March 2019 Auction

Ardbeg 1998 PX Casks / Feis Ile 2011

Drawn from two Spanish Pedro Ximenez sherry butts, this rare Ardbeg was distilled in 1998 and released to mark Feis Ile 2011.

Bottled at cask strength. 

Aultmore 1973 Samaroli / Gufo Club

A very rare Samaroli botting of Aultmore, distilled in 1973 and bottled in 1986 by R.W. Duthie for Samaroli.

Samaroli is perhaps Italy's most revered independent bottler of Scotch whisky. With an impeccable taste in single cask whiskies, and an eye for aesthetics (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.

Bottle number 35 produced for Gufo Club.

Ardbeg 1991 Samaroli / Handwritten Label 2001

An independent bottling of Ardbeg, distilled in 1991 and bottled in 2001 after being matured in a cask# 631. 

Samaroli is perhaps Italy's most revered independent bottler of Scotch whisky. With an impeccable taste in single cask whiskies, and an eye for aesthetics (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.

This is one of two 2001 bottlings featuring labels handwritten in fountain pen by Samaroli and himself, and then reprinted. The other is a 1973 vintage Longmorn. Presented in the black squat bottle style introduced by the company the year before, which is still preferred today.

Bottle number 126 of 621 bottles. 

Armagnac Laubade 1918

Château de Laubade was founded in 1870 in the heart of Gascony, the original home of distillation in France, and has been owned by the Lesgourgues family since 1974. 

Distilled way back in 1918.

Ardbeg 1990 Single Cask #86

Distilled on 30th August 1990 and aged 16 years until being bottled on 11th April 2007.

Matured in single sherry butt number #83.

Bottle number 238 of 300. 

Ardbeg 1975 Bottled 2000

1970s vintage Ardbegs are becoming increasingly more and more difficult to find. This particular bottling is from the 2000 release, three years after the distillery's takeover by Glenmorangie PLC.

Amrut Greedy Angels 10 Year Old Chairman's Reserve

A fantastic looking decanter from Amrut, containing the oldest whisky ever produced in India.

Released in September 2014 and restricted to only 284 bottles worldwide. This is bottle 81.

This is Batch #1.

Ainslie's 12 Year Old Specially Selected 1970s / Di Chiano Import​

A 1970s blended whisky produced by Ainslie & Heilbron, their Very Old whisky containing whisky no younger than 12 years of age.

Ainslie's blends are famous for containing whisky from the original Clynelish distillery, nowadays referred to as Brora.

Imported by Di Chiano for the Italian market.

Ardbeg 1978 Gordon and MacPhail / Meregalli Import​

An independently bottled Ardbeg by Gordon & MacPhail.

Distilled in 1978, bottled in 2000 for Giuseppe Meregalli. They became the official imported for Gordon & MacPhail during the 1980s and were treated to a number of exclusive bottlings, including this and the majority of the sought after Celtic Label releases. Meregalli is still the official partner for Gordon & MacPhail today.

Ardbeg 1976 Silver Seal 25 Year Old / First Bottling

Distilled in 1976 and bottled from a single cask at 25 years old by the Silver Seal Company. This is from their first ever series.

Silver Seal was founded by Ernesto Mainardi in 2000. This was Mainardi's second bottling company after the esteemed Sestane in 1979. Both companies were sold to Massimo Righi in 2010, with Ernesto's original releases becoming increasingly prized possessions by collectors.

Number 24 of 280 bottles.

Ardbeg Kelpie Trade Sample Bottle 

The non-cask strength version of Ardbeg Kelpie, released during Feis Ile 2017. This has been matured in virgin casks crafted from oak grown on land in the Adyghe Republic - a Russian federal subject just north of Georgia, on the northeast coast of the Black Sea.

This particular bottle is a surviving trade sample bottle.

Ardbeg Supernova Committee Release

Released in 2009 to members of the Ardbeg Committee, this original Ardbeg Supernova was in excess peated of 100ppm.

Armagnac Laubade 1928

Château de Laubade was founded in 1870 in the heart of Gascony, the original home of distillation in France, and has been owned by the Lesgourgues family since 1974. 

Distilled way back in 1928.

