November 2018 Auction

Macallan 1937 Lalique Golden Age of Travel 36 Year Old / The Steam Train

This is the third release in Macallan's collaborative series with Lalique, the Golden Age of Travel. The famous Speyside distillery and the historic French crystal maker have worked together in the past, however never on such a grand scale as this.

The series comprises of three stunning glass decanters, each celebrating a different mode of classic 1930's travel. Prior to this, the Steam Train, was the Ocean Liner and the Aeroplane, with two more set to be released in 2018 and 2019. First launched in 2015, the range is exclusive to Travel Retail.

This release contains an incredible pre-war vintage Macallan, distilled all the way back in 1937. The whisky was first bottled in 1973, however remaining stocks of this spectacular 36 year old were re-bottled in 2017 as Macallan sought a liquid worthy of this decadent release.

The crystal decanter is presented in a luxurious leather suitcase style box. The decanter has an ornate design and frosted edges. The set is completed by an elegant replacement decanter stopper.

This is one of just 50 bottles.

The bottle number here has been obscured at the seller's request.

Karuizawa 1965 Single Sherry Cask 50 Year Old #2372​ 

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

A special release from La Maison Du Whisky, this vintage Karuizawa was distilled in 1965 and matured in a sherry cask. 

This is bottle number 26 of 300 bottles.

Highland Park 50 Year Old 75cl

One of the most talked about releases of recent years, this 50 year old is the oldest whisky bottled by Highland Park.

This incredibly rare bottling of Highland Park was bottled from a combination of five refill casks from 1960.  The casks were married together to 'harmonise' their flavours before being bottled, a process Highland Park calls 'cask harmonisation.'

The bottle has been designed by New York based Jeweller Maeve Gillies, who grew up in Edinburgh.  The bottle which is created from hand-crafted sterling silver is inspired by the forces of nature and in particular the sea, using her jewellery making expertise the bottle features a metallic 'net' design, a piece of Orkney sandstone carved with the Highland Park logo and a hidden silver replica of the Rose Window from St Magnus Cathedral.  

One of only 275 bottles produced.

This is a 75cl variant.

Springbank Millennium Collection 6 x 70cl

An incredible and very rare set of Springbank, bottled for the Millennium.

Each bottles comes with a wooden presentation case.

The range comprises of the following -

25 Year Old 46.7%
30 Year Old 46.7%
35 Year Old 46.7%
40 Year Old 40%
45 Year Old 40.1%
50 Year Old 40.5%

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

Bowmore 1964 Black Bowmore 42 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Arguably the most famous of all Bowmore's, one of the most collectible and most memorable whiskies on the market.  The Black Bowmore is an icon of whisky collecting, whisky drinking and whisky investing!

This is the first of the more recent releases from this famous Bowmore vintage, officially released in 2007 at 42 years of age in an impressive wooden presentation case.

The Black Bowmore was followed by the slightly older, Gold and White Bowmore.

Bottle number 720 of only 827 produced.

Bowmore 1955 40 Year Old / US Import

A very old Bowmore put into a bourbon hogshead cask on the 22nd of November 1955, then 20 years later it was transferred into a Sherry cask prior to being bottled in 1995. 

The glass decanter was hand crafted by the artists of Caithness Glass, Scotland, each being individually numbered.The presentation case has been hand made from oak by the Master Cabinet Makers of Charles Kirkby & Sons, England. 

As a combination this is an impressive liquid presented in the most elegant of styles. 

Bottle number 298 of only 306 bottles. 

Includes glass stopper and padlock key. 

Brora 1972 Cask Strength 40 Year Old

At time of launch this was both the most expensive whisky ever released by Diageo and the oldest Brora ever made.

Presented in a stunning engraved glass decanter and wooden display case  this is bottle number 160.

Distilled in 1972 this is a vintage mate to some of the most sought after and legendary Broras ever produced, including the rare malts and the slightly more recent 44 year old.

Macallan 1997 Exceptional Cask #9182-01

The first cask from Macallan's new 'Exceptional Single Cask' range which were bottled in 2017 exclusively for the United States and parts of Asia.   This range takes it's name from a number of single cask bottlings Macallan released during the 1990s which are often described as some of 'the greatest Macallan of them all \".

