a few barrels each day. The bottling of Very Olde St Nick now takes places there, and will eventually contain the distillery's own whiskey.

This 12 year old was bottled by KBD and exported to Japan.

Very Old Fitzgerald 1963 Bottled in Bond 8 Year Old 100 Proof Half Pint / Stitzel-Weller

Originally registered as \"Jno. E. Fitzgerald,\" the Old Fitzgerald brand was devised by S.C. Hebst in 1870. Hebst was a rectifier by trade (using grain neutral spirit with colouring and flavourings to make \"whiskey\"), but he also had a passion for sourcing high quality barrels of pot still bourbon and rye, which he bottled as Jno. E. Fitzgerald. When the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 was passed, rectified whiskey fell out of favour and Hebst went into the distilling business, purchasing a distillery which he named Old Judge after his best-selling flagship brand. Old Judge did not survive Prohibition however, and Hebst sold the Old Fitzgerald brand for just $10,000 to a former customer, a certain Julian 'Pappy' Van Winkle, who was sourcing label for his new Stitzel-Weller venture. Van Winkle had a near-religious belief in the importance of quality above all else in the bourbon he produced and under his guidance, Old Fitzgerald became and remains to this day, one of the most sought-after and respected labels in American whiskey. Stitzel-Weller was eventually shut down by United Distillers, and as their successor, Diageo, sold the Old Fitzgerald brand was sold to current owners, Heaven Hill.

This is the 8 year old Very Old Fitzgerald, distilled at Stitzel-Weller in 1963 and bottled in 1971. While under his management, 'Pappy' Van Winkle refused to bottle Old Fitzgerald at anything less than the domestic requirement of 100 proof, set out by the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897. When he stepped back from management in 1964 however, the board put pressure on Julian II to meet the market demand for a lighter style product. In the US, they launched the Old Fitzgerald Prime, however in export markets where the Bottled in Bond law did not apply, they were able to simply reduce the proof as is the case here.

The Stitzel-Weller company was officially established in 1933 at the repeal of National Prohibition in the US. It was the result of a merger between the A. Ph. Stitzel distillery and its biggest customer, W.L. Weller & Sons. The Stitzel-Weller distillery opened on Kentucky Derby day in 1935, and quickly developed a reputation for its high quality wheated bourbon, and its main brands were Old Weller, Old Fitzgerald and Cabin Still. The original ownership was shared between Alex T. Farnsley, Arthur Philip Stitzel and Julian Van Winkle. The former passed-away in 1941 and 1947, respectively, leaving the Van Winkle family as the sole heirs to the business. 'Pappy' died in 1965, having handed the reigns to his son, Julian II the year prior, who ran it until 1972 when the board of directors forced him to sell it to the Norton-Simon subsidiary, Somerset Imports. When they were bought over by the American arm of Scottish distillers, DCL, its subsequent iteration invested heavily in bourbon. So much so in fact, that their newly rebuilt Bernheim distillery had such capacity that Stitzel-Weller was rendered surplus to requirements. It was shut down in 1992. Still part of the Diageo portfolio, it has never re-opened and instead now houses the visitor experience for their Bulleit brand.

Van Winkle 12 Year Old Special Reserve 2024

The Old Rip Van Winkle brand was a pre-prohibition bourbon label, revived by the Van Winkle family after they were forced to sell their Stitzel-Weller distillery by its board of directors. New owners, Somerset Imports, granted Julian Van Winkle II (son of the famous 'Pappy') the continued use of an office at the distillery, and first option on purchasing casks to bottle his new brand with. When he died and the business passed to his son, Julian III, this courtesy was no longer extended, and he moved bottling to the old Hoffman distillery in Lawrenceburg in 1983, renaming it Old Commonwealth. He was still able to buy Stitzel-Weller stock though, and introduced the famous Pappy Van Winkle range in homage to his grandfather, using well-aged barrels from the distillery the now-legendary figure once so lovingly ran. When Stitzel-Weller was closed down by United Distillers in 1992, it was only a matter of time before stock would run out. This necessitated a partnership between Julian Van Winkle III and Buffalo Trace distillery in 2002, seeing all bottling move there, initially using the remaining Stitzel-Weller barrels, with these eventually replaced by Buffalo Trace distilled stock. The product from all eras is revered, and the brand is considered to be the first premium bourbon line to have been produced in the US.

The 12 year old Special Reserve is one of the original products bottled by Julian Van Winkle III at his facility in Lawrenceburg. He first bottled it in 1991, using 1979 vintage Stitzel-Weller bourbon, a one-time release called 'Lot A.' The subsequent and inaugural release of the Lot B was bottled the same year, and has been a permanent part of the range ever since.

