March 2019 Auction

Port Ellen 12 Year Old / Queen's Visit 1980

We are honoured to present at auction one of the most iconic whiskies ever produced, and one of the most sought-after bottlings amongst collectors: the Port Ellen Queen's Visit. 

Thought to be the only official bottling of Port Ellen released while the distillery was active, it was produced to commemorate the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the island on 9th August 1980. 

The exact number of bottles is unknown, but it is accepted that enough were bottled so that the Queen and all senior staff present on the day could have one. Estimates are that around 40 were made. 

In terms of taste, it was the reputation of being a truly outstanding dram. Indeed, this is the only whisky to score a near-perfect 99/100 on WhiskyFun.com, the highest rating Serge Valentin has ever awarded. 

With it currently being unavailable in even the most specialist of whisky retailers, this is genuinely a 'money can't buy' opportunity for any whisky enthusiast. 

Glass stopper included.

Please note that the strength is not stated. 

Dalmore 1926 50 Year Old Decanter

A spectacular Dalmore distilled all the way back in 1926 and matured for 50 years before being bottled at cask strength. 

Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl Cognac / Anniversary Edition

Remy Martin is perhaps the most well known of all Cognac producers and has established a reputation for quality that very few others can relate to.

This is a spectacular example of the Louis XIII Tres Vieille Cognac Baccarat decanter which holds Grande Champagne cognac aged between 40 and 100 years.

The Black Pearl Anniversary edition was bottled to celebrate 140 years of the Maison, from 1874 until 2014.

This is decanter 705 of 775.

Dalmore 1967 Sirius 44 Year Old

A single cask from Dalmore and bottled by Sirius Whisky Purvey.

Distilled in 1967 and then filled into cask number #2055 on February 24th. 

The liquid was then bottled 44 years later and comes in at a hefty 64.3%. Only 89 have been produced. 

The bottle is also very elegantly cased in a swing style display stand. 

Port Ellen 1969 Gordon and MacPhail 15 Year Old Celtic Label / Intertrade Import

A vintage Port Ellen, distilled in 1969 and bottled as a 15 year old, two years after the distillery's closure.

This is part of the Celtic Label series, an Italian exclusive range bottled by Gordon & MacPhail for Italian importers Giuseppe Meregalli, Donini and Nadi Fiori's Intertrade.

This is an Intertrade bottling from 1985. The Intertrade and Donini imports are the rarer bottles, with Meregalli taking over as the sole distributor for Gordon & MacPhail later that year, a relationship which continues to this day.

Intertrade was established in Italy in the early 1980s by Nadi Fiori, a contemporary of Silvano Samaroli and Moon Import's Pepi Mongiardino. His company is perhaps less well known than theirs, but bottled some of the most well-regarded and collectible whiskies on the market.

Royal Brackla 1924 60 Year Old

A real rarity, Royal Brackla was distilled in 1924 and bottled at a whopping 60 years old.

At that time owned by Buchanan's, this was not a widely available product and was even closed with a Black & White (another Buchanan's product) branded screw cap. 

Bottle number 9.

Port Ellen 1981 Casks of Distinction 37 Year Old #1297

Filled into single hogshead #1297 on the 15 April 1981, and then matured for over 37 years. 

One of the oldest bottles of Port Ellen ever released, this is an incredible 37 year old expression and one of only 174 produced.  A rare offering that becomes rarer still when you consider the increasing scarcity of Port Ellen stocks since the distillery closed in 1983. 

The whisky, bottled at 48.9% ABV, has been drawn from single cask #1297, which is part of Diageo's Casks of Distinction programme. Casks of Distinction is the private sale of individual casks of rare and exceptional Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Diageo’s extensive stocks in Scotland. Hand selected by a team of whisky experts under guidance from Master Blender Dr. Craig Wilson, each cask is entirely unique and incredibly rare. Each Cask of Distinction is chosen on the basis of their quality, representing the most exceptional and singular expression of the distillery’s character.

With the announcement of plans to reopen the legendary lost distillery there is hope that in years to come we will once again see outstanding whisky produced at Port Ellen. Until then it is safe to assume that this exceptional 37 Year Old is amongst the last of its kind.

Bottle number 114 of only 174

Dalmore 1966 40 Year Old

The oldest release within Dalmore's Rare and Prestigious range, this 40 year old is matured in the classic Dalmore combination of American oak and Gonzalez Byass sherry casks.

Distilled on 21st March 1966, this is one of only 1,000 bottles produced.

Port Ellen 1981 Single Cask / Feis Ile 2008

Arguably one of the rarest Port Ellen's around, this official bottling was released for the Feis Ile in 2008 and as you can imagine sold out instantly.

This 1981 vintage is the only official single cask offering from Port Ellen, distilled on 15th April 1981 and bottled in 2008.

