October 2018 Auction

The Last Drop 50 Year Old / with Miniature 5cl

An amazing blend, not only because the whisky is 50 years old but because it contains over 50 whiskies including many from now closed distilleries. The whiskies were blended at birth - something rarely seen these days which means that for 50 years the flavours have been harmonising and interacting with each other. The majority of this was sold as a 30 year old in 1995, but the remainder was given a secondary maturation in Oloroso sherry casks for a further 20 years. 

Bottled by hand in 2015 and sealed with wax, the bottle of The Last Drop 50 Year Old nestles in a luxurious leather case, along with a 50ml miniature, so that owners can taste this magnificent liquid before deciding to open the bottle.

You will also find within the box a special compartment containing a signed and numbered leather-bound book, certifying your bottle of The Last Drop 50 Year Old, and with room for your own tasting notes as you explore this extraordinary blend. 

Bottle number 822 of 898. 

Tamnavulin 20 Year Old Moon Import

A very impressive Moon Import bottling of Tamnavulin, matured for 20 years in sherry wood. 

Bottle number 558. 

Old Oscar Pepper 1916 Bottled in Bond Whiskey Pint / Prohibition Era Bottling

A fantastic example of a Prohibition era bottling of American whiskey. Although the Volstead Act of 1920 had banned all production, sale an consumption of alcohol in the US, a few select companies were able to acquire medicinal licenses that allowed them to continue bottling their warehoused stock. These medicinal bottlings could be prescribed by medical professionals, and bakers were also entitled to a weekly ration to cook with.

One of these companies was the Frankfort distillery. Built in 1902, the distillery was one of 6 companies to be granted a medicinal license, and subsequently bought up the stocks from many of those who did not. This included Labrot & Graham and its Old Oscar Pepper brand. This distillery had a rich history; it was built by Elijah Pepper, as the Old Oscar Pepper distillery in the early 1800s and lists James Crow, of Old Crow fame amongst its former Master Distillers. Colonel E H Taylor Jr also managed it for a time. It was revived in 1935 by R A Baker under the Labrot & Graham name, eventually being acquired by Brown-Forman in 1940. Despite then laying idle for many years, it was revived again in the mid-1990s as what we now recognise as Woodford Reserve.

The Frankfort distillery on the other hand, did not re-open after Prohibition. The company had been procured by Paul Jones & Co. in order to allow them to continue bottling the Four Roses brand. With stock stretched thin by the expanded portfolio by the end of 1920s, they contracted A. Ph. Stitzel to supply them with more from their ageing stock. This partnership saw Frankfort distillery eventually acquire the Stitzel plant in 1933, with its former owners opening the legendary Stitzel-Weller in Louisville two years later. By the late 1940s, the Frankfort distillery company had been acquired by Seagram's.

This was distilled in 1916 bottled in 1926, likely from some of the last of the Labrot & Graham whiskey in the warehouses. It was bottled in bond at the legal requirement of 100 US proof.

Talisker 1978 40 Year Old Bodega Series No. 1

A beautifully-presented addition to the upper end of Talisker's range. 

The Bodega Series aims to re-imagine the flavour profile of older, heavily-sherried Talisker whilst using modern techniques. 

This first release of three in the series pays tribute to the Delgado bodega, the oldest in the region around Jerez. Delgado's speciality is Amontillado, and five of their most special casks were used for this Talisker's final period of maturation. 

Bottle number 1402 of only 2000.

Tomatin 1981 Single Cask 32 Year Old #001

The very first cask distilled at Tomatin in 1981 this was aged 32 years in Oloroso sherry wood and bottled in 2014 in this stunning decanter.

Cask #001 was an Oloroso sherry butt.

This is bottle 32 of 405.

Taketsuru 25 Year Old Pure Malt

A very rare bottling of Taketsuru, originally introduced in 2012 this blended malt contains casks from Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries.

It is extremely limited and only 120 bottles were available throughout Europe. 

Oban 1961 Gordon & MacPhail 20 Year Old 1980s / Co. Import Pinerolo

A well aged and incredibly desirable Oban, distilled in 1961 and released as a 20 year old by Gordon & MacPhail in their Connoisseurs Choice range.

This was an Italian release for Co. Import, Pinerolo.

Old Parr Elizabethan

A very rare and stunning bottle of Old Parr Elizabethan, presented in a hand blown bottle, each side showing a different historical figure; Thomas Parr, James I, Elizabeth I and Henry VIII.

