October 2018 Auction

Ardbeg 1974 Samaroli 15 Year Old

One of two releases of a 1974 vintage Ardbeg bottled for Silvano Samaroli. At 240 bottles, this is the much rarer of the two.

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 1990, and is bottle number 127.

Hanyu 1990 Ichiro's Malt 'Card' #527 / Ten of Diamonds​

One of Ichiro's Malt's legendary 'Card' series bottlings from the lost Hanyu distillery.

Distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2011. 

First matured in a hogshead and then finished in an American oak puncheon. 

Bottle number 322 of 585. 

Ardbeg 1973 Samaroli / Fragments of Scotland

Distilled in 1973 and bottled in 1988 by Silvano Samaroli as part of the rare 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. The painting on this particular label belonged to Silvano, and also appears on the Glen Garioch and Glenugie bottlings.

Although the distillery is not mentioned on the label, it is well known as an Ardbeg.

Bottle number 103 of only 648.

Hanyu 2000 Ichiro's Malt 'Card' #9020 / Six of Clubs

The Six of Clubs release within Ichiro's Malt's legendary 'Card' series, bottled in 2009 from cask #9020.

First matured in a hogshead before being re-racked into a cream sherry butt for a second maturation period.

Bottle 29 of 597. 

Hanyu 2000 Ichiro's Malt 'Card' #7020 / Three of Clubs

One of Ichiro's Malt's legendary 'Card' series bottlings from the lost Hanyu distillery.

Distilled in 2000 and bottled in 2009. 

Originally matured in a hogshead and then \"double new wood\" finished in two subsequent new American oak puncheons.

Bottle number 54 of 592.

Ardbeg 1975 Intertrade 13 Year Old 

A stunning vintage Ardbeg, distilled on 9th October 1975 and bottled at cask strength on 30th July 1989 for Intertrade Italia.

Intertrade was established in Italy in the early 1980s by Nadi Fiori, a contemporary of Silvano Samaroli and Moon Import's Pepi Mongiardino. His company is perhaps less well known than theirs, but bottled some of the most well-regarded and collectible whiskies on the market.

Bottle number 161 of 288. 

Hakushu 25 Year Old Limited Edition

The very rare Hakushu 25 Year old... Jim Murray gave it 93 out of 100 and said \"a malt which is impossible not to be blown away by\".

This limited edition bottling is decorated with a five-cord 'Mizuhiki', which symbolises the joining of hands and hearts of the giver and recipient. 

Hakushu 25 Year Old Limited Edition

The very rare Hakushu 25 Year old... Jim Murray gave it 93 out of 100 and said \"a malt which is impossible not to be blown away by\".

This limited edition bottling is decorated with a five-cord 'Mizuhiki', which symbolises the joining of hands and hearts of the giver and recipient. 

Hibiki 30 Year Old / Kacho Fugetsu Limited Edition

The Kacho Fugetsu Hibiki 30 year old is at the pinnacle of the Hibiki range and a prefect example of their appreciation of the beauty of Japanese nature. The special limited release was exclusive to travel retail in 2015.

Hibiki 30 year old is a very popular and stunning blend produced by Suntory. Here is a just a snapshot of its accolades:

• International Spirits Challenge Trophy 2004 
• International Spirits Challenge Trophy 2006 
• Word Whisky Awards 2007 - World's Best Blended Whisky 
• International Spirits Challenge Trophy 2007 
• Word Whisky Awards 2008 - World's Best Blended Whisky 
• International Spirits Challenge Trophy 2008

Hanyu 2000 Ichiro's Malt 'Card' #1305 / Five of Diamonds​

A single cask #1305 Hanyu, bottled within the Ichiro's Malt 'Card' series of whiskies.

Distilled in 2000 and matured in a hogshead before being moved into a Sherry butt for a second maturation period. 

Bottle number 45 of 652.

Ardbeg 1974 Single Cask 29 Year Old #2740

A single cask Ardbeg filled on 14th June 1974 and bottled at cask strength 29 years later, on the 11th August 2003

Cask #2740 yielded only 120 bottles. This is bottle number 17.

Hanyu 1991 Ichiro's Malt 'Card' #405 / Six of Hearts​

Part of the legendary 'Card' series from Ichiro Akuto.

Distilled in 1991 and bottled 2012 from cask #405

The first cask was a hogshead before being re-racked into an American Oak Puncheon.

This is bottle number 428 of 564 bottles.

Hakushu 25 Year Old

The very rare Hakushu 25 Year old... Jim Murray gave it 93 out of 100 and said \"a malt which is impossible not to be blown away by\".

Russian import, this is bottle number 9143. 

Highland Park 1958 40 Year Old

A legendary 40 year old Highland Park released alongside branded decanter and a book which celebrates Highland Park and Orkney.

This magnificent whisky is presented in a hardwood case.

Bottle number 428 of 665 produced. 

This lot has a 2 bottle shipping fee. 

Ardbeg 1975 Single Cask #1375

This whisky was distilled on 28^th March 1975 and matured in a sherry butt before being bottled on 8^th November 2006.  This 31 year old has become a rarity as single cask Ardbeg has become beyond rare.

This is bottle number 191 of 522 bottles.

Hanyu Ichiro's Malt The Joker 'Colour'

The 54th and final bottling in Ichiro's Card Series.

There are two Joker's released to complete the 54 bottle series, one in colour and one in Black and White.  This particular bottling is the Colour Joker, a vatting of 14 casks covering vintages from 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991 and 2000.  The casks used for this final bottling include a sherry butt, puncheon, hogshead, Cognac, chibidaru, Madeira hogshead and bourbon.

