January 2015 Auction

Flora and Fauna Complete Collection - 26 Bottles

The Flora and Fauna series of whiskies was originally created in the early 1990s by United Distillers Vintners (what would later become Diageo).  Originally this range had no name and it was not until the famous whisky writer Michael Jackson nicknamed it the 'Flora and Fauna' series due to the labels, did it stick.  The Flora and Fauna series, as offered in this lot, contains a total of 26 distillery expressions. Not all of these were released at the same time and many have now been discontinued, the last of which was to be the Mortlach 16 year old, perhaps the most loved of all of these whiskies.

A list of the bottles included in this lot (all at 70cl):

Inchgower 14 Year Old
Rosebank 12 Year Old
Strathmill 12 Year Old
Bladnoch 10 Year Old
Balmenach 12 Year Old
Mannochmore 12 Year Old
Dufftown 15 Year Old
Glendullan 12 Year Old
Pittyvaich 12 Year Old
Auchroisk 10 Year Old
Mortlach 16 Year Old
Glenlossie 10 Year Old
Teaninich 10 Year Old
Dailuaine 16 Year Old
Blair Athol 12 Year Old
Clynelish 14 Year Old
Caol Ila 15 Year Old
Linkwood 12 Year Old
Benrinnes 15 Year Old
Aultmore 12 Year Old
Glen Spey 12 Year Old
Speyburn 12 Year Old
Royal Brackla 10 Year Old
Glen Elgin 12 Year Old
Craigellachie 14 Year Old
Aberfeldy 15 Year Old

Please note this lot consists of 26 bottles, shipment for this combined lot will be calculated manually for more information please take a look at our Shipping Charges.

Kawasaki 1980 33 Year Old Single Cask #6165 (1 of 60 bottles)

We all know how popular closed Japanese distilleries are at the moment, this is very rare bottling comes from the lost grain distillery, Kawasaki.  Kawasaki only produced whisky for approximately 20-25 years and was closed in the early 1980s, there have been very very few single cask bottlings from this distillery which makes this even special.  

Distilled in 1980 and bottled as part of Nonjatta's (http://www.nonjatta.com/) Ghost Series bottlings with each label in the series depicting art work created by Tasio Yoshitoshi's 'New Forms of 36 Ghosts'.  

Bottled from a single sherry cask number #6165, which is cause for attention as only 60 bottles were drawn from the cask - this is bottle number 22. 

Karuizawa 1969 42 Year Od Single Cask #8183

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim, this one perhaps more than most!

It is amazing that whiskies such as this have been bottled in recent years given how few casks of Karuizawa are remaining. There are now not many as old as this and we doubt there will be many (if any at all) that will match this age in the future.

Distilled in December 1969 and bottled 42 years later in August 2012, this is legendary cask #8183  which oddly is a 400 litre ex-bourbon cask.

Karuizawa 1980 33 Year Old J'avance Vers Le Futur Single Cask #6431

As with many of the Karuizawa bottlings that we list in our auctions, the labels are fantastic! 

J'avance Vers Le Futur was a single cask bottled exclusively for La Maison Du Whisky (www.whisky.fr) and was distilled in January 1980 and bottled in July 2013 aged 33 years.

Single cask #6431 is an ex-bourbon cask.

Karuizawa 1983 29 Year Old Noh Single Cask #8552

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim.

Another infamous Noh single cask from Karuizawa, distilled in 1983 and bottled 29 years later from single sherry hogshead #5322

205 bottles were released.

Bowmore 1968 Bourbon Cask 37 Year Old

Distilled in 1968 and matured in Bourbon wood, this highly limited bottling from the Golden age of Bowmore.

Bottle number 046 of 708.

Karuizawa 29 Year Old Single Cask #8897

One of the recent Karuizawa bottlings exclusive to attendees of The Whisky Show, London and carries a stunning depiction of a Geisha, only half though - the other half is found on a sister bottling from a sherry cask #5347.

Produced from single bourbon cask #8897.

