Bidding advice
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Placing a Maximum Bid
Use the "Set your bid limit" button on the left side of the bidding panel to enter the highest amount you're willing to bid on a lot. Our system will then automatically raise your bid in set increments if you’re outbid, up to your maximum. If someone bids above your set limit, we’ll notify you by email so you can choose whether to increase your bid.
Placing a Single Bid
Alternatively, place a single bid by selecting the button on the right side of the bidding panel. The button displays the amount needed for the next increment. For example, if the current highest bid is £50.00, the button will show "+ £55.00" (reflecting a £5.00 increment).
Incremental Bidding Explained
Our system increases bids based on preset increments, as shown in the table below, whether you set a maximum bid or make a single bid.
Bottle Details
Port Ellen 1978 Gemini 44 Year Old 2 x 70cl
For decades Port Ellen was the lost jewel in the Islay crown, closed down by DCL (now Diageo) in 1983 due to an oversupply of peated whisky for blending and a perceived lack of interest in it as a single malt. However, it developed a legendary status over the years and in 2017 Diageo eventually announced plans to re-open it. The work was completed in 2024, and the first spirit was distilled in March that year. A very rare 12 year old bottled for attendees of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 is believed to have been the only distillery bottling produced in its first years of operation. Diageo then bottled the first publicly available distillery bottlings as part of the Rare Malts Selection, followed by the annual special releases.
Upon the distillery's reopening in 2024, Diageo marked its historic return with this extravagant release, entitled Gemini. The release consist of two 44 year old bottlings, dubbed Original Cask and Remnant Cask. The spirit for this release was distilled in 1978, and initialy matured in European oak refill butts. The two 'siblings' were then seperated, and while one was left to continue maturing in European Oak, the other was finished in the distillery's remnant cask; a vessel used to measure the excess spirit of a filling run. When the distillery closed in 1983, the remnant cask was rescued from the filling store and stored for 40 years. It was then re-seasoned with sherry from Williams & Humbert, and used for the final maturation of part of the distillery's oldest release to date.
- Port Ellen 1978 Gemini 44 Year Old / Original Cask, 54.9% 70cl
- Port Ellen 1978 Gemini 44 Year Old / Remnant Cask, 53.6% 70cl
Gemini is presented in an incredibly-elaborate case, featuring a complex Klemens Torggler door system. The decanters, each featuring a small section of their respective cask in the stopper, are presented on a partially-rotating plinth.
One of 274 sets.
Please note that the folding door and moving parts of this presentation are extremely fragile and susceptible to damage.
Please note due to the size and weight of this item, it will carry a twelve-bottle shipping fee.
Frequently asked questions
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