Distilled on the 12th June 1997 and bottled over 20 years later after maturing in single European Oak Sherry Butt #9182 (Ref: 2017/ESB-9182/01)

Selected by Master Distiller Bob Dalgarno, this was the first cask to be reserved for the 2017 series on 2nd June of the same year.

One of only 111 bottles.

Imported and distributed by Spirits Platform, Botany NSW.

Glenfiddich 50 Year Old

This famous bottling of Glenfiddich was bottled in 1991 and limited to an incredible 500 bottles. In the early 1990's one of these bottles officially became the most expensive bottle of whisky ever sold at auction selling for 99,999,999 Lira in an Italian charity auction.

The release was restricted to only nine casks laid down originally in the 1930s, one cask for each of William Grant's nine children who helped build Glenfiddich distillery in the 1880s.  After laying undisturbed, these nine casks were bottled on the 26th July 1991 and presented in a handmade oak box with a brass plaque.

Each bottle was signed by former Chairman Alexander Grant Gordon, who is also the great-grandson of the company's founder.

Bottle number 228 includes a certificate, stating that the owner of the bottle is to be appointed as a Freeman of Glenfiddich distillery.

Karuizawa 29 Year Old Sherry Cask / Murasaki Geisha

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

One of two highly sought after 'Purple Geisha' released in 2018 by Elixir distillers. This particular single cask has been matured for over 29 years in a single sherry cask.

Bottle number 14 of only 60.

Bowmore 1964 Fino Cask 37 Year Old / US Import

1964 is often refered to as the golden year from Bowmore as there has been a high number of iconic releases from the vintage. The iconic Black Bowmore hails from this year along with other awesome Bowmores, these are no differtent. 

This famous range contains three single cask releases, one from a bourbon cask, one Oloroso cask and a Fino sherry cask.

The Fino is a 37 Year old limited to 300 bottles. 

Bottle number 227 of 300 Bottles.

Bowmore 1964 Oloroso Cask 38 Year Old / US Import

1964 is often referred to as the golden year for Bowmore, as there have been a high number of iconic releases from the vintage.

This 38 year old Oloroso sherry casked gem is no different. A single cask that comes from the same batch as that of the esteemed Black Bowmore releases.

This famous release was part of the Trilogy Series which also contained single cask bottlings from a bourbon cask and a Fino sherry cask. The three whiskies were presented in these stunning wooden cabinets.  

Bottle number 86. 

Remy Martin Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.6 Cognac

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.

This is the second edition of the Rare Cask series, and was hand-selected by Cellar Master, Pierrette Trichet.

Number 649 of 738 black crystal Baccarat decanters.

The 42.6 in the title refers to the liquid's un-altered, cask strength ABV.

Bowmore 1964 Bourbon Cask 38 Year Old / US Import

Distilled on the 11th of November 1964, this hails from the era of epic Bowmores. 

Matured in a Bourbon cask for 38 years this bottle has been presented in a lockable wooden box.

Bottle number 64 of 300 Bottles.

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 441 of 775.

Macallan 1951

Technically not part of the series, however this is certainly a fine and rare Macallan!

Distilled in 1951 and bottled from two sherry casks #1541 and #1542

One of only 632 bottles.

Glen Cawdor 1964 Samaroli / Springbank

A legendary bottling from the great Silvano Samaroli.

The Glen Cawdor name was in part borrowed by Silvano Samaroli from Shakespeare; Castle Cawdor of course being the setting for MacBeth. Samaroli used the Glen Cawdor name to disguise the the real name of certain distilleries, most commonly Springbank. When researching this bottle you will notice that some retailers and auctioneers refer to this as a Springbank, while if you look elsewhere you would read it is actually from Glen Ord. Emmanuel Dron, Samaroli's great friend has speculated that Silvano mis-remembered this bottles as the 1962 Glen Ord he bottled for the LELE restaurant. Either way, we don't think it matters. All that matters is that it is an exceptional bottling from an exceptional bottler.

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.

Distilled in 1964 and bottled in 1983 from a single sherry cask by R.W. Duthie.

Bottle number 353 of 360.