Bruichladdich 40 Year Old

This mythical 40 year old Bruichladdich is the oldest official release from the distillery.

Distilled on 24th October 1964 and matured in a single bourbon cask until bottling in november 2004.  There were only 550 bottles released and this bottle comes with the original packaging in the typical Bruichladdich tin and the wooden box alongisde a signed certificate from Jim McEwan.

Karuizawa 1982 29 Year Old Noh Single Cask #8529

Another new single cask Karuizawa for us, distilled in 1982 and bottled in 2012 with a fantastic label - shame we missed Halloween with this one!

Single bourbon cask #8529 yielded only 411 bottles.

Karuizawa 1981 33 Year Old Single Cask #136

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim.

Distilled in March 1981 and bottled in July 2014 from a single ex-sherrycasks.

Karuizawa 1981 33 Year Old Single Cask #136

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim.

Distilled in March 1981 and bottled in July 2014 from a single ex-sherrycasks.

Karuizawa 1981 Single Cask #6256

Distilled in 1981, matured in a first fill sherry cask and the bottled in 2011 at cask strength.

One of 573 Bottles.

Karuizawa Noh 27 Year Old Multi Vintages Batch #1

La Maison Du Whisky released a number of multi-vintage Karuizawa's, bottled under the Noh release brand.

This is the original multi-vintage Karuizawa from 1981, 1983 and 1984 bottled October 2011.

The whisky used was from Sherry Butts and Bourbon casks from 1981, 1981, 1983 and 1984; cask numbers #6405, #4973, #8184 and #6437.

Karuizawa 1981 34 Year Old Single Cask #152

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim, this one perhaps more than most!

It is amazing that we still see single casks of Karuizawa being released, this 1981 vintage was bottled earlier this year as a 34 year from an ex-sherrycask.

Only 566 bottles were produced and sold exclusively by La Maison Du Whisky, Paris.

Karuizawa 1984 Single Cask #3663 

From this incredibly popular lost Japanese distillery, which has produced so many internationally acclaimed malts.

Distilled in 1984 and bottled from a single cask #3663 in 2013 at 56.8%

Karuizawa 1979 35 Year Old Single Cask #8187

Matured in an ex-bourbon cask for 35 years this single cask #8187 Karuizawa was bottled in July 2014 for La Maison Du Whisky.

Only 350 were released.

Karuizawa 1984 Single Cask #3663 

From this incredibly popular lost Japanese distillery, which has produced so many internationally acclaimed malts.

Distilled in 1984 and bottled from a single cask #3663 in 2013 at 56.8%

Karuizawa 1981 30 Year Old Single Cask #6207

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim.

Another cracking single cask from Karuizawa, distilled in 1981 and bottled 30 years later on the 5th September 2011. 

543 bottles were released.

Brora 35 Year Old 2014 Release

The latest official Brora release from Diageo.  Matured for 35 years in a combination of European and America oak casks.

Limited to only 2,964 bottles this is bottle number #1166.

Bunnahabhain 1963 40 Year Old Feis Ile 2003

Bottled on the 20th May 2005 as Bunnabahhain's 2003 Feis Isle bottling. This was a combination of the last seven hogsheads of 1963 Bunnahabhain that were in existence, distilled on 11th May 1963. The cask yielded 743 bottles at a cask strength of 42.9%.

Karuizawa 2000 Single Cask #166 / Sea Dragon

A single cask Karuizawa bottled exclusively for La Maison Du Whisky, in Paris.

Distilled in 2000 and released in 2013 as a 12 year old at cask strength.  Matured in a single sherry butt #166 and presented in a unique bottle depicting a Sea Dragon.

Balvenie 1978 Vintage Cask

Direct from Balvenies Website: \"The Balvenie Vintage Cask 1978 was selected in 2009 by David Stewart and three senior members of the British Bee Keepers Association. Two exceptional casks were identified as best exemplifying The Balvenie's signature honeyed complexity.\"

This is cask 2705, which was bottled on 11th of March 2009 at cask strength.

