This month’s auction highlights include a large range of Islay whiskies going under the hammer at Whisky Auctioneer, which coincided with last week’s Fèis Ìle whisky festival on the island. We also take a look back at lots sold in May, including a rare expression by the Dalmore released as part of its ongoing collaboration with the V&A Dundee.
What you missed...
The Dalmore Luminary No 2 ‘The Rare’
The second in the Dalmore’s Luminary series, a 49-year-old single malt, was sold through Sotheby’s for £93,750, alongside the glass sculpture which housed it. The exclusive expression was the result of a collaboration between the Dalmore and the V&A Dundee, with the whisky made by the Dalmore’s master whisky makers Gregg Glass and Richard Paterson and sculpture designed by Melodie Leung. Three bottles of the whisky and two sculptures were made; the set not sold will be held in archive at the Dalmore Distillery.
High-age expressions at Whisky Auctioneer
In its May auction Whisky Auctioneer listed a large range of high-age expressions, including Bowmore 1969 Bourbon and Sherry Cask 50 Years Old and Bowmore 1965 Oloroso Sherry Cask 52 Years Old which sold for £19,500 and £18,000 respectively. Also sold was a 70-year-old Glen Grant from Gordon & MacPhail, bottled in celebration of the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, with a winning bid of £7,000.
Coming up...
Distilled in Spring 1974 at Michter’s distillery, this bourbon is bottled from a single 400-barrel batch commissioned by Adolph Hirsch. The barrels were left to mature for far longer than was usual in the bourbon industry at the time, resulting in the 16-year-old bottling. Most went in to creating the AH Hirsch reserve brand, predominantly sold on the Japanese market, but some also went into this Boone’s Knoll.
In the same month as Islay’s whisky festival Fèis Ìle, Whisky Auctioneer has a range of independently bottled releases from the golden era of the island. From Signatory Vintage, a selection of Port Ellen is available. The Ardbeg 1973 Samaroli / Fragments of Scotland is a gem of a bottle using liquid distilled just prior to Ardbeg’s switch from using their own maltings, making it a collector’s item. Appearing alongside it is a Bowmore 18 Years Old that dates from the 1960s, when it was owned by JB Sherriff & Co, and Bruichladdich 1964 The Piper’s Preferred, a heavily sherried release from German independent bottler Scotchconnection.
Scotch Malt Whisky Society US imports
This month, Whisky Auctioneer has more than 100 Scotch Malt Whisky Society US imports, showcasing America’s taste in Scotch whisky through the range of expressions included. Highlights include big names such as the Macallan as well as distilleries such as Kilchoman rarely seen as independent bottlings, plus lost grain distilleries.
