December Auction Highlights 2020
It’s time for our Bumper two week long Christmas Whisky Auction! This month has some epic Macallan, fantastic Springbanks and a stack of great Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottlings, so we’d better crack on.
MACALLAN MONTAGE
Classic older Macallans include Macallan Private Eye, Macallan Nicol’s Nectar, Macallan Royal Marriage, Macallan 1948 51-Year-Old Select Reserve, Macallan 1950 Handwritten Label, Anniversary Malts Macallan 1957 25-Year-Old and Macallan 1975 25-Year-Old, plus Macallan 1977 18-Year-Old, the turn of the century Macallan 30-Year-Old and a US edition of the magnificent Macallan 1946 52-Year-Old,
More recent Macallans include Macallan 30-Year-Old Rankin, Macallan M Decanter MMXVII, Macallan Coronation, Macallan Folio Archival Series 2, Macallan Folio Archival Series 6, Macallan Edition 2, a remarkable six-bottle lot of Macallan Edition 2-6 & Classic Cut, Macallan 1841 Replica, Macallan Rare Cask Black, Macallan Genesis 2018, Macallan 18-Year-Old 2016, Macallan Whisky Makers Edition, Macallan 2002-2018 Exceptional Cask 4, Macallan Boutique Collection 2019, Macallan Boutique Collection 2020, Macallan Edrington New Home and Macallan 30-Year-Old Fine Oak
The two newest Macallans in the sale will perhaps be the most closely-watched: Macallan 40-Year-Old Red Collection and Macallan 78-Year-Old Red Collection are sure to attract fierce bidding.
EPIC ISLAY WHISKY
Classic official Islay whiskies this month include Lagavulin 16-Year-Old White Horse and its predecessor 1980s Lagavulin 12-Year-Old White Horse, cask strength Lagavulin 16-Year-Old Feis Ile 2017, Bruichladdich 1964 40-Year-Old, the famous Bruichladdich 1984 Enlightenment, a few bottles of Bruichladdich Black Art 1990 4.1 plus Jim McEwan’s swansong Bruichladdich Final Act of Creation, the remarkable Ardbeg Double Barrel 1974-2007 and Laphroaig 1976, plus the marvellous Laphroaig 15-Year-Old ‘Red 15’ and a litre of 1980s Unblended Laphroaig 10-Year-Old.
It’s another great auction for Bowmore fans: we’ve got the Duty-Free version of Bowmore Bicentenary, Gold Bowmore 1964 44-Year-Old, Bowmore 1955 40-Year-Old, the overlooked Bowmore 1971 34-Year-Old, and of course the Black Bowmore 1964 First Edition, Black Bowmore 1964 42-Year-Old and Black Bowmore 1964 50-Year-Old Last Cask.
Staying on a sherried theme there’s also Ardbeg 1990-2007 Cask 86, Laphroaig 1981 27-Year-Old, Caol Ila 15-Year-Old Manager’s Dram, and the ne-plus-ultra sherried Signatory Ardbeg 1967 30-Year-Old.
Elsewhere there’s some great Port Ellen Special Releases: Port Ellen 1979 22-Year-Old (1st Release), Port Ellen 1978 24-Year-Old (2nd Release), Port Ellen 1979 24-Year-Old (3rd Release), Port Ellen 1979 25-Year-Old (5th Release) and Port Ellen 1979 28-Year-Old (7th Release).
Outstanding indie Islays this month include the private bottling Ardbeg 1994 23-Year-Old, Celtic Heartland’s Bowmore 1968 35-Year-Old signed by Jim McEwan, Wemyss’ sought-after Bowmore 1995-2014, heavyweight Gordon & MacPhail’s Caol Ila 1968 50-Year-Old, and of course The Syndicate’s Lagavulin 15-Year-Old, Lagavulin 1979 35-Year-Old, Lagavulin 1979 38-Year-Old and Lagavulin 1979 40-Year-Old.