Bowmore 1964 Black Bowmore 30 Year Old 2nd Edition 75cl / US Import

An icon of the whisky world, it's hard to fathom where whisky collecting would be today without the Black Bowmore. 

The second release of three, all distilled in 1964 and matured within single Oloroso sherry casks before being bottled in the mid-nineties. Sherry casks were used far more regularly in the 1960's than they are now, and this bottle is testament to the quality of these casks.

The Black Bowmore not just a whisky but a true artefact from the history of the spirit, representing a turning point for single malts. Appearing at a zenith in the popularity of sherry-casked whisky, which was for the first time creating a fashionable buzz around single malt whiskies, seeing it replace cognac as the after dinner drink of choice at banqueting tables, and customers now willing to pay the heady sum of £120 for a bottle. We may look back and scoff at this now but this was a princely fee back in the early 90's when the Black Bowmore was first stocked by Oddbins in the UK.

Speaking of the Black Bowmore, Dave Broom writes:

\"If you look at Black Bowmore as fiction, you see it grow from being a simple tale about a product into something which acquires the trappings of legend and myth. What was once ‘Islay’ had been condensed into distilleries; distilleries compressed into specific peculiarities – in Black Bowmore’s case, the magical, never fully explicable weirdness of the conditions in No 1 Vaults, one of walls of which sits below the level of the loch outside; a place of cold and damp, where evaporation is minimal, where elements are both preserved and warped into new shapes, where time slows and things deepen.\"

This is bottle number 1713 of 2000.

Bowmore 1964 Gold Bowmore 44 Year Old 75cl / US Import

The third and final in this famous series, the Gold Bowmore was matured in a mixture of bourbon and sherry casks, to provide a comparison to the more famous Oloroso casks.

Bottled at 42.4%.

Bottle number 151 of 701. 

Bowmore 1964 White Bowmore 43 Year Old 75cl / US Import

The second in this famous series, the White Bowmore was matured exclusively in Bourbon casks to create a comparison to the more famous Oloroso sherry-casked Black Bowmore.

Bottled at 42.8%

Bottle 679 of 732.

Bowmore 1964 Black Bowmore Final Edition 75cl / US Import

An icon of the whisky world, it's hard to fathom where whisky collecting would be today without the Black Bowmore. 

Distilled in 1964 and matured within Oloroso sherry casks before bottling in 1995. This is the last of three Black Bowmores released in the mid-nineties. 

This is bottle number 543 of 1812.

Scapa 1958 Samaroli 46% / Handwritten Labels

In the words of Emmanuel Dron, owner of the Auld Alliance - \"The 1958 Samaroli is probably the best Scapa ever bottled.\"  It's certainly one of the oldest vintages known to exist. 

Bottled in 1985, two versions were produced, one at 52% and this one at 46%. Both are exceptionally hard to find.

It is part of the Handwritten Labels series. While Samaroli was famed for his keen eye for aesthetic in designing his own labels, this series simply features his own elegant calligraphy reproduced on them.

Bottle number 167 of 180.

Glen Garioch 1971 Samaroli Sherry Wood Full Proof

This is one of Silvano Samaroli's earliest forays into the realm of independent bottling, following his successful collaboration with Cadenhead's in 1979. This was bottled in the same year. As an official Italian distributor for Glen Garioch, Samaroli had great access to top quality casks and it shows here.

Glen Garioch was a peaty single malt in the 1970s, and this is considered one of the finest examples of balancing the strong characters produced by peat and sherry casks, along with another Samaroli classic, the Laphroaig 1967.

This is the first of two 1971 vintage Glen Garioch released by Silvano, bottled at full proof. The second was single cask homage to this, bottled much later in 1997 at a lighter 43%.

Bottle number 1851 of 2280 produced.

Macallan M Black 2017 Release

This is the follow-up to the iconic Macallan M, which for a time held the world record for the most expensive bottle of whisky ever sold when the six litre 'Imperiale' variant sold at auction in January 2014. 

Macallan M Black has a subtle smoky edge to it, and was created to celebrate the distillery's rich heritage and as a knowing nod to Macallan's peaty past. 

The whisky itself was matured in sherry-seasoned oak casks, and the complexity and craftsmanship of the liquid is mirrored by the stunning Lalique black crystal decanter in which it is stored. 

