May 2018 Auction

Johnnie Walker The Directors Blend Complete Collection 6 x 70cl

Never available at retail, this collection was only given to very important Diageo types. Very few bottles made it to the secondary market and collectors have fought to get hold of this essential part of Johnnie Walker history.

Incredibly rare, this is the complete 6 bottle collection consisting of annual releases between 2008 and 2013, each with their own unique presentation, design and character, yet all unmistakably Johnnie Walker.

• 2008 Release: ​​This grain whisky celebrates sweetness as the biggest component of any Blended Scotch.
  One of 450 bottles
  46%
   
• 2009 Release: A celebration of smokiness. This release contains Islay single malt whisky.
  One of 504 bottles
  43%
   
• 2010 Release: The rich smell of Autumn Fruit, focussed around the fruity flavours found in Johnnie Walker blends, using a generous number of sherry casks. This bottle features one of 6 different screen-printed labels by artist Lewis Moberly.
  One of 450 bottles
  65%
   
• 2011 Release: The effect of Wood on Whisky with packaging displaying the rich colour of oaked whisky, glorified through luxurious minimalism and delicate detailing. Featured in Ian Buxton's book, 101 Legendary Whiskies You're Dying to Try But (Possibly) Never Will.
  One of 504 bottles
  46%
   
• 2012 Release: Celebrating the aroma of Fresh Fruits. Instead of using the label to describe the contents of the bottle, LOVE design agency chose to use it to celebrate the recipient of the Blend, drawing inspiration from Johnnie Walker’s ‘Keep Walking’ philosophy.
  One of 504
  43%
   
• 2013 Release: Celebrating Malt and the deep resonance that aged Malts bring to the blend. Declared by Dave Broom to be one of the best whiskies of 2013.
  One of 588
  46%

Please note there will be a shipping charge for 6 bottles. 

Johnnie Walker Old Highland Whisky Circa 1907-1909 / White Label

Although not its official title at the time, this bottle of Old Highland Whisky was to become the Johnnie Walker White Label in 1909 after a re-branding exercise that saw all of their expressions renamed after their label colours and begin to feature the famous striding man, yet to appear here.

While the re-branded White Label was a 6 year old blend, the original Old Highland Whisky was a 5 year old.

The label on the bottle touts Johnnie Walker's Christchurch Exhibition award in 1907, meaning this example must have been bottled somewhere during the 2 year period between then and 1909, making this a wonderfully old bottle. It is not often that we can include the first world war when referring to pre-war whiskies!

There are no volume of ABV measurements on this bottle.

Clynelish 1973 Single Cask 41 Year Old / Wealth Solutions​

It is extremely uncommon to see private bottlings produced 'officially' by Diageo.

Their 'Hogmanay Cask' was filled 31st December 1973. The advent of a new year in Scotland is an important tradition for entire communities, with the Clynelish Hogmannay Casks reflecting this. They were a collaborative effort from the inhabitants of the areas, rarely poured into barrels within the confines of the distillery walls for this reason, and very few casks bear the honour of being named as such.

This single cask bottling for Wealth Solutions is twice as exceptional, having been aged for a whopping 41 years, making it the oldest official Clynelish going!

One of 144 bottles. 

Clynelish 12 Year Old Ainslie and Heilbron Full Proof  / Edward & Edward Import​

Distilled in the early 1970s at Brora, this legendary Clynelish was imported by Whiskyteca Edward & Edward in Italy in the 1980's. Bottled at 56.9%.

This particular bottling was rated a very good 93 points from Serge Valentin on Whiskyfun.com

Clynelish 5 Year Old Ainslie and Heilbron circa 1960s / Di Chiano Import​

A rare 1960's bottling of Clynelish by Ainslie & Heilbron Distillers. This 5 year old bottling was distributed in Italy, by Di Chiano.

These Clynelish bottlings are incredibly popular at auction, the whisky was distilled at old Clynelish distillery before it was closed in 1965. The original Clynelish distillery was re-opened in 1967, when it became known as Brora.