Avonside Gordon and MacPhail 100 Proof for Edoardo Giaccone

Rumour has it that Avonside was actually single malt from Glenlivet, however the title has also been used by Gordon and MacPhail for younger blends and blended malts.​

This is special 100 proof bottling produced for Edoardo Giaccone, owner of the Whiskyteca in Salo, Italy.

Giaccone was something of a trailblazer, and was importing specially bottled official single malts for his bar in the late 1960s. He opened the famous venue in 1958, and it has been called a few different things over the years, including Garten, Edward & Edward, and La Taverna del Comandante.

Edoardo set the stage for later legendary bottlers such as Silvano Samaroli, Nadi Fiori and Ernesto Mainardi. Moon Import founder, Pepi Mongiardino said, \"he was the first person I visited\" when he became the distributor for Bruichladdich in 1981. Giaccone did not have any of his own labels or series, but was the first person in Italy to have official bottlings produced exclusively for him. Through his bar, Italy was treated to exclusive releases from Clynelish, Bowmore, Dalmore, Highland Park and even Jack Daniel's.

Bottle number 477.

Ardbeg Alligator Committee Reserve For Discussion

Bottled 'for discussion' by the Ardbeg Committee.

Released in June 2011, Ardbeg Alligator takes its name from the aggressive charring of the American casks the whisky was matured in. This charring level is known as the Alligator char because the cracking of the wood under the heat looks similar to the skin of an Alligator.

Auchentoshan 1979 Oloroso Sherry Cask 32 Year Old

A truly stunning whisky to look at and certainly full of colour. Distilled in 1979 and matured fully in a single first fill Oloroso sherry casks, for 32 years.

Every single drop of Auchentoshan is triple distilled. This method of distillation collects the most concentrated new make spirit of any Scottish distillery and it gives Auchentoshan its unmistakably light and fruity flavour, the perfect canvas for maturation. As the spirit matures, deeper colours, fuller flavours and a distinctive smoothness are unveiled..

This Auchentoshan is a rare malt, distilled on the 22nd October 1979 and fully matured in 1st fill sherry butts for over 32 years. Bottled at cask strength and non chill-filtered to preserve maximum intensity of flavour from this carefully crafted whisky. 

Bottle number 484 of 1000.

Ardmore 1977 Samaroli / 35th Anniversary

Distilled in 1977 this Ardmore was matured in cask 7631 till 2006 and is one of 738 bottles, produced to celebrate the 35th annivarsary of legendary independent bottlers Samaroli

Ardbeg 1974 Gordon and MacPhail / Meregalli Import

Distilled on Islay way back in 1974 and bottled in 1993 by Gordon & MacPhail.

Giuseppe Meregalli took over as the official Italian agent for Gordon & MacPhail in the 1980s, and remain so to this day, an arrangement that has provided them with a number of exclusive bottlings such as this.

Ardbeg 1991 WhiskyForYou 18 Year Old​

A pre-closure 18 year old Ardbeg bottled for Italian website, Whiskyforyou.it

Distilled in 1991 and 2009 at 18 years old.

This is number 28 of just 120 bottles.

Ardbeg Twenty Something 23 Year Old / Committee Release

Distilled during the 1980s and 1990s in the pot-still which now sits proudly outside the legendary Islay distillery. During these troubling periods for the distillery, not much stock was kept back for the future. A few casks survived though, and it's these which make up this spectacular 23 year old release.

Matured in a mixture of Oloroso sherry and bourbon casks. 

Released exclusively to Ardbeg Committee members on 2nd November 2017.

Ardbeg Guaranteed 10 Year Old 1980s

A very rare, highly sought after bottle of Ardbeg 10 year old from the 1980s.

Ardbeg Rollercoaster Committee Reserve

Released June 2010 to mark the 10^th anniversary of The Ardbeg Committee, the Rollercoaster consists of ten vintages from 1997 to 2006.

Ardbeg Rollercoaster Committee Reserve Including Baseball Cap and Glass

Released June 2010, Ardbeg Rollercoaster was strictly only available at the distillery or via Ardbeg.com.  However Ardbeg did not expect such demand, the website quickly broke and it did not take long for all 15,000 bottles to sell out.