This is bottle number 329 of 725.

Karuizawa 1978 Single Cask 35 Year Old #8383 / Wealth Solutions

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

This is a single cask release from a single ex-bourbon cask #8383, distilled in December 1978 and bottled in July 2014.

Titled Koishikawa-Kōrakuen, this was named after am 17th century garden in the Tokyo. Work on the garden was begun by Mito Yorifusa in 1629 and was completed by his son Mito Mitsukuni. The garden was cretaed on the advice of Chinese scholar Zhu Shun Shui, and incorporates elements of Japanese and Chinese culture.

The bottle, produced by Wealth Solutions features a depiction of the garden gilded on it.

This is one of just 24 bottles.

Karuizawa 1980 Single Cask 35 Year Old #8283 / Moon Above the Sea at Daimotsu Bay

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

This limited bottling was distilled in 1980 and bottled in 2015 at an impressive 35 years old..

Produced from single bourbon cask #8283, which yielded only 401 bottles.

Bottled at cask strength, this is stunning bottling presents  Moon above the Sea at Daimotsu Bay, part of theTsukioka Honen's \" One Hundered Aspects of the Moon series on the box and label art

Presented in a stunning lock and key presentation box.

Longmorn 1974 Samaroli Cask Strength Sherry Wood

A legendary independent bottling of heavily sherried Longmorn, distilled in 1974 and bottled for Silvano Samaroli by R.W. Duthie in 1985 at cask strength.

This particular bottling was rated very good by Serge Valentin who scored it an impressive 92 points!

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.

Emmanuel Dron, Samaroli's great friend is a big fan of this release. There is a similarly labelled (but much lighter in colour) 1964 vintage from new wood that Dron describes as the \"Yin and Yang of Longmorn.\"

Bottle number 584 of only 600.

Hanyu 1991 Ichiro's Malt 'Card' #371 / Five of Clubs​

A single cask Hanyu, bottled within the Ichiro's Malt 'Card' series of whiskies.

Distilled in 1991 and matured in a hogshead #371 before being moved into a Mizunara hogshead for a second maturation period. 

Bottle 30 of 372.

Karuizawa 35 Year Old Bourbon Cask #8518 / Emerald Geisha​

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

This is another sought after single cask release from Elixir Distillers, the bottling arm of London's The Whisky Exchange. Here's what they had to say:

\"The distinctive emerald labels combine beautiful Japanese art forms with complex hot foil and intricate embossing embellishments, giving the bottles a sculptured finish. They were designed by The Whisky Exchange’s creative director Raj Chavda, who is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Art.\"

Number 3 of only 265 bottles drawn from single Bourbon cask #8518. Released in February 2018.​

Brora 1972 Rare Malt 22 Year Old / 58.7%

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.

It is often said that 1972 Brora is exceptional, and this is one of five Rare Malts of that vintage. The 1972 continued to be an important vintage when Diageo also released a 40 year old of the same vintage. 

Since its closure in 1983 the popularity of Brora has soared, this is a fantastic opportunity to own an historic bottle.

Macallan 1937 Luxury Spirit Company Decanter 50cl / Bottle 1 of 1

A genuine rarity for Macallan enthusiasts, this is a unique bottling from the Luxury Spirit Company of Glasgow, produced by filling antique decanters. 

This is a 1937 vintage and was filled into a c. 1920-30 Continental, Art Deco cut Crystal decanter.

The decanter comes complete with a solid silver collar, glass stopper, and certificate of authenticity and is presented in a gorgeous chequered patterned lacquered wooden box.

Karuizawa 1981 Single Cask 35 Year Old #171 / Eight Headed Dragon

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

This limited bottling was distilled in 1981 and bottled in 2016 at an impressive 35 years old..

Produced from single sherry cask #171, which yielded only 530 bottles.

Bottled at cask strength, this is one of several 35 year old releases depicting Japanese mythology on their labels. The Eight Headed Dragon on this label is borrowed form the cover of a popular series of stories published by Hasegawa Takejiro in the 18th century. The dragon is named Yamata no Orochi.

Presented in a stunning lock and key presentation box.