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Glass Laser-Code: L2424801 21:06D

No Age Declared by Silvano Samaroli Blended Malt Cuvée 2016

The No Age Declared blend is a vatting of some spectacular vintage from some similarly sought after distilleries, including 1960s Springbank, 1970s Ardbeg, 1973 Longrow, and 1970s Glen Garioch to name but a few.

Previous editions of the blend were bottled by the Samaroli company, but this 2016 edition was bottled by Silvano himself from his own private stocks as he had handed the running of his brand to Antonio Bleve two years earlier. This is a precursor style to what would become the Masam independent bottler, run by his wife Maryse following his death in 2017.

Samaroli is perhaps Italy's most revered independent bottler of Scotch whisky. With an impeccable taste in single cask whiskies, (if not English spelling at times!), he is regarded by many as a visionary. Many of his bottles now occupy deserved sports on the pantheon of whisky greats.

Van Winkle 12 Year Old Special Reserve 2023

The Old Rip Van Winkle brand was a pre-prohibition bourbon label, revived by the Van Winkle family after they were forced to sell their Stitzel-Weller distillery by its board of directors. New owners, Somerset Imports, granted Julian Van Winkle II (son of the famous 'Pappy') the continued use of an office at the distillery, and first option on purchasing casks to bottle his new brand with. When he died and the business passed to his son, Julian III, this courtesy was no longer extended, and he moved bottling to the old Hoffman distillery in Lawrenceburg in 1983, renaming it Old Commonwealth. He was still able to buy Stitzel-Weller stock though, and introduced the famous Pappy Van Winkle range in homage to his grandfather, using well-aged barrels from the distillery the now-legendary figure once so lovingly ran. When Stitzel-Weller was closed down by United Distillers in 1992, it was only a matter of time before stock would run out. This necessitated a partnership between Julian Van Winkle III and Buffalo Trace distillery in 2002, seeing all bottling move there, initially using the remaining Stitzel-Weller barrels, with these eventually replaced by Buffalo Trace distilled stock. The product from all eras is revered, and the brand is considered to be the first premium bourbon line to have been produced in the US.

The 12 year old Special Reserve is one of the original products bottled by Julian Van Winkle III at his facility in Lawrenceburg. He first bottled it in 1991, using 1979 vintage Stitzel-Weller bourbon, a one-time release called 'Lot A.' The subsequent and inaugural release of the Lot B was bottled the same year, and has been a permanent part of the range ever since.

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Glass Laser-Code: L2322801 12:04D

Van Winkle 12 Year Old Special Reserve 2022

The Old Rip Van Winkle brand was a pre-prohibition bourbon label, revived by the Van Winkle family after they were forced to sell their Stitzel-Weller distillery by its board of directors. New owners, Somerset Imports, granted Julian Van Winkle II (son of the famous 'Pappy') the continued use of an office at the distillery, and first option on purchasing casks to bottle his new brand with. When he died and the business passed to his son, Julian III, this courtesy was no longer extended, and he moved bottling to the old Hoffman distillery in Lawrenceburg in 1983, renaming it Old Commonwealth. He was still able to buy Stitzel-Weller stock though, and introduced the famous Pappy Van Winkle range in homage to his grandfather, using well-aged barrels from the distillery the now-legendary figure once so lovingly ran. When Stitzel-Weller was closed down by United Distillers in 1992, it was only a matter of time before stock would run out. This necessitated a partnership between Julian Van Winkle III and Buffalo Trace distillery in 2002, seeing all bottling move there, initially using the remaining Stitzel-Weller barrels, with these eventually replaced by Buffalo Trace distilled stock. The product from all eras is revered, and the brand is considered to be the first premium bourbon line to have been produced in the US.

The 12 year old Special Reserve is one of the original products bottled by Julian Van Winkle III at his facility in Lawrenceburg. He first bottled it in 1991, using 1979 vintage Stitzel-Weller bourbon, a one-time release called 'Lot A.' The subsequent and inaugural release of the Lot B was bottled the same year, and has been a permanent part of the range ever since.