This single ex-refill American oak cask #1301 yielded only 220 bottles.

This is bottle number 84.

Dalmore 40 Year Old

The oldest release within Dalmore's Rare and Prestigious range, this 40 year old is matured in the classic Dalmore combination of American oak and Gonzalez Byass sherry casks.

Distilled on 21st March 1966, this is one of only 1,000 bottles produced.

Port Ellen 1981 Single Cask 33 Year Old #1295

Filled into single hogshead #1295 on the 15 April 1981 and then matured for over 33 years. 

One of the oldest bottles of Port Ellen ever released, this is an incredible 33 year old expression and one of only 210 produced.  A rare offering that becomes rarer still when you consider the increasing scarcity of Port Ellen stocks since the distillery closed in 1983. 

The whisky, bottled at 50.5% ABV, has been drawn from single cask #1295. Released in 2015 this bottling was only made available to World Duty Free.

With the announcement of plans to reopen the legendary lost distillery there is hope that in years to come we will once again see outstanding whisky produced at Port Ellen. Until then it is safe to assume that this exceptional 33 year old is amongst the last of its kind.

Port Ellen 1981 Single Cask 33 Year Old #1295

Filled into single hogshead #1295 on the 15 April 1981 and then matured for over 33 years. 

One of the oldest bottles of Port Ellen ever released, this is an incredible 33 year old expression and one of only 210 produced.  A rare offering that becomes rarer still when you consider the increasing scarcity of Port Ellen stocks since the distillery closed in 1983. 

The whisky, bottled at 50.5% ABV, has been drawn from single cask #1295. Released in 2015 this bottling was only made available to World Duty Free.

With the announcement of plans to reopen the legendary lost distillery there is hope that in years to come we will once again see outstanding whisky produced at Port Ellen. Until then it is safe to assume that this exceptional 33 year old is amongst the last of its kind.

Port Ellen 1970 Intertrade 16 Year Old Magnum 1.5 Litre

A 16 year old Port Ellen, distilled in December 1970 and bottled by Intertrade in November August 1987. This is one of many vintage Port Ellen bottled by Nadi Fiori with this label style.

Intertrade was established in Italy in the early 1980s by Nadi Fiori, a contemporary of Silvano Samaroli and Moon Import's Pepi Mongiardino. His company is perhaps less well known than theirs, but bottled some of the most well-regarded and collectible whiskies on the market.

This is 61 of 240 magnums produced.

This lot has a 2 bottle shipping fee.

Dalmore 50 Year Old Decanter 10cl

A very interesting bottle, the liquid has a long and complex history. The casks used combine vintages from 1868, 1878, 1922, 1926 and 1939. A brief summary of these casks is below:

Cask one: Distilled in June 1868 and transferred into sherry wood in August 1880 and again in October 1891.

Cask two: Distilled February 1878 then re-racked into sherry wood in April 1890 and again in April 1908.

Cask three: Distilled March 1922.

These three casks were then “racked” – one in May 1926, one in July 1926  and one in August 1926. Then in September 1977 all 3 were then re-racked to a single, unique butt and bottled in February 1978.

Two further casks were filled in 1939 and bottled at 52 years of age in October 1991.

All the above whiskies were then blended under the master craftsmanship of Richard Paterson to create this stunning 50 Year Old. 

Rosebank 20 Year Old Full Proof 1980s / Zenith Import

Rosebank is a sorely missed Lowland single malt, now increasingly difficult to find.

This was specially bottled by The Distillers Agency, a subsidiary of The Distillers Company (now Diageo), for Zenith Italia, the company owned by importer G.P. Bonfanti.

Bottle Number 286 of 2580.

Dalmore 1974 Matusalem Sherry Finesse

You can always expect Dalmore to create impressive packaging. This addition to Dalmore's Rare and Prestigious series appears in a leather bound case. The whisky was distilled on the 15th April 1974 and bottled in 2008 matured exclusively in a Matusalem sherry butts from Jerez De La Frontera.

Bottle number 493 of 948.

Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year Old Family Reserve / Stitzel-Weller

The teenager of this family of world renowned American whiskies, now in incredibly high demand!

Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 15 year old replaced the Old Rip Van Winkle of the same age in 2004. Van Winkle has been bottled at Buffalo Trace since 2002.

This is a pre-2007 Buffalo Trace bottling, meaning it was one of the last 15 Year Old Family Reserves bottled exclusively using stock distilled and barrelled at Stitzel-Weller before it closed in 1992. The Van Winkle family had been continuing to source their bourbon from Stitzel-Weller despite parting ways with the business in 1972.

Pre-2007 releases do not have bottle codes.

Fratelli Rinaldi import.

Port Ellen 1979 22 Year Old 1st Release

The first of the incredibly popular Port Ellen annual releases. Distilled in 1979 and bottled 22 years later in 2001 at cask strength.

