March Auction Highlights 2017
This month’s sale is completely rammed with quality whiskies from all regions of Scotland. We will start off with just a few highlights that deserve to be mentioned on their own.
The Macallan 50-year-old in Lalique, the highlight of any sale and surprisingly the first time we have had the pleasure of auctioning such a precious showpiece. Released back in 2006 this is the first release in an epic series of modern masterpieces which remains the ultimate in prestige and one of the best Macallan’s ever bottled.
A more recent release is the 1964 Karuizawa; Bottled in 2012 for Polish collectors & investment company Wealth Solutions. Cask 3603, a 48-year-old is one of the oldest Japanese single malt whiskies in history. The whisky originates from one of the last casks from the 1960s made in the closed Japanese Karuizawa distillery.
The elite of sherry matured whisky! ”Black Bowmore” – notorious for their almost coal-black appearance and unrivalled profile. Instantly a legend when first released back in 1993.
All four expressions have continued to climb in both price and rarity over the past 20+ years and have surpassed all expectations. With only one of each expressions appearing in our auction in 2016, it goes to show how scares these legendary whiskies are getting.
Speyside has the greatest number of distilleries of any of the whisky-producing areas of Scotland and therefore we see a high number of bottles from these regions. One of the highest concentrations of bottles in this sale from Speyside is Macallan.
We have the likes of the legendary over 50-year-old which is widely regarded as one of the most significant bottlings in the history of Scottish malt whisky.
The whisky is composed of three casks distilled between 1926 and 1928, making the whisky in fact 55 years old at least. The naturally low cask strength of 38.6% (77 proof), one of very few bottling’s ever to be released beneath the standard filling strength of 40%.
Over the years this whisky has acquired a reputation as one of the greatest ever bottled, however, there are so few people who have tasted it that it remains one of the most sought after bottling’s in the world today. A
longside this, you with find an extremely rare 1949 Macallan produced for a private company in Japan. Drawn from the cask at 40.25% after spending 50 years maturing in a single sherry cask.
Only 160 of these 8 sided Baccarat Crystal decanters were filled in 1999. Sticking with long aged Macallan we have the 1946 52-year-old and the 1948 51-year-old.
Elsewhere and not to be sniffed at is the likes of a 1938 & 1950 Handwritten labels by Rinaldi and a whole host of various single casks and vintage releases that are too long to mention.
Other great releases from Speyside include several single cask Glenfiddich’s from 1965, 1968 & 1975. A 1959, 1967 and 30-year-old Glenlivet’s from their Cellar Collection as well as the 20cl Vintage set that includes a 1967, 1967, 1969, 1970 and a 1972.
Moving onto Highland and we have a 35-year-old Brora from 2013 and a couple of the 30-year-olds from 2009 & 2010.
Glenmorangie is represented well with two 1963s, two 1971 Culloden’s and a great selection of their early wood finishes. Balblair see’s a handful of vintages from 2005 – 2009 and a 33-year-old we haven’t sold since early 2014.
Old Pulteney welcomes back the 40-year-old and so does Glenury Royal for the 36-year-old bottled in 2007 for Diageo’s Special Releases.
Last but no means least from the Highlands is the all-time great Royal Brackla 60-year-old distilled in 1924: presented to dignitaries in 1991 to celebrate the reopening of the distillery.
Only 62 bottles are believed to have been bottled! This is a bona fide fruit bomb and although bottled at 40% still holds all its minerals after so many years in the bottle.For the few Island distilleries, we have a beast of a Talisker distilled in 1955 and bottled in 1993 by Gordon & MacPhail.
A 20-year-old Highland Park bottled in 2003 for their cask strength collection. These were available exclusively through the distilleries visitors centre. A 1974 Ledaig bottled in 1990 by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and a first distillation from Arran.
Finally, we meet with Islay; if not the most popular region in Scotland that produces some of the most desirable whiskies in the world. Our personal favourite is Bowmore, in particular, the Bicentenary bottled in 1979 which is composed of casks distilled in the 1950s through to the 1960s.
Over to Ardbeg from 1950s distillate, you will find two slightly different official 12-year-olds bottled in the 1960s and a super sexy 1967 single cask bottled by Signatory from a dark Oloroso sherry cask. Along with these, you will find many excellent expressions from Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Kilchoman & Port Ellen.
As always all bottles will start off at £10 with no reserves set meaning every bid is a potential winning bid.
All the best from all of us here at Whisky Online Auctions.