Released to mark the 10^th anniversary of the Ardbeg Committee the Rollercoaster consists of ten vintages from 1997 to 2006

1997: Second Fill Barrel
1998: Refill Hogshead
1999: First Fill Barrel
2000: First Fill Barrel
2001: Refill Barrel
2002: Refill Barrel
2003: First Fill Barrel
2004: First Fill Barrel
2005: Second Fill Sherry Butt
2006: Refill Hogshead

Includes Rollercoaster branded baseball cap and glass.

Ardbeg Rollercoaster Committee Reserve

Released June 2010 to mark the 10^th anniversary of The Ardbeg Committee, the Rollercoaster consists of ten vintages from 1997 to 2006.

Ardbeg 1990 Airigh Nam Beist 2008

Ardbeg don't release many vintages at all now, and the Airgh Nam Beist was one of the last, prior to the Galileo.

Taking its name from the Gaelic meaning of \"shelter\" or pasture, this whisky was distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2008 at 46%.

Ardbeg 1991 Malts Of Scotland / Geert's Whisky Bar

An independent bottling of Ardbeg from Malts of Scotland, specially selected for Geert Bero.

Malts of Scotland were founded in 2005 by whisky enthusiast and connoisseur, Thomas Ewers.

Distilled in 1991 and matured in a single sherry hogshead. 

Bottle number 66 of 185. 

Aberfeldy 1969 Gordon and MacPhail 16 Year Old / Meregalli Import

This Gordon and MacPhail bottling of Aberfeldy was distilled in 1969 and bottled within the Connoisseurs Choice collection of whiskies.

Imported by Meregalli, who remain the official Italian distributor for Gordon & MacPhail to this day.

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.

Ardbeg Twenty Something 22 Year Old / Committee Release

The 2018 edition of the Twenty Something releases, the third bottled exclusively for the Ardbeg Committee, the distillery's fan club.

This 22 year old expression has been matured exclusively in ex-bourbon barrels, and is comprised of some of the most limited stock in any Scottish distillery warehouse. With the bulldozers lurking at the distillery gate, and little hope for its future, very few casks were being filled and laid down. These bottlings are a testament to the faith of those who persevered with the operation, and are bottled in honour of the Ardbeg Committee who's mandate is to ensure the distillery never experiences such fears for its existence again.

The ex-bourbon casks were distilled in the spring of 1996 in the still that now sits monumentally outside the distillery gates, and they were bottled in July 2018.

Ardbeg Twenty Something 22 Year Old / Committee Release

The 2018 edition of the Twenty Something releases, the third bottled exclusively for the Ardbeg Committee, the distillery's fan club.

This 22 year old expression has been matured exclusively in ex-bourbon barrels, and is comprised of some of the most limited stock in any Scottish distillery warehouse. With the bulldozers lurking at the distillery gate, and little hope for its future, very few casks were being filled and laid down. These bottlings are a testament to the faith of those who persevered with the operation, and are bottled in honour of the Ardbeg Committee who's mandate is to ensure the distillery never experiences such fears for its existence again.

The ex-bourbon casks were distilled in the spring of 1996 in the still that now sits monumentally outside the distillery gates, and they were bottled in July 2018.

Auchroisk 1974 Rare Malt 28 Year Old / 56.8%

The Rare Malt Selection is a historic selection of single malt whiskies from operational and lost distilleries that were released by Diageo between 1995 and 2005.

This Auchroisk was distilled in 1974 and bottled 28 years later.

Bottle number 1424.

Ardbeg 21 Year Old Committee Release 2016

Ardbeg Twenty One was exclusively available to members of the Ardbeg Committee, a members’ club of over 120,000 people created to ensure the distillery never closes again. 

The distillery closed twice during its history – in 1981 and 1996. Mickey Heads, Ardbeg Distillery manager and chairman of the Ardbeg Committee dedicated this release to the Committee Members saying  “Ardbeg Twenty One is a shining example of Ardbeg’s enduring spirit [and] I’m so pleased we can share it with our members.”

This Ardbeg uses liquid distilled in the mid-90s, Prior to the time of its last closure. Heads said “The committee have invested much in ensuring the future of the distillery and it’s only right that they should share the rewards of its turbulent past too.”