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

Limited to 6,000 bottles, this is number 2196.

Dalmore 1960 25 Year Old

A very very rare bottling of Dalmore, distilled \"prior to\" 1960 and aged for 25 years before bottling. The label features the prominent branding of owners, Whyte & Mackay.

Limited edition bottle number 98, presented in a classic wooden box - what a wonderful contrast to recent well aged Dalmore.

Rittenhouse 21 Year Old Single Barrel Straight Rye

A wonderful Rye, appreciated greatly for it's use within Manhattan's and other Rye based cocktails.

Aged for 21 years in barrel #3.

Bottle number 9.

Rittenhouse was once the flagship product of of Pennsylvania's Continental Distilling Corp, produced at their Publicker distillery. Modern iterations of the brand, such as this one, are produced by Heaven Hill. At 21 years old, this would have been distilled at the original Heaven Hill plant in Bardstown before a fire there necessitated a relocation to Bernheim distillery in 1999.

Rosebank 34 Year Old George Strachan 1970s

A well-aged single malt from the now closed Rosebank distillery. Bottled some time in the 1970s by George Strachan Ltd.

George Strachan was a delicatessen and general store founded in Deeside in 1926. They bottled ssome incredibly well regarded single malts between the 1960s and 1980s, many of which were sought out by Italian importers for their quality.

Co. Import, Pinerolo import for the Italian market.

Port Ellen 1983 32 Year Old 15th Release 75cl / US Import​

The fifteenth edition of the incredibly popular Port Ellen annual releases. Distilled in 1978 and bottled 32 years later in 2015, bottled at cask strength.

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

Limited to 2964 bottles, this is number 2594.

Port Ellen 1983 32 Year Old 15th Release

The fifteenth edition of the incredibly popular Port Ellen annual releases. Distilled in 1978 and bottled 32 years later in 2015, bottled at cask strength. 

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

Limited to 2,964 bottles, this is bottle number 526.

Richard Hennessy Cognac

Richard Hennessy is the pinnacle of 200 years of cognac producing experience, knowledge and passion of Maison Hennessy, with a special blend of exceptionally delicious and rare eaux-de-vie aged from 40 years to nearly 200 years old.

Each carafe is numbered and crafted from pure hand-blown crystal.

Royal Lochnagar 1988 Single Cask 30 Year Old / The Prince's Foundation

A whisky fit for the (potential future) King! 

This single cask release of Royal Lochnagar was taken from American oak cask #1129, which was gifted to HRH Prince Charles and initially sold to raise funds for The Prince's Foundation. 

The whisky itself was distilled in 1988 to commemorate the 140th anniversary of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visiting the distillery in 1848, and was bottled in 2018 to celebrate the 70th birthday of His Royal Highness. 

One of 206 bottles.

Rosebank 1981 Cask Strength 25 Year Old

This is the oldest official bottling of Rosebank, the legendary closed Lowland distillery, released in 2007.

Distilled in 1981 and released within Diageo's Super Premium selection.

One of a limited release of only 4,710 bottles. This is bottle number 3496.

Port Ellen 1978 31 Year Old 10th Release 

The tenth release of this famed Limited Edition series from Diageo. Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

Distilled 1978 and bottled in 2010.

This is bottle 1703 of only 3000.

Port Ellen 1979 28 Year Old 7th Release

The seventh of the incredibly popular Port Ellen annual releases. Distilled in 1979 and bottled 28 years later in 2007, bottled at cask strength.

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

Bottle number 3720 of 5274. 

Port Ellen 34 Year Old Hunter Laing Kinship / Feis Ile 2017 - Signed

To celebrate the commencement of the construction of the Ardnahoe distillery on Islay, Hunter Laing has released a selection of 6 bottles called the Kinship collection. Each celebrates a different Islay distillery.

This is Edition 6 and is a well-aged Port Ellen at 34 years old. It was American oak matured and is one of 545 bottles.

Port Ellen 1979 22 Year Old 1st Release

The first of the incredibly popular Port Ellen annual releases. Distilled in 1979 and bottled 22 years later in 2001 at cask strength.

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

Limited to 6,000 bottles, this is number 4924.

Port Ellen 1979 28 Year Old 7th Release 75cl / US Import

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

The seventh of the incredibly popular Port Ellen annual releases.  Distilled in 1979 and bottled 28 years later in 2007, bottled at cask strength and limited to 5,274 bottles.

Bottle number 626. 

Rosebank 15 Year Old 1980s / Zenith Import

Rosebank is a sorely missed Lowland single malt, now increasingly difficult to find.

This was specially bottled by The Distillers Agency, a subsidiary of The Distillers Company (now Diageo), for Zenith Italia, the company owned by importer G.P. Bonfanti.

This is one of 13,596 bottles filled at 50% ABV, with the remainder of the 15,996 batch filled at full proof.