November 2018 Auction

Port Ellen 1981 Single Cask 33 Year Old #1295

Filled into single hogshead #1295 on the 15 April 1981, and then matured for over 33 years. 

One of the oldest bottles of Port Ellen ever released, this is an incredible 33 year old expression and one of only 210 produced.  A rare offering that becomes rarer still when you consider the increasing scarcity of Port Ellen stocks since the distillery closed in 1983. 

The whisky, bottled at 50.5% ABV, has been drawn from single cask #1295. Released in 2015 this bottling was only made available to World Duty Free.

With the announcement of plans to reopen the legendary lost distillery there is hope that in years to come we will once again see outstanding whisky produced at Port Ellen. Until then it is safe to assume that this exceptional 33 year od is amongst the last of its kind.

Port Ellen 1981 Single Cask 33 Year Old #1295

Filled into single hogshead #1295 on the 15 April 1981, and then matured for over 33 years. 

One of the oldest bottles of Port Ellen ever released, this is an incredible 33 year old expression and one of only 210 produced.  A rare offering that becomes rarer still when you consider the increasing scarcity of Port Ellen stocks since the distillery closed in 1983. 

The whisky, bottled at 50.5% ABV, has been drawn from single cask #1295. Released in 2015 this bottling was only made available to World Duty Free.

With the announcement of plans to reopen the legendary lost distillery there is hope that in years to come we will once again see outstanding whisky produced at Port Ellen. Until then it is safe to assume that this exceptional 33 year od is amongst the last of its kind.

Port Ellen 1981 Single Cask / Feis Ile 2008

Arguably one of the rarest Port Ellen's around, this official bottling was released for the Feis Ile in 2008 and as you can imagine sold out instantly.

This 1981 vintage is the only official single cask offering from Port Ellen, distilled on 15th April 1981 and bottled in 2008.

This single ex-refill American oak cask #1301 yielded only 220 bottles.

This is bottle number 204.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Orkney Single Malt 1977 Samaroli / Fragments of Scotland

Distilled in 1977, this is a single malt from an undisclosed Orkney distillery, so either Highland Park or Scapa. Bottled by Samaroli in 1988 as part of the the Fragments of Scotland series.

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 Fragments of Scotland series was bottled in 1988, and each of them feature artworks depicting different elements of Scotland, all painted by Samaroli's friend, Agostino Perrnini.

Bottle number 186 of only 648 bottles.

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. 

Aultmore 1973 Samaroli / Handwritten Labels

A 1973 vintage Aultmore, bottled in the 1980s 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, (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 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 82 of 180.

Ardbeg 1974 Single Cask 31 Year Old #2743

A single cask Ardbeg, distilled on 14th June 1974 and bottled at over 31 years of age on 20th September 2005.

Taken from bourbon hogshead #2743, this is bottle number 76 of 106.

Port Ellen 1978 SMWS 43.10

A Port Ellen distilled in February 1978 and bottled in August 1996. Bottled at cask strength by Scotch Malt Whisky Society. 

Ardbeg 1975 Single Cask 23 Year Old #4702

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

Sherry cask #4702 was filled 26th December 1975 and bottled 20th October 1999.

Bottle number 98 of 261.

Old Mock 1916 A Ph Stitzel 18 Year Old Pint / Prohibition Era Bottling

A fantastic old Prohibition era bottling of Kentucky straight bourbon whisky. Although the Volstead Act of 1919 had banned the production and sale of alcohol throughout the US, a certain number of distilling companies were permitted to continue bottling existing stock, mostly for medicinal use, but also for weekly baking rations.

One such company was A. Ph. Stitzel Inc, who procured this particular barrel from the Davies County Distillery (registered distillery 2 in the 2nd district of KY). This distillery was one of the majority that were forced to close after prohibition was enacted. Records show that most of their stock was purchased by the American Medicinal Spirits Company, but some reached smaller companies like A. Ph. Stitzel as well, who bottled this using their Old Mock  brand.

A. Ph. Stitzel survived Prohibition, and was one of the few to emerge with a functioning distillery, refinancing themselves after the difficult 13 dry years by contract distilling for other companies as well, including the juggernaut Schenley corporation. They would of course would go on to merge with Julian 'Pappy' Van Winkle's W.L. Weller company to create the legendary Stitzel-Weller. The \"18 Summers Old \" phrase on this label was a persistent motif on Stitzel-Weller bottlings too, and can also be seen on some modern Van Winkle bottlings.

Bottled in 1933, shortly before repeal, this includes the standard \"medicinal purposes\" only label, guaranteeing a pre-January 1920 distillation date.

Ardbeg 1975 Single Cask 23 Year Old #4702

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

Sherry cask #4702 was filled 26th December 1975 and bottled 20th October 1999.

Bottle number 74 of 261.

Port Ellen 1979 22 Year Old 1st Release

The first of the incredibly popular Port Ellen annual releases.  Distilled in 1979 and bottled 22 years later in 2001 at cask strength.

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

 Limited to 6,000 bottles, this is number 432.

Overholt 1909 Rye Whiskey 1 Quart / Pre-Prohibition

More commonly known as 'Old' Overholt, this brand of Rye whiskey is very old, even more so than this particular bottle. Overholt Rye was first produced in the early 1800s, with this bottle appearing over a century later. Bottled just before Prohibition, this 1909 vintage was apparently a reserve of the Mellon family, who stockpiled it for fear of running out in the wake of the Prohibition legislation banning all production and consumption in 1920. The whiskey is believed to be aged around 10-14 years.

