Ask the expert

Q. While shopping on the internet, I came across a whisky flagon and began to bid on it. After watching it for several days I ended up winning the item much to my surprise. It is a 1990 Old Glasgow Whisky Flagon and is still sealed and in its original fabricated box. I am very pleased with the item but I do not know anything about it. I was wondering if you could help me find out more about the item. Who filled it? The origins of the item and the value ?D. J. Kirkwall, Orkney.A. Your Old Glasgow Whisky Flagon was filled by Donald Hart Company (Vintners) Forth Street Glasgow, blenders, wine and spirit merchants. It was a Deluxe blend of 8 year old Scotch Whisky, 40 % Vol. 75 cl. Contained in a black ceramic decanter presented in its original silk lined presentation box. It was produced to celebrate Glasgow being the Cultural Capital Of Europe 1990. The value of the decanter at auction would be £5-£70

Q. I contacted you some time back about Black Swan Whisky. I had at the time found a water jug for it in Germany, and our home pub is called The Black Swan. All leads died but to my delight a friend found a malt 10 year old called Black Swan in Spain. How and when did they acquire the name? It is bottled by Quality Spirits International in Glasgow. Can you add anything to what I have found as I'd really like to know what happened to the original company.M Smith. Vancouver. Canada.A. I have traced your Black Swan 10 year old. The name is now used by a supermarket in Spain called Mercadona. Head office in Valencia. I have tried to contact them but they have not replied. Quality Spirit International Glasgow do the bottling for them but they did not know when they acquired the name. J & W Nicholson Company Ltd. Who originally bottled Black Swan were taken over by Allied-Lyons PLC in 1982, when their distilling and blending activities were taken over. I think Allied must have sold the name to Mercadona sometime after that.Q. I wonder if you might be able to assist me with something. A friend of mine showed me a bottle of White Horse Whisky which he had that appeared to be quite old. It reads on the label distilled and bottled in Scotland under British Government Supervision, but the most interesting thing it appears to be a sort of flip top lid and is sealed with a tiny white horse.T Abbot. Manchester,UK A. I have seen this bottle of White Horse - it has an embossed lead capsule over a clip top with a model of a white horse hanging from the lead capsule. It was produced in the very early 1960s. Because it has this unusual feature it is very collectable and the price at auction would be £120 to £150.Q. I have a 70 cl. Bottle of Johnnie Walker Special 1820 Reserve on the label. It is a decanter shaped bottle with a cork stopper. I wondered if you could give me some information and its value and which country was it made for.R Edinburgh Scotland.A. Your Johnnie Walker 1820 Reserve was bottled in a tapered tall clear glass decanter type bottle, contained within its original presentation carton. It was produced for sale mainly in the far eastern market. At auction it would fetch between £40 to £60.