Breaking into the top three in the WMI is never easy and very few brands have held that honour. Glenfiddich has joined that select company, largely based on the precious bottles of the Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve 1955 auctioned for charity, but they are now challenging Bowmore for second spot. The second bottle raised a remarkable £44,000 for Walking with the Wounded, which is welcome news for the guys as they prepare their challenge to become Everest summiteers in May. We wish them well with their climb, and as Glenfiddich commences the celebrations for their 125th anniversary, the third bottle of eleven will go under the hammer in New York. Could they reach the top?AUCTION WATCH The Syndicate bottlings of Lagavulin and Caol Ila from the privately owned casks continue to appear in batches in the salerooms, attracting bids from individuals and trade customers alike. Brisk trading at Taylor’s Auction Rooms in Montrose helped nudge them both into the top 10 and there will likely be more to come. Taylor’s sold some fine examples of Inchgower, Dufftown and Blair Athol official bottlings in old style original cartons as well as some local favourites from North Port and Lochside.Two 150th anniversary bottlings came up; The Glendronach hitting £380 and Glenfarclas achieving £200.Islay malts continue to prove popular in the upper echelons of the chart. Ardbeg Kildalton made £380 and £360 a piece at Taylor’s while a Laphroaig Islay Mist 8 Years Old 75% proof managed £320.Lovers of Bruichladdich are seeing certain bottlings appreciate in value and recent auction performance has highlighted several bottlings worth tracking down whenever they appear. Bruichladdich Blacker Still made £220 at McTear’s whereas the same sum bought a bottle of Redder Still and Golden Still, Bruichladdich Legacy Series 1 settled for £220, and the Bruichladdich 1970 (£190) and the Bruichladdich 125th anniversary (£280) both accounted for themselves well.Collectors of miniatures have seen some substantial collections passing through McTear’s in recent sales and bidding can be highly competitive but they offered a real rarity when one of only six sets of rare Irish whiskey miniatures released by Cadenhead’s appeared.The five minis fetched an admirable £750 and included examples of 48 Years Old whiskey distilled at Dublin’s Jones Road Distillery in 1942 and a 38 Years Old whiskey distilled in 1952 at Daly’s Tullamore Distillery.McTear’s highest hammer price was £2,400 for The Macallan 1951 48.8% but other sizeable sums were paid for a Laphroaig Vintage Reserve (£1,100), Springbank 33 Years Old (£900), Rare Malts Selection Brora 1972 58.7% (£800) and Gordon & MacPhail’s Highland Park Fine Old Highland Pot Still Pure Malt (£650).FORTHCOMING AUCTION DATES28th April 2012
Taylor’s Auctions Rooms, Montrose Tel +44 (0)1674 6727752nd May 2012
McTear’s, Glasgow Tel +44 (0)141 810 288012th May 2012
Tennant’s, North Yorkshire Tel +44 (0) 1969 62378024th May 2012
Bonham’s, Hong Kong Tel +852 2918 43216th June 2012
McTear’s, Glasgow Tel +44 (0)141 810 28807th June 2012
Christies, London Tel +44 (0)20 7839 906014th June 2012
Bonham’s, New York Tel + 1 212 644 900127th June 2012
Bonham’s, Edinburgh Tel +44 (0)1292 520 00027th June 2012
Mulberry Bank Auctions, Glasgow Tel +44 (0)141 225 8181