May 2019 Auction

Rebel Yell Kentucky Straight Bourbon 12 x 70cl 1990s / Stitzel-Weller - Case

The Rebel Yell brand was created for Stitzel-Weller distillery in the late 1940s by Charles R. Farnsely, a former mayor of Louisville, KY. The brand was first bottled around the distillery's 100th anniversary, with the intention of producing and distributing it in small batches, exclusively in the Southern states.

Following the sale of Stitzel-Weller by the Van Winkle family 1972, it eventually came into the hands of United Distillers (now Diageo) who opted to make the brand available more widely. This is a case of bottles likely to be from the 1990s.

The brand was later procured by Luxco who continue to produce it today using bourbon sourced from Heaven Hill.

This lot has a 12 bottle shipping fee.

Very Very Old Fitzgerald 1957 Bonded 12 Year Old 100 Proof / Stitzel-Weller

We don't see vintage Old Fitzgerald very often, so we are particularly excited about this bottle which was distilled in 1959.

Distilled at the Stitzel-Weller distillery while it was still being run by the legendary Julian 'Pappy' Van Winkle, and bottled at the distillery by his son, Julian II in 1971, just a year before he was forced to sell to Somerset Imports, with his family departing the business.

These pure Van Winkle era Stitzel-Weller bottlings are rare gems and incredibly sought after, with the \"A Collector's Item\" shoulder label continuing to prove a remarkable piece of foresight.

Van Winkle 1985 Family Reserve Rye / Un-Chillfiltered European Exclusive

Blink and you might miss it, but this is not the standard 13 year old Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye that at first glance it may appear. Labelled simply as the 1985 vintage, this was released in 2001 when the Family Reserve was actually 15 years old. Although it is commonly known as a 13 year old, the rye actually continued to age in cask until 2004 when it was eventually tanked at Buffalo Trace. 

The Family Reserve Rye is presumed to have been distilled at Medley in Owensboro, with Cream of Kentucky rye from Bernheim blended through it after it was tanked in 2004. More recent bottlings are also expected to contain whiskey distilled at Buffalo Trace. This however is the unblended Medley liquid.

Bottled by Julian Van Winkle III at Old Commonwealth distillery in Lawrenceburg, he has personally confirmed that this un-chillfiltered version was an experiment for the European market, at the request of a French customer. Un-chillfiltering is unheard of with bourbon in the US, but is the preference here. Van Winkle also noted that he believes this release does have some flavour lost in the regular chillfiltered product.

Bottled at the higher strength of 100 proof, this is a particularly rare gem.

Bottle number A97. 

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.

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 110 of 2580.

Rosebank 15 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.

13,596 bottles were filled at 50% ABV, but this is one of the remaining 2,400 which were bottled at a full proof of 61% ABV. 

Very Old Fitzgerald 1961 Bonded 8 Year Old 100 Proof Half Pint / Stitzel-Weller

We don't see vintage Old Fitzgerald very often, so we are particularly excited about this bottle which was distilled in 1961 and bottled in 1969.

Distilled at the legendary Stitzel-Weller distillery while it was under the management of Julian 'Pappy' Van Winkle I, and bottled a few years after his death by his son, Julian Van Winkle II.

Stitzel-Weller was eventually sold in 1972, with the Van Winkle family departing the business in the process. The 'A Collectors Item' label affixed to the shoulder therefore representing an incredible piece of foresight.

Presented in a lock and key box with two glasses.

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.

Remy Martin Louis XIII Cognac 1970s

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 Cogna decanter which holds Grande Champagne cognac aged between 40 and 100 years.

Vintage Rye 23 Year Old

Vintage Rye is a boutique brand owned by Allied Lomar in California, who's other products include Rare Perfection, Wattie Boone and Very Olde St Nick. They have been sourcing whiskey and bottling it for several decades, and they are instantly recognisable from their uniform use of the same cursive script-style typeface. Allied Lomar president, Marci Palatella, was Julian Van Winkle III's agent in the Japanese market for many years, and their early bottlings were contracted to him at his Old Commonwealth distillery.

The Van Winkle partnership with the Sazerac company in the early 2000's ended this agreement however, with the production of bottles such as this moved to Willett distillery, where they were bottled by its owners, Evan Kulsveen's Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. The stills at Willett were silent at this point and most of the well-aged rye in the KBD warehouses was the unused Cream of Kentucky distilled by Schenley at Bernheim. This is the same rye that is a constituent in some of the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve and was bottled as early versions of the Sazerac 18 year old at Buffalo Trace.

Allied Lomar opened their own Preservation distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky in 2018.