Very highly awarded on Whisky Fun, achieving 93 points.

Clynelish 12 Year Old Ainslie and Heilbron 1970s

A 1970's bottling of Clynelish by Ainslie & Heilbron distillers.Aged 12 years, this was likely distilled at the original Clynelish distillery, now known as Brora, before it was closed in 1968.

Compass Box Optimism

This limited edition Compass Box was released at Whisky Live London in 2009, and according to whisky maker John Glaser, was meant to provide people with some hope during economic crises unfolding at the time. This was aged in a combination of American and new French oak casks.

The quirky label design inform the drinker when the bottle is full, and half full.

Bottle 52.

Caol Ila 1966 Gordon and MacPhail

Distilled in 1966, prior to the distillery's expansion and renovation in the early 1970's.

Bottled by Gordon and MacPhailin 1995 to Celebrate the companies Centenary

Compass Box The General

From Compass Box:

\"It’s been a good year for sourcing ridiculously rare parcels of extraordinary whisky.

Two different companies approached us recently with similar stories: they each had several casks of Blended Scotch that had been blended at quite young ages, then not required and put back into cask and left to age. One parcel was 33 years-old and the other was…well, I’m afraid I can’t tell you. (By telling you the age of the other parcel, some might argue we are in violation of the UK’s Scotch Whisky Regulations - citation 2009 No. 2890. But that’s another story.)

We know little of the component whiskies, only that, being Blended Scotch Whisky, they were blends of both single malt and single grain whiskies.

We could tell by tasting that some were aged in former American whisky casks and some in sherry casks. But the provenance wasn’t really important, because each parcel had matured into something extraordinary in flavour, and to us, as blenders, they each represented distinct and complementary flavour profiles.

And this is where things got interesting for us. While each parcel was compelling in its own right, we had the feeling that by combining them in the right proportions, we could make something even more interesting. So we experimented for many weeks, blending the two together at different proportions before landing on the recipe in this bottle.

The result is a whisky with the “antique” character lovers of old whiskies seek out.\"

We don't know about you, but we're intrigued!!!

Jura 1965 36 Year Old

A highly sought after Isle of Jura, distilled in 1965 and bottled in this stunning and unusual packaging.

Bottle number 46 of 449, filled on 19th July 2001 from cask #590.

Signed by Michael Heads, the former distillery manager.

Campari Bitter 12 x 1 Litre 1970s

Twelve fantastic old bottles of Campari, distilled under license in Spain.  

We estimate these bottles to be from around the 1970's.

Clynelish 1972 Aceo 31 Year Old​

This fantastic Clynelish was distilled in 1972 and bottled at 31 years of age.

Part of a very limited run produced for Aceo Ltd 

Bottle 11 of 20

Clynelish 1973 Douglas Laing 32 Year Old​

Bottled by Douglas Laing, this Clynelish was distilled in 1973 and bottled in 2005 after a 6 month finish in rum wood

One of only 232 bottles produced 

Chichibu 2009 Ichiro's Malt Single Cask #2369 / Warrior Series No. 1

An exciting new release from Ichiro Akuto's Chichibu. 

Distilled in 2009 and aged in French white wine cask #2369 until 2017.

This is the first in what looks to be an eagerly anticipated range of Whiskies.

Jura 1969 Lord Astor

A 1969 vintage Jura, bottled by Lord Astor, otherwise known as Viscount Astor, or William Waldorf III. His family have held the Astor estate on Jura for many years and interstingly, the Viscount is planning to open up a second distillery on the Island.

If this indeed comes to pass, this private bottling may just be an important piece of its history.

There is no volume or ABV on the label.

Clynelish 12 Year Old Ainslie and Heilbron Full Proof 1980s

A fantastic 1980s bottling of cask strength Clynelish.

Caol Ila 1969 16 Year Old Gordon and MacPhail 1980s

A very old bottling of Caol Ila from the 1980s. Distilled in 1969 and bottled by Gordon and MacPhail as a 16 year old.

Distilled prior to the distillery's expansion and renovation in the early 1970's.

