November 2018 Auction

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.

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. 

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.

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 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 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 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.

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.

Bowmore 31 Year Old Hart Brothers Dynasty Decanter

A very rare and impressive independently bottled Bowmore. 

This is decanter number 100 of 850, with the decanter itself produced by the world's leading crystal glass manufacturer, Atlantis. 

Each of the six sides of the decanter features a silver gilt medallion of a member of the Royal House of Stewart. 

No capacity or strength stated. 

Bowmore 1964 Black Bowmore 29 Year Old 1st 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 first release of three, all distilled in 1964 and matured within single Oloroso sherry casks before being bottled in 1993. Sherry casks were used far more regularly in the 1960s 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 artifact 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 90s 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.\"

Bottle number 312 of 2000 produced.

This example comes with the more common foil seal, due to the poor design of the original wax seal, they were recalled and re-sealed. 

Bowmore 22 Year Old Cadenhead's 1980s

An unusual non-vintage single cask Bowmore from Cadenhead's.

This was aged 22 years and bottled at some point in the 1980s.

Bowmore 1973 43 Year Old​

A 2016 super-premium Bowmore bottling.

Vatting the last 6 remaining bourbon hogsheads of 1973 this joins the ranks of some impressive bottles from that vintage. 

Casks 3883-3888 were distilled on the 10th of May 1973 and bottled on the 2nd of June 2016 at a staggering 43 years old.

Due to the strip of ribbon on this bottle not travelling well, Bowmore wax dipped some of the seals. This is one such bottle. 

Benromach 1949 Classic 55 Year Old

An incredible offering from the storied Speyside distillery. This is an early post-war vintage, distilled all the way back in 1949. Since then the distillery has changed hands twice, and closed down in the intervening 55 years between then and bottling.

Closed in 1983, the distillery lay silent for 10 years before being re-opened by Gordon & MacPhail in 1998 after a year of restoration. Despite all of this upheaval, this whisky lay patiently maturing in refill bourbon barrel #706 until it was bottled in 2004.

This 55 year old is one of only 83 bottled in hand-blown glass bottles, and presented in an individually numbered burnished copper tube.

This is bottle 34.

Each set also includes a copy of the cask's \"Brewing Report.\"

Bowmore 1973 43 Year Old​

A 2016 super-premium Bowmore bottling.

Vatting the last 6 remaining bourbon hogsheads of 1973 this joins the ranks of some impressive bottles from that vintage. 

Casks 3883-3888 were distilled on the 10th of May 1973 and bottled on the 2nd of June 2016 at a staggering 43 years old.

Ardbeg 1975 Samaroli

A 1975 vintage Ardbeg from Silvano 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 in pantheon of whisky greats.

This bottling was bottled for Samaroli in Scotland by R.W. Duthie & Co. in 1987, and is bottle number 594 of 648. Almost unbelievably, Samaroli reportedly had great difficulty selling the first release in this series, the 1974 vintage from 1983. It was not until a few years later that demand for the peaty flavours began to increase in Italy.

Bowmore 1973 43 Year Old​

A 2016 super-premium Bowmore bottling.

Vatting the last 6 remaining bourbon hogsheads of 1973, this joins the ranks of some impressive bottles from that vintage. 

Casks 3883-3888 were distilled on the 10th of May 1973 and bottled on the 2nd of June 2016 at a staggering 43 years old.

Bruichladdich 1965 Cask Strength 10 Year Old / Samaroli Import

An incredibly rare and interesting bottle of 1965 vintage Bruichladdich.

This is an official distillery bottling for Silvano Samaroli, and represents the genesis of his transition from simple importer, to independent bottler. After a visit to Scotland in the 1970s, Silvano met with the Managing Director of Bruichladdich, a Mr Blake, and after an inspiring discussion, he selected his first two casks for bottling. They were both sherry matured 10 year olds, and this is one of them. His first ever official selection was also 1965 vintage, the rarer of the two (they are all hand-signed). This is from the second cask, bottled shortly after.

Inspired by these releases, Samaroli went on to produce his very first independent bottlings in 1979, a collaboration with Cadenhead's. The rest is history, but it might not have been were it not for this spectacular Bruichladdich.

Bowmore 7 Year Old Sherriff's 1960s / Cogis Import

This is an incredibly rare Bowmore from the 1960s, prior to the distillery's purchase by Stanley Morrison.

Aged 7 years, this was imported to the Italian market by Venezian importers, Cogis.