Vintage Rye 23 Year Old

Vintage Rye is a boutique brand owned by Allied Lomar in California, who's other products include Rare Perfection, Wattie Boone and Very Olde St Nick. They have been sourcing whiskey and bottling it for several decades, and they are instantly recognisable from their uniform use of the same cursive script-style typeface. Allied Lomar president, Marci Palatella, was Julian Van Winkle III's agent in the Japanese market for many years, and their early bottlings were contracted to him at his Old Commonwealth distillery.

The Van Winkle partnership with the Sazerac company in the early 2000's ended this agreement however, with the production of bottles such as this moved to Willett distillery, where they were bottled by its owners, Evan Kulsveen's Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. The stills at Willett were silent at this point and most of the well-aged rye in the KBD warehouses was the unused Cream of Kentucky distilled by Schenley at Bernheim. This is the same rye that is a constituent in some of the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve and was bottled as early versions of the Sazerac 18 year old at Buffalo Trace.

Allied Lomar opened their own Preservation distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky in 2018.

Ayrshire 1968 Rare Cask Reserve 47 Year Old / Velier

A delicious-looking bottling of single cask Ayrshire, officially bottled by Wm. Grant & Sons exclusively for Velier.

Matured in cask #61669 for nearly half a century before bottling on the 5th January 2016

Rosebank 26 Year Old That Boutique-y Whisky Company Batch #1

TBWC strikes again. This is their first batch of Rosebank and postdates the announcement that the distillery would be reopened as demonstrated by the label.

With usual wit and intelligence the label is rife with 90s nostalgia, hearkening back to when the distillery was last operational.

One of 321 bottles.

Rosebank 26 Year Old That Boutique-y Whisky Company Batch #1

That Boutique-y Whisky Company strikes again. This is their first batch of Rosebank and postdates the announcement that the distillery would be reopened, as demonstrated by the label.

With usual wit and intelligence, the label is rife with 90s nostalgia, hearkening back to when the distillery was last operational.

One of 321 bottles.

Rosebank 1990 Cask Strength 21 Year Old 

Part of Diageo's Special Release range, this Rosebank was triple-distilled and bottled in 2011.   

This is bottle number 2565 of 5886. 

Very Olde St. Nick 1973 Ancient Estate Reserve 25 Year Old

Very Old St Nick is a boutique bourbon brand owned by Palatella family in California, who's other products include Rare Perfection, Wattie Boone and the Vintage Bourbon and Rye bottles. They have been sourcing bourbon and bottling it for several decades, and they are instantly recognisable from their uniform use of the same cursive script-style typeface. Marci Palatella was Julian Van Winkle III's agent in the Japanese market for many years, and their early bottlings of Old St Nick were contracted to him at his Old Commonwealth distillery.

The Van Winkle partnership with in the early 2000's ended this agreement however, with the production of bottles such as this moved to Willett distillery, where they were bottled by its owners, Evan Kulsveen's Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. The stills at Willett were silent at this point and KBD were sourcing most of their whiskey from Heaven Hill.

Although the source of the KBD bottling has never been confirmed, Van Winkle has strongly asserted that these Very Olde St Nick are bottled using Heaven Hill bourbon.

This Ancient Estate Reserve was distilled on 19th December 1973 and bottled on the 29th of April 1999.

Bottle #494

Japanese Import

Very Old Fitzgerald 1961 Bonded 8 Year Old 100 Proof Half Pint / Stitzel-Weller

We don't see vintage Old Fitzgerald very often, so we are particularly excited about this bottle which was distilled in the Spring of 1961 and bottled in 1969.

Distilled at the legendary Stitzel-Weller distillery while it was under the management of Julian 'Pappy' Van Winkle I, and bottled a few years after his death by his son, Julian Van Winkle II.

Stitzel-Weller was eventually sold in 1972, with the Van Winkle family departing the business in the process. The 'A Collectors Item' label affixed to the shoulder therefore representing an incredible piece of foresight.

Rosebank 1990 Douglas Laing 21 Year Old

Rosebank is a sorely missed lowland malt.

This Douglas Laing bottling was distilled in June 1990 and bottled March 2012. Matured in refill butt #8227

One of 136 bottles. 

Rosebank 12 Year Old 1980s /  Zenith Import

A very rare bottling of this iconic closed Lowland distillery from Falkirk. 

This official bottling was produced for The Distillers Agency Ltd., and imported to Italy by Zenith. 

Rosebank 1974 Signatory Vintage 18 Year Old

A very rare single vintage from closed Lowland distillery, Rosebank.

Distilled on 30th November 1974 and bottled by Signatory Vintage in June 1993 from three sherry butts. 