Classic Cask 1984 Single Batch 15 Year Old Kentucky Rye

A 1984 distilled Kentucky Straight Rye whiskey, bottled in 1999. 

Bottle number 68 of 263 from batch #RW102.

Convalmore 1977 36 Year Old

The second bottling of Convalmore within Diageo's special release series, this one is from 2013.

Distilled in 1977 and bottled at cask strength 36 years later.

Bottle number 791 of 2680.

Italian import.

Compass Box Bern's Blended Grain 75cl / US Import​

Made up of 5 unique casks from Strathclyde and Girvan, this is a well aged blended grain whisky.

Compass Box Bern's Blended Grain 75cl / US Import​

Made up of 5 unique casks from Strathclyde and Girvan, this is a well aged blended grain whisky.

Compass Box Bern's Blended Grain 75cl / US Import​

Made up of 5 unique casks from Strathclyde and Girvan, this is a well aged blended grain whisky.

Jefferson's 1991 Presidential Select 18 Year Old

Distilled from Wheat in the fall of 1991 and bottled 18 years later, after being aged in Stitzel Weller barrels. 

Jefferson's Reserve is a blend produced by Castle Brands, historically from whisky sourced from various distilleries. The company now owns the Kentucky Artisan Distillery in Crestwood and is increasingly warehousing more of its own stock.

Batch No. 7

Bottle No. 0059

Caroni 1992 Full Proof Trinidad Rum 18 Year Old​

Distilled at Caroni in 1992 and matured at their distillery until 2008 when the casks were moved to Guyana for a further two years of maturation.

Bottled in 2010.

A stock of 33 casks produced 16,236 bottles. 

Convalmore 1984 Cask Strength 32 Year Old

A cask strength bottling of Convalmore, one of Diageo's special releases for 2017.

Distilled in 1984 and bottled at cask strength 32 years later.

Bottle number 570 of 3972.

Compass Box Canto Cask #6

Canto Cask #6 is part of a Compass Box range of single cask, cask strength Scotch malt whiskies.

This was bottled in July 2007 from new French oak heads that had been toasted to level 7 on Compass Box's scale.

Canto cask #6 was specially selected by John Glaser.

Jefferson's 1991 Presidential Select 17 Year Old

Distilled from Wheat in the fall of 1991 and bottled 17 years later, after being aged in Stitzel-Weller barrels. 

Jefferson's Reserve is a blend produced by Castle Brands, historically from whisky sourced from various distilleries. The company now owns the Kentucky Artisan Distillery in Crestwood and is increasingly warehousing more of its own stock.

Batch no. 5, bottle no. 406.

Johnnie Walker Excelsior 75cl

Johnnie Walker Excelsior is an incredibly hard to find Johnnie walker distilled in 1947 and released at around 50 years old in 1997.

John E. Fitzgerald 20 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon 37.5cl

The famous bourbon brand Old Fitzgerald was named for John E. Fitzgerald.

This is their Very Special Reserve, aged 20 years and packaged in an attractive presentation box.

Distilled at the legendary Stitzel-Weller distillery before it closed in the early 1990's, and bottled by Heaven Hill who purchased the brand soon after.

Chichibu 2008 Ichiro's Malt Single Cask 7 Year Old #183 / Nishiyasaketen

A recent release from the relatively new and incredibly popular Japanese distillery, Chichibu.

Distilled in 2008, from exclusively optic barley and bottled in 2016, this has been matured in single bourbon barrel #183. 

One of only 197 bottles.

Chichibu 2009 Ichiro's Malt Single Cask #2360 / Tokyo Bar Show 2015

An exclusive single cask release from Chichibu for the 2015 Tokyo International Bar Show.

Distilled in 2009 using Braemar barley and bottled in 2015, this has been matured in French Oak Casks. 

One of 299 bottles.

Carsebridge 1964 Spirit Still 52 Year Old​

A 52 year old Carsebridge, distilled in 1964 and bottled at 52 years of age by Spirit Still.

This is a very old single grain from a now closed distillery. 

One of 31 bottles.