Ardbeg 1967 Signatory Vintage 30 Year Old / Dark Oloroso Butt #1138

A legendary Ardbeg, awarded an impressive 93 points by Serge Valentin at Whisky Fun.

Distilled on the 22nd March 1967 and matured in a single dark Oloroso sherry butt #1138 for 30 years before bottling on 24th March 1997 by Signatory Vintage.

Bottle number 441 of 580.

Ardbeg 1967 Signatory Vintage 30 Year Old / Dark Oloroso Butt #1140

A legendary Ardbeg and part of the same batch of single casks as one awarded an impressive 93 points by Serge Valentin at Whisky Fun.

Distilled on the 22nd March 1967 and matured in a single dark Oloroso sherry butt #1140 for 30 years before bottling on 15th December 1997 by Signatory Vintage.

Bottle number 495 of 536.

Bowmore 1956 Sherry Cask

A 1956 vintage sherry cask matured Bowmore, bottled some time in the late 1980s.

This series of sherry cask Bowmore vintages come highly recommended by those lucky enough to try them. None more so than Serge Valentin who gave this an impressive 96pts on Whiskyfun claiming it to be 'in a class of its own'.

Ardbeg 1967 Signatory Vintage 30 Year Old / Dark Oloroso Butt #1140

A legendary Ardbeg and part of the same batch of single casks as one awarded an impressive 93 points by Serge Valentin at Whisky Fun.

Distilled on the 22nd March 1967 and matured in a single dark Oloroso sherry butt #1140 for 30 years before bottling on 15th December 1997 by Signatory Vintage.

Bottle number 165 of 536.

Ardbeg 1975 Samaroli

A 1975 vintage Ardbeg from Silvano 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 in pantheon of whisky greats.

This bottling was bottled for Samaroli in Scotland by R.W. Duthie & Co. in 1987, and is bottle number 451 of 648. Almost unbelievably, Samaroli reportedly had great difficulty selling the first release in this series, the 1974 vintage from 1983. It was not until a few years later that demand for the peaty flavours began to increase in Italy.

Bowmore 1967 Sherry Cask

A 1967 vintage sherry cask matured Bowmore bottled at full strength.

1960's sherry cask Bowmore vintages come highly recommended by those lucky enough to try them. 

Ardbeg 1973 Samaroli / 20th Anniversary

A 1973 vintage Ardbeg, bottled by R.W. Duthie for Samaroli in 1988 as part of a series celebrating their 20th anniversary.

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.

The labels on this 20th anniversary series have been lovingly reappropriated from Samaroli's first ever series, his 1979/1980 collaboration with Cadenhead's. The image on this Ardbeg was first used on the 14 year old Glen Elgin from that set.

Bottle 45 of 540.

Balvenie 1978 Vintage Cask

Direct from Balvenies Website: \"The Balvenie Vintage Cask 1978 was selected in 2009 by David Stewart and three senior members of the British Bee Keepers Association. Two exceptional casks were identified as best exemplifying The Balvenie's signature honeyed complexity.\"

This is cask 2705, which was bottled on 11th of March 2009 at cask strength.

Bottle number 47 of 176.

Ardbeg 1975 Single Cask 26 Year Old #4703

Vintage Ardbeg is a rare commodity these days and we are lucky to offer this 1975 vintage.

Sherry hogshead #4703 was filled on 26th December 1975 and bottled 26th March 2002. 

Bottled exclusively for Velier Italy, this is bottle number 5 of 240. 

Ardbeg 1974 Provenance 23 Year Old 2nd Release  / US Import

One of the legendary Ardbeg Provenance bottlings, distilled in 1974 and matured for 23 years until being released in 1998.

These whiskies are highly acclaimed and desirable, including certificate and tartan insert.

Bottled on 9th April 1998: number 1598 however the certificate is for the neighbouring bottle of 1599. 

The were roughly 1000 bottles produced. 

Bowmore 1962 Moon Import / Crest Label

Moon Import was founded by Pepi Mongiardino in 1980 and he bottled his first whisky in 1982. Always beautifully labelled, Pepi is acclaimed for designing the packaging for Moon Import bottles himself, often using images found in old books. These iconic designs, coupled with the quality of the liquid saw Moon Import steadily grow in popularity. The company is still going strong, and their early releases are some of the brightest gems in any whisky collection.

This is believed to be the only 1962 vintage bottling of Bowmore ever released, and was bottled in 1990. 

Bottle number 85 of 104.