One of 2400 bottles. 

Van Winkle 12 Year Old Special Reserve

The 12 year old Special Reserve is one of the original Old Rip Van Winkle brands bottled by Julian Van Winkle III at his facility in Lawrenceburg.

With stocks beginning to run thin in the early 2000's, Van Winkle came to an agreement with the Sazerac company to move bottling and future production to Buffalo Trace, who were already using the old Stitzel-Weller recipes for the Weller brand.

All Van Winkle products have been produced at Buffalo Trace since 2002.

The bottle laser code is obscured by a import sticker.

Van Winkle 12 Year Old Special Reserve

The 12 year old Special Reserve is one of the original Old Rip Van Winkle brands bottled by Julian Van Winkle III at his facility in Lawrenceburg.

With stocks beginning to run thin in the early 2000's, Van Winkle came to an agreement with the Sazerac company to move bottling and future production to Buffalo Trace, who were already using the old Stitzel-Weller recipes for the Weller brand.

All Van Winkle products have been produced at Buffalo Trace since 2002.

This is a 2018 bottling.

Code: L181290112:077

Rebel Yell 6 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Half Pint 1970s / Stitzel-Weller

The Rebel Yell brand was created for Stitzel-Weller distillery in the late 1940s by Charles R. Farnsely, a former mayor of Louisville, KY. The brand was first bottled around the distillery's 100th anniversary, with the intention of producing and distributing it in small batches, exclusively in the Southern states.

This is a 1970s bottle and likely still contains bourbon distilled by the Van Winkle family.

Following the sale of Stitzel-Weller and subsequently many of its associated brands in 1972, Rebel Yell was eventually purchased by what is now Luxco in the early 1980s, who continue to produce it today using sourced whiskey from Heaven Hill.

Van Winkle 12 Year Old Special Reserve

The 12 year old Special Reserve is one of the original Old Rip Van Winkle brands bottled by Julian Van Winkle III at his facility in Lawrenceburg.

With stocks beginning to run thin in the early 2000's, Van Winkle came to an agreement with the Sazerac company to move bottling and future production to Buffalo Trace, who were already using the old Stitzel-Weller recipes for the Weller brand.

All Van Winkle products have been produced at Buffalo Trace since 2002.

This is a 2017 bottling.

Code: L172510108:057

Royal Brackla 10 Year Old Flora and Fauna

One of the rare releases from the Flora and Fauna series, the Royal Brackla 10 year old which was only bottled in 1995.

Rosebank 12 Year Old Flora and Fauna / Wooden Box

This Flora and Fauna bottling of Rosebank has been discontinued for a number of years and was the last standard official release from Rosebank.

There have been super premium releases from Diageo since this bottle was discontinued.

Van Winkle 12 Year Old Special Reserve

The 12 year old Special Reserve is one of the original Old Rip Van Winkle brands bottled by Julian Van Winkle III at his facility in Lawrenceburg.

With stocks beginning to run thin in the early 2000's, Van Winkle came to an agreement with the Sazerac company to move bottling and future production to Buffalo Trace, who were already using the old Stitzel-Weller recipes for the Weller brand.

All Van Winkle products have been produced at Buffalo Trace since 2002.

2016 Bottling.

Laser Code: B1618219:484

Rosebank 12 Year Old Flora and Fauna / Wooden Box

This Flora and Fauna bottling of Rosebank has been discontinued for a number of years and was the last standard official release from Rosebank.

There have been super premium releases from Diageo since this bottle was discontinued.

Rosebank 1990 Signatory Vintage 10 Year Old 1.5 Litre / Millennium Edition

A very rare 1.5 litre bottling of Rosebank from 1990.

Distilled on the 22nd March 1990 and bottled on the 31st July 2000 by Signatory Vintage as part of their Millennium Edition series.

Bottle number 141 of only 320 drawn from cask #1506

This lot has a 2 bottle shipping fee.

Rosebank 12 Year Old Flora and Fauna / Wooden Box

This Flora and Fauna bottling of Rosebank has been discontinued for a number of years and was the last standard official release from Rosebank.

There have been super premium releases from Diageo since this bottle was discontinued.

Rosebank 12 Year Old Flora and Fauna / Wooden Box

This Flora and Fauna bottling of Rosebank has been discontinued for a number of years and was the last standard official release from Rosebank.

There have been super premium releases from Diageo since this bottle was discontinued.

Rosebank 1989 Gordon and MacPhail Rare Old

A great example of Rosebank, distilled in 1989 and bottled in 2013 as part of Gordon and MacPhail's 'Rare Old' range.