Bottled to commemorate the Elizabethan era of British history.

Only 252 bottles of this elegant decanter were produced.

The Real McTavish 1950s/60s Ainslie and Heilbron

​A blended scotch produced by Ainslie and Heibron in the 1950s/60s, so likely to include generous amounts of Old Clynelish / Brora!

Talisker 1977 Cask Strength 35 Year Old

A 35 year old Talisker distilled in 1977 and released in 2012.

Matured in a combination of refill American and European oak casks.

One of 3090 bottles. 

Tomatin 1962 42 Year Old / Jumping Jack

An unusual bottling of Tomatin, distilled in 1962 and bottled for Jumping Jack Production in Berlin. 

Released as part of the Auld Distillers Collection, this is one of 73 bottles. 

Oban 13 Year Old Manager's Dram 1990

The Manager’s Dram series of whiskies were bottled exclusively for employees of what is now known as Diageo.  These whiskies were selected by the respective distillery managers within Diageo malt distilling and bottled at natural cask strength.

A 13 year old sherry matured Oban bottled in November 1990. 

Although not stated appears to be a 75cl bottle. 

Tullibardine 1966 Single Cask #1112

A 1966 vintage single cask from Highland distillery, Tullibardine. Distilled in 1966 and bottled in April 2006 from a single sherry butt.

Cask #1112 yielded 436 bottles, this is number 245.

Trois Rivieres 1964 Martinique Rum

A Rhum Agricole from the Trois Rivieres distillery in Sainte Luce on the Island of Martinique.

Rhum Agricoles are distilled exclusively from pressed sugar cane (no molasses) and typically offer light, grassy characteristics.

Tomatin 1967 40 Year Old

The Tomatin 40 year old is highly acclaimed and widely sought after.

Distilled in 1967 and matured in a combination of seven ex-bourbon hogshead casks. 

One of 1614 bottles

Tomatin 1981 Single Cask 32 Year Old #001

The very first cask distilled at Tomatin in 1981 this was aged 32 years in Oloroso sherry wood and bottled in 2014 in this stunning decanter.

Cask #001 was an Oloroso sherry butt.

This is a surplus bottle to the official 405 run, and is numbered 415 and presented without the exterior packaging.

Old Vandegrift 1917 Bottled in Bond Pure Whiskey Pint / Prohibition Era Bottling

This was distilled in the Fall of 1917 at Hammond Distillery in Indiana, and was presumably some of their last whiskey given they were forced to close down when Prohibition was enacted in April that year.

The Hammond Distilling Company was incorporated in 1901 and was run by none other than John E. Fitzgerald, after whom the Stitzel-Weller (and now Heaven Hill) classic, Old Fitzgerald is named.

Following its closure, Hammond Distillery has an infamous subsequent history of association with illicit bootlegging and smuggling, attributed to none other than Al Capone. 

The whiskey used for this was likely saved from the hands of prohibition gangland by the Pennsylvania Distillery Inc, who bonded it in New York and bottled it in 1934 under a special medicinal license, despite the fact prohibition had already been repealed a year earlier.

Oban 19 Year Old Manager’s Dram 1995

The Manager’s Dram series of whiskies were bottled exclusively for employees of what is now known as Diageo. These whiskies were selected by the respective distillery managers within Diageo malt distilling and bottled at natural cask strength.

Released in 1995 from a refill cask, this Oban was bottled for United Distillers (Diageo) and chosen by John Williams.

Oban 1978 Signatory Vintage 18 Year Old

A vintage bottling of Oban, distilled in 1978 and bottled in 1996 by Signatory Vintage.

Aged 18 years in single cask #215, this is one of 272 bottles. 

Tomatin 1976 Liquid Sun 34 Year Old

Tomatin distilled in 1976 and matured in a single sherry butt then bottled in 2011. 

One of 272 bottles. 

The Drunken Master Blended Malt Whisky Agency / Art Taiwan - Beijing Opera Facial Masks 2 x 70cl​

A joint bottling between the Art Taiwan and the Mash Tun Tokyo by The Whisky Agency.

This lot comprises of two full 70cl whiskies bottled by the Drunken Master. 

A 35 year old blended malt distilled in 1980, matured in a sherry butt and bottled in 2015 at 47.4%, alongside a 1992 Burnside bottled in 2015.

\"Burnside\" is Balvenie that has been \"teaspooned\" with Glenfiddich. This practice allowed brand protective single malt producers to sell casks for blending purposes but ensure that they are not released as independent bottlings. The 23 year old Burnside is bottled at 49.3%. 