Bottle number 65 of 176.

Brora 32 Year Old 2011 Release

The 2011 release of Brora by Diageo, was the first official bottling of Brora over the age of 30.

This is bottle number 1120 of 1,500.

Brora 1981 The Bottlers 19 Year Old

A very rare bottling of Brora by the renkowned Edinburgh wine merchant, Raeburn Fine Wines.  

Bottled under 'The Bottlers' series this is one of two Brora's released by them.  

Distilled in 1981 from refill sherry butt cask number #1077.

Balvenie Craftman's Reserve - The Cooper

The first in a range of whiskies that may continue in the future that have been created to commemorate the craftmen who work at the distillery.  This very limited Balvenie was released from a marriage of two casks of 15 year old whisky with cask numbers # 10142 and 17949. 

This was originally only available through Balvenie's online community Warehouse 24.

Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch #6 75cl (US Import) 

From the distillery website the Balvenie Tun 1401, Batch 6 is a skillful marriage of some of the rarest treasures from the distillery’s Warehouse 24 – an unrepeatable selection of spirits sourced from seven traditional whisky casks and two sherry butts, whose ages span a number of decades, and which have all been hand-selected by Malt Master David Stewart. The whisky was rested for several months in Tun 1401 – The Balvenie’s traditional oak marrying vessel – to create a single malt that enhances its already precious parts.

The expression has been exclusively created for the U.S. market, and follows the hugely successful Batch 3, which was released in 2011. In 2013, Batch 9 was also introduced especially for the U.S. market.

Please note this is at 75cl bottle.

Seven traditional whisky casks   
#6424
#15916
#5040
#5246
#7048
#15341
#15329

Two sherry butts
#692
#8589

Bowmore 1989 24 Year Old Feis Ile 2014 

A very popular release at this years Feis Ile, one of several Bowmore releases at this years Feis Ile.

This particular bottling was a combination of two casks  both from 1989, a first fill French oak wine barrique and a first fill American bourbon barrel.  This 24 year old whisky was limited to a mere 300 bottles which sold out by 2pm on Bowmore's open day. 

Karuizawa Cask Strength 1st Release

This cask strength series of Karuizawa was exclusively released to the Taiwanese market, this is the first bottling released in 2013 (along with the 2nd and 3rd releases which followed in the same year)

The cask strength series is a combination of sherry casks from 1999 and 2000 all bottled at 61.7%

Bowmore 22 Year Old/ The Gulls

Yet another of Bowmore's many legends.

Back in the day, When the Scots traveled from their Celtic lands to create the Kingdom of Dalriada-in-Alban, the Pictish and Brythonic tribes who already lived in the lands resisted fiercely. Legend says that the daughter of a Pictish King fell in love with a captured Scottish warrior and helped him escape. Together they fled westwards to Islay. Rowing towards the young warrior's home on the shores of Loch Indaal, a terrible storm assaulted their boat, sending it crashing into the rocky coast line.

The young Scot's clansmen found only debris and no sign of the lovers - but a pair of white gulls soared and swooped together across the Loch, settling neither on the western nor the eastern shore, as if torn between the two.

... on the whisky front this is a 22 year old Bowmore presented in a stunning blue decanter with a stylish box.

Balvenie 30 Year Old

A well respected 30 year old from Balvenie, which won a Gold Medal at the 2010 International Spirits Challenge.

Brora 1983 Signatory Vintage 

A rare Signatory Vintage Silent Stills bottling of Brora distilled on 18th January 1983 and bottled on 3rd September 2001.

Single cask #40 yielded 294 bottles this is bottle number 273.

Karuizawa 1996 SMWS 132.4 17 Year Old

Otherwise known as 'Stunning Panaorama of Exotic Fruits'.

This Karuizawa was distilled on 4th September 1999 and bottled as a 17 year old in 2013.  

A single refill ex-sherry butt yielded 346 bottles.