CLASSIC CAMPBELTOWN
Sensational Springbanks this month, with Springbank 1966-1999 Local Barley Cask 503, the tasty Springbank 12-Year-Old Ceramic, a 1990s dumpy Springbank 21-Year-Old, Springbank 19-Year-Old Red Bay Bracer, the return of the magnificent Springbank 12-Year-Old 100-Proof UK Version and this stunning pearshaped Springbank 50-Year-Old bottled about fifty years ago for Italy.
Springbank’s other distillates are headed up by the legendary Longrow 1974 16-Year-Old, alongside Longrow 1995 10-Year-Old, Longrow Red 12-Year-Old and an old Hazelburn 8-Year-Old. The Glengyle distillery, meanwhile, has Kilkerran Sherry Wood and Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch 1.
There’s also some very tempting indie Campbeltowns this month, such as Hunter Laing’s Springbank 1993 22-Year-Old, the private cask Springbank 1996 16-Year-Old and best of all the famed Springbank 1965-1993 from Adelphi.
INDIE GEMS
This splendid Gordon & MacPhail Speyside Vintage Collection 1948-1972 is a six bottle set from 2016 featuring ancient drams from Glenlivet, Strathisla, Longmorn, Mortlach, Glen Grant and Linkwood. There’s plenty more G&M Speysides too, with the famous Mortlach 1936 50-Year-Old plus 1980s Glenlivet 1940, Strathisla 1965-2012, Glenlivet 1963-2010, Glen Grant 1948-2006, Glen Grant 1952-2012, Glen Grant 1957-2011, Glen Grant 1959-1996 and Glen Grant 1963-2014.
That’s not all for Glen Grant though – there’s plenty from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society too, including Glen Grant 1988 30-Year-Old SMWS 9.150, Glen Grant 1992 24-Year-Old SMWS 9.128 and Glen Grant 1992 24-Year-Old SMWS 9.140.
SMWS features heavily in the auction this month. There’s a spectacular haul of Longmorn, including (but not limited to) Longmorn 1990 26-Year-Old SMWS 7.173, Longmorn 1990 27-Year-Old SMWS 7.186, Longmorn 1992 25-Year-Old SMWS 7.193, Longmorn 1992 25-year-Old SMWS 7.194, Longmorn 1993 25-Year-Old SMWS 7.210 and Longmorn 1993 25-Year-Old SMWS 7.212.
There’s plenty of great miscellaneous SMWS stuff too, like Springbank 1979-1991 SMWS 27.12 and Springbank 1996 21-Year-Old SMWS 27.112, plus Mannochmore 1988 29-Year-Old SMWS 64.100, Linkwood 1990 27-Year-Old SMWS 39.147, Caperdonich 1992 26-Year-Old SMWS 38.23, Laphroaig 1995 23-Year-Old SMWS 29.255, Benrinnes 1997 20-Year-Old SMWS 36.142, Glenfarclas 1997 21-Year-Old SMWS 1.208, Cragganmore 2000 17-Year-Old SMWS 37.108, and the first SMWS Paul John bottling, Paul John 2010 6-Year-Old SMWS 134.1 and Paul John 2010 6-Year-Old SMWS 134.3.
SHERRIED TREASURE
Plenty for the Jerez aficionados this month. Official bottlings include the single cask Glenfarclas 1953-2012, Glendronach 1968 25-Year-Old, Glendronach Grandeur 25-Year-Old, Glendronach 1972 43-Year-Old, Glenfarclas 1966 47-Year-Old Fino Casks, the early batch Aberlour A’bunadh Batch 17 from 2006, Edradour 1973 30-Year-Old and single casks Glen Garioch 1984 35-Year-Old and Glen Garioch 1997 21-Year-Old.
Indie sherried gems include Cadenhead’s gorgeous Clynelish 1972 Cask Strength and the rare private single cask Macallan 1989-2010, plus Cadenhead’s Caperdonich 1977 22-Year-Old, the first-fill PX cask Glen Grant 1988 30-Year-Old SMWS 9.159, the private cask Springbank 1997 22-Year-Old and Hunter Laing’s deep chestnut-coloured Probably Speyside’s Finest 1966 50-Year-Old.