Only 3,690 bottles of this highly sought after whisky have been made available. This is bottle number 3160.

Hanyu Ichiro's Malt The Joker 'Colour'

The 54th and final bottling in Ichiro's Card Series.

There are two Joker's released to complete the 54 bottle series, one in colour and one in Black and White.  This particular bottling is the Colour Joker, a vatting of 14 casks covering vintages from 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991 and 2000.  The casks used for this final bottling include a sherry butt, puncheon, hogshead, Cognac, chibidaru, Madeira hogshead and bourbon.

Only 3,690 bottles of this highly sought after whisky have been made available.

This is bottle number 2037.

Ardbeg 1975 Douglas Laing 25 Year Old

A very rare independent bottling from Islay's famous Ardbeg distillery.

This was distilled in 1975 and bottled in October 2000 by Douglas Laing, part of their Old Malt Cask series.

This is one of 702 bottles.

Hanyu 1988 Full Proof 'Nice Butt' Single Cask #9307

A 1988 vintage Hanyu, bottled fro Full Proof Europe with their usual, unusual label.

This is a circa 19 year old single cask fro the closed Japanese distillery, bottled in 2008.

Number 386 of 534 bottles. 

Ardbeg 1965 Gordon and MacPhail 15 Year Old / Co. Pinerolo Import

A very old vintage of Ardbeg bottled by Gordon & MacPhail as part of their Connoisseurs Choice series.

Distilled in 1965, matured for 15 years and imported to Italy by Co. Import, Pinerolo.

Hanyu 1988 Noh Single Cask 21 Year Old #9306

A Hanyu Noh cask label, distilled in 1988 and bottled in 2009.

Drawn from single Spanish oak sherry butt #9306.

One of 625 bottles.

Ardbeg 1964 Gordon and MacPhail

A very old bottling of Ardbeg by Gordon and MacPhail, distilled in 1964 and bottled in 1996, a fantastic, rare and old vintage.

Highland Park 1967 John Scott's 42 Year Old

Distilled in in 1967 and bottled by John Scott's in 2009 after being matured in single sherry cask #6282.

The fifth and final bottling in the 'John Scott's' range.

Bottle number 27 of 190. 

Hanyu 1990 Full Proof 'The Wave' Single Cask #9305 / Batch II

A single cask release for Full Proof from the closed Japanese distillery, Hanyu. 

Distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2009, this is the second batch of The Wave bottlings.

Bottle number 60 of only 200. 

Ardbeg 1973 Sestante 15 Year Old

One of two very rare Ardbeg's bottled by the famous Italian bottler, Sestante. 

Only very rarely will you find Ardbeg from this period these days, it is well worth investigating these older bottlings, even more so when they are from bottlers such as Sestante.

The Sestante import company was founded in the 1970s by Ernesto Mainardi, and he bottled his first single casks under the name in 1985. Alongside his contemporary, Silvano Samaroli, Mainardi pioneered giving his customers a choice of both standard 40-46% bottlings, and cask strength releases from the same casks. Along with his other brand, Silver Seal, Mainardi's bottlings are incredibly sought after.

Bottled in 1988.

Ardbeg 1973 Sestante 15 Year Old

One of two very rare Ardbeg's bottled by the famous Italian bottler, Sestante. 

Only very rarely will you find Ardbeg from this period these days, it is well worth investigating these older bottlings, even more so when they are from bottlers such as Sestante.

The Sestante import company was founded in the 1970s by Ernesto Mainardi, and he bottled his first single casks under the name in 1985. Alongside his contemporary, Silvano Samaroli, Mainardi pioneered giving his customers a choice of both standard 40-46% bottlings, and cask strength releases from the same casks. Along with his other brand, Silver Seal, Mainardi's bottlings are incredibly sought after.

Bottled in 1988.

Ardbeg 1974 Signatory Vintage 24 Year Old

A single vintage Ardbeg from Signatory Vintage.

Distilled on Islay on the 22nd March 1974, and bottled in April 1998 from casks #622 and #1034.

Bottle number 78 of 362 filled at cask strength.

Ardbeg 1974 Signatory Vintage 23 Year Old

A single cask Ardbeg from Signatory Vintage.

Distilled on Islay on the 22nd March 1974, and bottled in December 1997 from cask #1042.

Bottle number 13 of 206 filled at cask strength.

Hanyu 2000 Ichiro`s Malt Single Cask #955

A single cask Hanyu from the distillery's final year of production.

Bottled in 2015 from cask #955 at 60%. 

One of 295 bottles. 

Hanyu 2000 Ichiro`s Malt Single Cask #955

A single cask Hanyu from the distillery's final year of production.

Bottled in 2015 from Cask #955 at 60%

One of 295 bottles. 

Ardbeg Auriverdes Gold Edition

This shiny Ardbeg Auriverdes, launched on 31st May 2014 on 'Ardbeg Day' which coincides with the 'Ardbeg Day' with the Islay Festival.  

A very rare bottle, this Auriverdes was never made available to the public, it was only given to journalists, bloggers and distillery ambassadors before the official release at the end of May 2014.

The Auriverdes (Auri = Gold and Verdes = Green) is named after the Brazilian sports teams colours (Brazil hosted the World Cup in 2014) whilst also referring to Ardbeg's iconic green bottle and the 'golden' whisky inside.  

A.H. Hirsch Reserve 1974 16 Year Old Bourbon / 2003 Release

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 Michter's 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 ageing 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 1989, 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 the Buffalo Trace bottles, filled in 2003 for the new owners of the Hirsch Reserve, Preiss Imports, who purchased it from Gordon Hue that year.

Preiss Imports 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.

70cl UK bottle.