This month’s Drams Under the Hammer features an incredible selection of nearly 1000 lots of Japanese whisky across the nation’s distilleries as well as an upcoming auction of one of the earliest examples of Glenlivet.
What you missed…
Keepers of the Quaich Collector’s Set raises money for charity
As first appeared in last month’s Drams Under the Hammer, a collection of whiskies released exclusively for Keepers of the Quaich appeared at Whisky Auctioneer last month. The four bottles were from Talisker, Strathisla, Highland Park and Glenfiddich, representing some of Scotland’s well-regarded distilleries. The winning bid and final price came in at £1,550, with 100% of the profits donated to the Ny Name’5 Doddie foundation.
Sotheby’s appoints global head of wine and spirits
Sotheby’s has announced the appointment of Nick Pegna as its global head of wine & spirits. Effective in August, Pegna brings 30 years of worldwide experience in the wine and spirits business, including a 23-year career at Berry Bros. & Rudd where he operated the global sales fine wine teams and led their wine & spirits business across the whole of Asia.
In addition to Pegna’s appointment, Sotheby’s has expanded the roles of a number of its stakeholders: Jonny Fowle has been appointed global head of spirits; Alexandria Cubbage will assume the role of head of major collections, Americas; Richard Young is appointed head of auction sales, fines and rarest wines, Americas and Lukas Dempsey has taken a new Los Angeles-based specialist role.
Coming Up...
Words by Heather Storgaard
Whisky Auctioneer’s June auction contains nearly 1000 lots of Japanese whisky, covering the breadth of the nation’s incredible distilleries. The Karuizawa bottles featured deserve a special mention, with over 100 lots including standouts such as the 1968 Single Sherry Cask 50 Year Old / Water of Life and many Geisha releases including the Blue, Pearl, Gold and Platinum. And in the midst of Suntory’s centenary celebrations, there are of course a range of bottles from earlier milestones, such as the Yamazaki 1984 25th Anniversary and the Hibiki 35 Year Old Kutani decanter.
Words by Heather Storgaard
One of the world’s largest selling Scotch whisky brands, The Glenlivet is a name known to collectors and consumers alike. This month’s auction features some of the earliest examples of Glenlivet you will be able to find, dating back to the 1940s. Baretto Import were among the Italian importers that revolutionised whisky bottling in the 1970s, and remain still sought-after by collectors today.
Ardbeg 1967 Signatory Vintage 30 Year Old / Dark Oloroso Butt #578
Words by Heather Storgaard
Signatory Vintage are perhaps Scotland’s best known independent bottlers and have long had access to some of the country’s best casks. This bottle is a legendary Ardbeg, distilled on 15 February 1967 and matured in a single dark Oloroso sherry butt #578 before being bottled 30 years and two days later. Many collectors search for Islay whiskies from this period, largely regarded as the golden years of the island’s whisky production, prior to the late 20th century changes to production methods and so-called whisky loch.
This article is sponsored by Whisky Auctioneer and is created in partnership with the team at Whisky Magazine. This sponsorship does not influence Whisky Magazine's coverage of auctions and Whisky Auctioneer do not have input on editorial decisions.
About Whisky Auctioneer
Whisky Auctioneer is one of the global market leaders and trusted authorities on the buying and selling of whisky and spirits at auction. Founded in 2013 and located in Perth, Whisky Auctioneer utilises its expertise and knowledge combined with its auction platform, to increase interest and passion in the whisky and spirits community.
Whisky Auctioneer endeavours to make the market more accessible for buyers and sellers of any background and geography. Its monthly global auctions feature some of the most comprehensive selections of old, rare and collectible whiskies and spirits available online.
Whisky Auctioneer became the first online auction house to sell a million-pound bottle and outperformed the nearest traditional auction house by 200 per cent in value from spirits sales in 2020, showcasing the move that whisky collectors, investors and drinkers have already made online and firmly establishing their leading position within the modern secondary whisky market.