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Van Winkle 12 Year Old Special Reserve 2022

The Old Rip Van Winkle brand was a pre-prohibition bourbon label, revived by the Van Winkle family after they were forced to sell their Stitzel-Weller distillery by its board of directors. New owners, Somerset Imports, granted Julian Van Winkle II (son of the famous 'Pappy') the continued use of an office at the distillery, and first option on purchasing casks to bottle his new brand with. When he died and the business passed to his son, Julian III, this courtesy was no longer extended, and he moved bottling to the old Hoffman distillery in Lawrenceburg in 1983, renaming it Old Commonwealth. He was still able to buy Stitzel-Weller stock though, and introduced the famous Pappy Van Winkle range in homage to his grandfather, using well-aged barrels from the distillery the now-legendary figure once so lovingly ran. When Stitzel-Weller was closed down by United Distillers in 1992, it was only a matter of time before stock would run out. This necessitated a partnership between Julian Van Winkle III and Buffalo Trace distillery in 2002, seeing all bottling move there, initially using the remaining Stitzel-Weller barrels, with these eventually replaced by Buffalo Trace distilled stock. The product from all eras is revered, and the brand is considered to be the first premium bourbon line to have been produced in the US.

The 12 year old Special Reserve is one of the original products bottled by Julian Van Winkle III at his facility in Lawrenceburg. He first bottled it in 1991, using 1979 vintage Stitzel-Weller bourbon, a one-time release called 'Lot A.' The subsequent and inaugural release of the Lot B was bottled the same year, and has been a permanent part of the range ever since.

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Van Winkle 12 Year Old Special Reserve 2021

The Old Rip Van Winkle brand was a pre-prohibition bourbon label, revived by the Van Winkle family after they were forced to sell their Stitzel-Weller distillery by its board of directors. New owners, Somerset Imports, granted Julian Van Winkle II (son of the famous 'Pappy') the continued use of an office at the distillery, and first option on purchasing casks to bottle his new brand with. When he died and the business passed to his son, Julian III, this courtesy was no longer extended, and he moved bottling to the old Hoffman distillery in Lawrenceburg in 1983, renaming it Old Commonwealth. He was still able to buy Stitzel-Weller stock though, and introduced the famous Pappy Van Winkle range in homage to his grandfather, using well-aged barrels from the distillery the now-legendary figure once so lovingly ran. When Stitzel-Weller was closed down by United Distillers in 1992, it was only a matter of time before stock would run out. This necessitated a partnership between Julian Van Winkle III and Buffalo Trace distillery in 2002, seeing all bottling move there, initially using the remaining Stitzel-Weller barrels, with these eventually replaced by Buffalo Trace distilled stock. The product from all eras is revered, and the brand is considered to be the first premium bourbon line to have been produced in the US.

The 12 year old Special Reserve is one of the original products bottled by Julian Van Winkle III at his facility in Lawrenceburg. He first bottled it in 1991, using 1979 vintage Stitzel-Weller bourbon, a one-time release called 'Lot A.' The subsequent and inaugural release of the Lot B was bottled the same year, and has been a permanent part of the range ever since.

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Glass laser-code: L212240109:20D

North of Scotland 'Alloa' 1964 Rare & Old Selection 43 Year Old / Alambic Classique

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 is a 1964 vintage bottling of single grain from North of Scotland distillery, bottled under the name, Alloa, after its hometown.

One of only 121 bottles. 

Very Olde St Nick 8 Year Old Bourbon 86 Proof / KBD

The Very Olde St Nick brand is owned by InterBev, a subsidiary of Allied Lomar in California, whose other products include Rare Perfection and Wattie Boone. Its president, Marci Palatella, has been sourcing barrels and bottling them for several decades. She was Julian Van Winkle III's agent in the Japanese market in the 1980 and 1990s, and devised the Very Olde St Nick brand to capitalise on the Japanese demand for well-aged bourbon which was not popular in the US. Her first bottles were produced for her by Van Winkle at his Old Commonwealth bottling facility in the late 1980s.

At this time however, Van Winkle did not have a wealth of aged stock in his warehouses, and Palatella instead turned to Evan Kulsveen's Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD), who bottled Olde St Nick throughout the 1990s and early 2000s at the then-silent Willett distillery in Bardstown. KBD sourced most of their barrels from neighbours, Heaven Hill, although Kulsveen had joked in the past that their warehouses contained bourbon from every distillery in Kentucky except his own. Van Winkle was not finished with the Very Olde St Nick story however, and put Palatella in touch with representatives at United Distillers who sold InterBev a number of ageing casks in which they no longer had any interest. Much of this stock was placed into steel tanks and warehoused in California to prevent any further maturation. 

When KBD fired up the still at Willett again in 2012, they began sourcing less casks from elsewhere, reserving the best stock for their own Willett Family Reserve label. Essentially cut off, the production of Very Olde St Nick moved to California where some of the tanked Stitzel-Weller casks were bottled by Frank-Lin Distillers.