MISCELLANEOUS DIAGEO RARITIES
Lots of great stuff this month: Knockando 1965-1990, Knockando 1971-1982, single cask Knockando 1977 21-Year-Old, Dalwhinnie 15-Year-Old Centenary, Blair Athol 18-Year-Old Centenary, the rare cask strength Flora & Fauna Aberfeldy 1980-1997 and Rare Malts Teaninich 1972 23-Year-Old and going back a bit there’s the Talisker 8-Year-Old and the famed Brora Clynelish 12-Year-Old.
More recent bottlings include the Special Releases Convalmore 1977 28-Year-Old, Linkwood 1978 37-Year-Old, Glen Ord 30-Year-Old and the Wealth Solutions single cask Clynelish 41-Year-Old.
Indie bottlings of Diageo distilleries include Benrinnes 17-Year-Old from The Maltman, Signatory’s Linlithgow 1975 25-Year-Old and the private cask Oban 1989 24-Year-Old, while for blend fans there’s this timely 1930s Johnnie Walker Red Label with a wooden Christmas gift box.
OLD-SCHOOL OFFICIAL BOTTLINGS
Older official bottlings include classics such as the 1970-ish Glenfiddich Straight Malt, and the later Strathisla 35-Year-Old Bicentenary, Glenmorangie 1963 22-Year-Old, and the old version of Glen Garioch 21-Year-Old.
Recent top-end OBs include Glenfiddich 29-Year-Old, Balvenie 40-Year-Old, Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 1, Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 5, Benriach 35-Year-Old (2014), Glenmorangie 1990-2016, single Madeira cask Glenglassaugh 1975 40-Year-Old, Glenfarclas 50-Year-Old Family Collector III, the mega-sherried Tullibardine 1966-2006, and the first edition Highland Park 15-Year-Old Earl Magnus.
FAVOURITES, BARGAINS AND CURIOS
Returning favourites this month include the splendid 1990s Glendronach 15-Year-Old, Glendronach 1976 18-Year-Old, Jack Daniel’s Maxwell House, Balvenie 21-Year-Old Port Wood, the Caol Ila-containing 1950s Logan’s Extra Age Blend, the almost mythical Mackie’s Ancient Brand and some great G&M Old & Rare editions: St. Magdalene 1982-2015 and Clynelish 1972-2016.
Grain-fanciers will be tussling over Dead Whisky Society’s Caledonian 1976 34-Year-Old and Cambus 1983 27-Year-Old, plus SMWS’s Port Dundas 1980 37-Year-Old SMWS G6.8, Strathclyde 1977 40-Year-Old SMWS G10.16 and Cameronbridge 1982 35-Year-Old SMWS G4.16.
Away from Scotland we’ve got Ireland’s Old Comber 30-Year-Old, Bushmills 21-Year-Old and single cask Bushmills 1982 Millennium, Dunville’s Three Crowns 1948, the remarkable Dunville’s Very Rare from around 1915 and Midleton Very Rare 30th Anniversary Pearl. From Japan there’s the much-loved Hakushu 12-Year-Old, Hibiki 17-Year-Old and Yamazaki Limited Edition 2014.
Some curios worth keeping an eye on include this interesting vintage blend, James Martin 1982-2006, a pre-Castro Company Oriental Cuban Rum, this old merchant-bottled Edinburgh Castle Old Malt Whisky and the first public Kininvie, Hazelwood 17-Years-Old.
Bargain-hunters, meanwhile, will be keeping tabs on the Chivas Brothers Glenlivet 1988 16-Year-Old, Balvenie 1990 15-Year-Old Single Barrel and a 1980s Glenfarclas 8-Year-Old 105.
That’s it for this month – check out the full auction here. Good Luck, and Happy Bidding!