As it turns out, Overholt distillery owner, Andrew Mellon was a close friend of Warren G. Harding, then secretary of the Treasury, a connection that provided him with a license to continue selling \"medicinal\" whiskey during Prohibition. The original West Overton distillery however closed down, and with stocks running out, the brand was sold to National Distillers in 1932. National Distillers were consolidating interests in as much of the industry as possible with the repeal of Prohibition expected the following year, most notable was their acquisition of the Wathen family's American Medicinal Spirits Co.

Old Overholt still exists today, produced alongside Old-Grandad by Jim Beam, who acquired both of 'The Olds' from National Distillers in 1987.

This is a fascinating artefact from a long and storied whiskey history, and tastes fantastic too. Serge Valentin of Whiskyfun.com rated this 93 points.

Port Ellen 1979 22 Year Old 1st Release

The first of the incredibly popular Port Ellen annual releases.  Distilled in 1979 and bottled 22 years later in 2001 at cask strength.

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

 Limited to 6,000 bottles, this is number 3587.

A.H. Hirsch 1974 16 Year Old Reserve 1990s / Squat Black Wax​

A legendary bottle of bourbon that has had a whole book written about itself: The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste by Charles K Cowdery.

Distilled in Spring 1974, this bourbon is bottled from a single 400 barrel batch commissioned by Adolph Hirsch and distilled under contract at Michters distillery (then known as Pennco), just outside Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. Hirsch was a former Schenley executive who had briefly worked at Michter's during his time there, and it is believed he commissioned the whisky as financial favour to the distillery, and actually had little plans for its use. So, it lay aging in the warehouses for much longer than generally expected for a bourbon at the time. 

With the closure of Michter's distillery, the bourbon was sold by Hirsch to Gordon Hue in 1991, who set about bottling it immediately.

Responsibility for the early bottling was entrusted to Julian Van Winkle III at his Old Commonwealth site in Lawrenceburg. However, his partnership with the Sazerac Company and creation of the Pappy Van Winkle brand in 2002, also saw bottling of the Hirsch Reserve moved briefly to Buffalo Trace. This is one of Van Winkle's earlier 1990's bottlings. Van Winkle's ledgers show that he was drip-fed orders for the Hirsch Reserve, and only produced limited case numbers to order when requested by Hue. This has lead to a variety of different bottlings at different ages. This black wax topped \"squat\" bottle was filled at a slightly lower proof than others.

Gordon Hue, who had maintained exclusive distribution rights to the Hirsch product despite the Van Winkle and Sazerac connections, eventually sold the brand to Preiss Imports who moved the subsequent and final bottling (technically re-bottling) to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers' Willett facility.

In his book Cowdery refers to the bourbon as one of the \"best whiskeys I've ever tasted.\"

Mash bill contains 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley.

Ardbeg 1975 Single Single Cask 23 Year Old #4718

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

Cask filled 26th December 1975 and bottled 20th October 1999

Cask No. 4718

Bottle No.7 of 238

Port Ellen 1975 Samaroli 23 Year Old

A classic Samaroli release of 1975 Port Ellen, bottled in 1996. Samaroli's long-running partnership with R.W.Duthie had ended by this point, and he had begun to have his own company bottle these at Rutherglen in Scotland.

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.

Port Ellen has also developed a legendary status among collectors since its closure in 1983.

Bottle number 608 of 744.

Port Ellen 1979 37 Year Old 17th Release​

The seventeenth edition of the incredibly popular Port Ellen annual releases. Distilled in 1979 and bottled 37 years later in 2017, bottled at cask strength and limited to 2988 bottles, this is bottle 2058.

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

Port Ellen 1978 37 Year Old 16th Release

The sixteenth edition of the incredibly popular Port Ellen annual releases. Distilled in 1978 and bottled 37 years later in 2016, bottled at cask strength. 

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

Limited to 2940 bottles, this is bottle 2010.

Port Ellen 1978 35 Year Old 14th Release

The fourteenth edition of the incredibly popular Port Ellen annual releases.  Distilled in 1978 and bottled 35 years later in 2014, bottled at cask strength.

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

Limited to 2,964 bottles, this is bottle 1553. 

Port Ellen 1978 37 Year Old 16th Release

The sixteenth edition of the incredibly popular Port Ellen annual releases. Distilled in 1978 and bottled 37 years later in 2016, bottled at cask strength. 

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown. Closure in 1983 has enabled this distillery to receive a near mythical amount of love and respect. As stocks get thinner on the ground, these bottles become rarer and rarer.

Limited to 2940 bottles, this is bottle 1590.

Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old Family Reserve

The oldest release as part of the 'Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve' series of bourbons.  

Matured for an incredible 23 years, this is now one of the most desirable, collectable and stunning Bourbon whiskeys in the world. This is a 2017 bottling.

Bottle number I4099

Bottle code: B172490112:17N

Ardbeg 1965 Cadenhead's 14 Year Old

As Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, Cadenhead’s have long been known for releasing stunning whiskies but none more so than those from their famous ‘dumpy’ series, which features some incredible 1950s and 60s vintages. Whisky from this bygone era of production have become increasingly elusive in recent years, making them exceptionally desirable. 

A very old vintage of Ardbeg bottled by Cadenhead's.

Distilled in 1965, matured for 14 years and bottled in June 1979.

Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old Family Reserve

The oldest release as part of the 'Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve' series of bourbons.  

Matured for an incredible 23 years, this is now one of the most desirable, collectable and stunning Bourbon whiskeys in the world. This is a 2016 bottling.

Bottle number H3378. 

Port Ellen 1982 Malts of Scotland

A single cask Port Ellen from German independent label, Malts of Scotland.

Distilled in 1982, a year before the distillery closed. This was bottled in 2016 from a single sherry hogshead #16017.

Bottle 9 of 225.