In 2018, Palatella opened the Preservation Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. A small craft-distillery operating a pot still, its produces only a few barrels each day. The bottling of Very Olde St Nick now takes places there, and will eventually contain the distillery's own whiskey.

This 8 year old bourbon was bottled by KBD in 1996.

North of Ireland 1988 Whisky Agency 27 Year Old / ACLA Selection

This is a unnamed Irish single malt whiskey which was distilled in 1988 and aged in a single cask for 27 years. It was bottled at cask strength in 2015. It is unclear whether \"North of Ireland\" refers to Old Bushmills in Northern Ireland or Cooley, the northernmost distillery in the Republic of Ireland.

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 201 bottles produced in collaboration with ACLA Selection.

North of Ireland 1991 Whisky Agency 24 Year Old / ACLA Selection

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.

Distilled in 1991 and matured for 24 years in a bourbon barrel before being bottled in 2015.

It is unclear whether \"North of Ireland\" refers to Old Bushmills in Northern Ireland or Cooley, the northernmost distillery in the Republic of Ireland.

One of only 218 bottles. 

North British 1962 Hunter Laing 50 Year Old Sovereign

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.

The Sovereign is a range of premium single cask, single grain whiskies from Hunter Laing, bottled at cask strength and often of an incredible age.

This North British was distilled in 1962 and bottled an impressive 50 years later in August 2013.

Prior to 1885, Scottish blenders were only able to acquire grain whisky from DCL. This changed when the firms of John Crabbie, Andrew Usher, William Sanderson and John Watson collaborated to open the North British distillery in Edinburgh. Production began two years later on a single coffey still, and the distillery continued to grow, flourishing in the post-war period. In 1993 it was taken over by Lothian Distillers, a partnership between IDV and Robertson & Baxter, the modern iterations of which, Diageo and Edrington, retain a controlling stake in today. Occasional distillery bottlings have appeared over the years, but the majority of examples of its single grain come from independent labels like this.

North Port 1970 Gordon and MacPhail 17 Year Old

The Brechin distillery was built in 1820 by the Guthrie family, who changed its named to North Port at some point later that century. It was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1922, who closed it down six years later. Production briefly resumed for two years before the war, but it was not until 1945 that regular distilling recommenced. North Port was one of the nine distilleries closed by DCL in 1983 after a market downturn meant their blends were oversupplied. It never re-opened and the site now houses a supermarket. Its single malt is very rare, and was never officially bottled in its lifetime. Diageo have produced only a handful of distillery bottlings, the first of which were in the Rare Malts Selection. Rare and increasingly sought after independent releases like this have also appeared over the years though.

This was distilled in 1970 and bottled within Connoisseur's Choice range.

The Connoisseurs Choice label is one of the most recognisable independent bottlings on the market. It was initially created for renowned Italian importer, Edoardo Giaccone in the early 1970s, but became a mainstay of the core Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979.

North Port-Brechin 1976 First Cask 24 Year Old #3907

The Brechin distillery was built in 1820 by the Guthrie family, who changed its named to North Port at some point later that century. It was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1922, who closed it down six years later. Production briefly resumed for two years before the war, but it was not until 1945 that regular distilling recommenced. North Port was one of the nine distilleries closed by DCL in 1983 after a market downturn meant their blends were oversupplied. It never re-opened and the site now houses a supermarket. Its single malt is very rare, and was never officially bottled in its lifetime. Diageo have produced only a handful of distillery bottlings, the first of which were in the Rare Malts Selection. Rare and increasingly sought after independent releases like this have also appeared over the years though.

This North Port was distilled in December 1976 and matured in single cask #3907 for 24 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.

Nikka 2003 Coffey Malt Single Cask #130541

Distilled 6th March 2003 and bottled on 11th July 2014, this is Malt whisky that has been produced in a Coffey still and then matured in a single re-charred hogshead. 

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.

Vega 1977 North Star 40 Year Old

North Star Spirits was founder in Glasgow in 2016 by Iain Croucher. They have since developed a strong reputation for bottling fantastic single cask and small batch whiskies, as well as the much-lauded Vega and Spica blends.

This release from North Star is a limited edition 40 year old blended malt whisky in which all the component malts are from the Speyside region. This is the second release in North Start Spirits' Vega series. The Vega series is named after the star in the Lyra constellation, the 5th brightest star in the sky.

This blended whisky was distilled in October 1977 and matured in a combination of Spanish & American Oak before being bottled in January 2018

One of only 400 bottles.