This lot has a 2 bottle shipping fee. 

Tomatin 36 Year Old Rare Cask Batch #13

The first Rare Cask release from Tomatin. Aged for 36 years in a combination of Oloroso sherry and bourbon casks.

Bottled on 29th August 2016.

One of 800 bottles

Tomatin 1966 Signatory Vintage 26 Year Old

This Tomatin was distilled in 1966 and bottled by Signatory Vintage in 1992. 

One of 1200 bottles. 

Old Pulteney World's Best Whiskies Pack 2 x 70cl / 21 Year Old & 1989 Vintage

A nicely presented twin pack containing 'the world's best whiskies'. 

Jim Murray named Old Pulteney 21 Year Old as his World Whisky of the Year in 2012, whilst the 1989 Vintage (bottled 2015) won the World's Best Single Malt award at the World Whiskies Awards in 2016. 

This is twin pack number 112 of 276. Both bottles are 46% ABV.

This lot has a 2 bottle shipping fee. 

Octomore Orpheus 2.2 

Similar to the Comus, the Orpheus release was peated to the same degree as its counter-part Octomore 2.1, at 140ppm. The Orpheus was finished using Château Pétrus Bordeaux casks, recognised as one of the world’s top vineyards. Matured for only 5 years, this alongside the Comus have proven to be quite desirable bottlings.

One of 15,000 bottles.

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Old

The 10 year old Handmade Bourbon 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 2000s, 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 2016 bottling.

Bottling code is B1618319:424

Octomore 1695 Discovery / Feis Ile 2014 - Signed by Jim McEwan

This 2014 release was the first time Bruichladdich released an Octomore for Feis Ile and it was incredibly limited with only 1,695 bottles being released.

Distilled on the 18th February 2007 and bottled for the 2014 Bruichladdich Open Day at Feis Ile, with a very impressive ABV of 69.5%. 

One of 1695 bottles.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Spring & Fall 2018 Releases 2 x 75cl

Currently distilled at Heaven Hill, this brand was once under the ownership of the legendary Pappy Van Winkle, who bought it for the princely sum of $10,000 from Old Judge distillery at the close of prohibition in 1933.

Heaven Hill procured the brand from United Distillers in 1999 along with the Bernheim distillery, who had been producing it until then using the remaining Stitzel-Weller stock.

This was lot comprises the two 2018 releases from the Spring and Fall seasons. Both were distilled at the Heaven Hill's Bernheim distillery.

• Spring 2018: Distilled in 2006 and bottled at 11 years old
• Fall 2018: Distilled in 2008 and bottled at 9 years old

This lot has a 2 bottle shipping fee.

Thomas H Handy Sazerac Rye 2017 Release

Part of Buffalo Trace's annual antique collection. Bottled at hot 63.6% alcohol, they do get higher ABV than this but it's still impressive!

The 2011 release won Jim Murray's Whisky of the Year! 

Buffalo Trace's Antique Collection celebrates various historic bourbon brands and figures. The Thomas H. Handy rye is named after the company's founder, and features an image of the eponymous Sazerac Coffee House where everything started on the bottle.

Otard 1917 Cognac

A very old bottle of Otard cognac. Sadly the label is missing which makes it difficult to discern too much about it.

What is left of the label is however in the style of the common 1917 vintage, bottled at some point in the 1960s or 70s by Threlfalls Ltd of Liverpool.

Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon 1970s

Old Forester is one of bourbon's historic brands. It was one of the first to ever be sold by the bottle in order to ensure quality control to capitalise on the medicinal whiskey trade in the 19th century. It was even named after local Louisville physician, Dr. William Forrester (they dropped the second 'R' fro the name when he retired). Produced by Brown-Forman at their distillery in Shively, Kentucky.

This particular Old Forester was bottled in the late 1970s in, unusually for the time, a 70cl bottle.

Oishii Wisukii 36 Year Old Highlander Inn Small Batch Blend II

A very high quality 36 year old blended whisky which has been matured in a single sherry cask.

Bottled exclusively for the whisky lover's paradise, The Highlander Inn in Craigellachie. Named Oishii Wisukii, which translates to \"Delicious Whisky\", this bottle has labels designed by Japanese artist and designer Takeshi Abe, whose previous work has included label design for the Ichiro's Malt 'Card' series.

This is the second batch, bottled in 2016 at 51.1%.