North Port 1970 Gordon and MacPhail

The Brechin distillery was built in 1820 by the Guthrie family, who changed its named to North Port at some point later that century. It was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1922, who closed it down six years later. Production briefly resumed for two years before the war, but it was not until 1945 that regular distilling recommenced. North Port was one of the nine distilleries closed by DCL in 1983 after a market downturn meant their blends were oversupplied. It never re-opened and the site now houses a supermarket. Its single malt is very rare, and was never officially bottled in its lifetime. Diageo have produced only a handful of distillery bottlings, the first of which were in the Rare Malts Selection. Rare and increasingly sought after independent releases like this have also appeared over the years though.

This was distilled in 1970 and bottled within Connoisseur's Choice range.

The Connoisseurs Choice label is one of the most recognisable independent bottlings on the market. It was initially created for renowned Italian importer, Edoardo Giaccone in the early 1970s, but became a mainstay of the core Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979.

Very Old Barton 12 Year Old Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon 1973 / Ferraretto Import

The Barton 1792 distillery is one of Kentucky's oldest, established in Bardstown back in 1889 by Tom Moore, formerly of Mattingly & Moore. The distillery was a small but profitable operation, filling ten barrels a day before it closed down due to Prohibition in 1920. Tom's son, Con Moore, re-opened the distillery following repeal, but in 1944 it was sold to Oscar Getz, who renamed it Barton and produced several brands there including Kentucky Gentleman, Tom Moore, and Kentucky Tavern. Getz's Barton Brands was eventually sold to Glenmore distillery in 1970s, and again to Constellation Brands in 1993. The latter actually changed the name back to Tom Moore distillery in 2008, however the change was only fleeting as the Sazerac company acquired it the following year and renamed in Barton 1792.

This is an older bottling of Very Old Barton, aged for 12 years and imported for the Italian market. 

North Port-Brechin 1976 First Cask 24 Year Old #3905

The Brechin distillery was built in 1820 by the Guthrie family, who changed its named to North Port at some point later that century. It was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1922, who closed it down six years later. Production briefly resumed for two years before the war, but it was not until 1945 that regular distilling recommenced. North Port was one of the nine distilleries closed by DCL in 1983 after a market downturn meant their blends were oversupplied. It never re-opened and the site now houses a supermarket. Its single malt is very rare, and was never officially bottled in its lifetime. Diageo have produced only a handful of distillery bottlings, the first of which were in the Rare Malts Selection. Rare and increasingly sought after independent releases like this have also appeared over the years though.

This North Port was distilled in December 1976 and matured in single cask #3905 for 24 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.

Valinch and Mallet The Peat(y)ful Pack Madness 4 x 70cl

This limited edition set from independent bottlers, Valinch and Mallet, features four peaty whiskies from a range of distilleries.The labels feature artwork from internationally renowned artist, Laurina Paperina.

This set contains the following bottles:

• Caol Ila 2011 Single Entre-Deux-Mers Cask 10 Year Old 52.6% 70cl - One of 374 bottles
• Ledaig 2008 Single Bourbon Cask 13 Year Old 52.4% 70cl - One of 303 bottles
• South Shore Islay 2008 Single Caroni Cask 13 Year Old 52.9% 70cl - One of 292 bottles
• Ardmore 2009 Single Sherry Cask 12 Year Old 52.2% 70cl - One of 338 bottles

Please note: this lot will include a four bottle shipping fee.

Very Old Barton 8 Year Old Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon 1985 / Ferraretto Import

The Barton 1792 distillery is one of Kentucky's oldest, established in Bardstown back in 1889 by Tom Moore, formerly of Mattingly & Moore. The distillery was a small but profitable operation, filling ten barrels a day before it closed down due to Prohibition in 1920. Tom's son, Con Moore, re-opened the distillery following repeal, but in 1944 it was sold to Oscar Getz, who renamed it Barton and produced several brands there including Kentucky Gentleman, Tom Moore, and Kentucky Tavern. Getz's Barton Brands was eventually sold to Glenmore distillery in 1970s, and again to Constellation Brands in 1993. The latter actually changed the name back to Tom Moore distillery in 2008, however the change was only fleeting as the Sazerac company acquired it the following year and renamed in Barton 1792.

This is an older bottling of Very Old Barton, aged for 8 years and imported for the Italian market. 

Vega 2000 North Star 20 Year Old

North Star Spirits was founder in Glasgow in 2016 by Iain Croucher. They have since developed a strong reputation for bottling fantastic single cask and small batch whiskies, as well as the much-lauded Vega and Spica blends.

This blended malt whisky was distilled in June 2000 and matured in European and American oak barrels for 20 years. It was bottled by North Star Spirits at cask strength in October 2020.

One of 600 bottles.