November Auction Highlights 2020
Welcome to Whisky-Online’s November Whisky Auction! This month’s sale is absolutely heaving with amazing bottles from Port Ellen, Ardbeg, Brora, Macallan and many more, so let’s get started…
LEGENDARY MACALLANS
There’s a very strong selection of classic Macallans this month including Macallan 1946 52-Year-Old, Macallan 1950 Handwritten, Macallan Royal Marriage, Macallan Nicol’s Nectar, Macallan 1948 51-Year-Old Select Reserve, the amazing blue label Macallan 30-Year-Old Sherry, Macallan 1957 25-Year-Old Annniversary, Macallan 1958 25-Year-Old Anniversary, Macallan 1965 25-Year-Old Decanter, Macallan 1968 25-Year-Old Anniversary, Macallan 1969 18-Year-Old and Macallan Private Eye.
Recently-bottled Macallans include Macallan 1824 Collection (MMIX), Macallan M Black Decanter MMXVII, Macallan Coronation, Macallan Folio Archival Series 2, Macallan Folio Archival Series 4, Macallan Folio Archival Series 5, Macallan Masters Of Photography Steve Klein, Macallan Edition No.3, Macallan 30-Year-Old Sherry (2018), Macallan 30-Year-Old Fine Oak, Macallan 25-Year-Old Fine Oak, Macallan Edrington New Home, Macallan Rare Cask 3 (2018) and Macallan Genesis 2018.
There’s also some fantastic indie Macallans, with Gordon & Macphail’s ridiculous first fill sherry Macallan Speymalt 1945-2013 68-Year-Old, Macallan Speymalt 1950 55-Year-Old, Macallan Speymalt 1973-2015 and Macallan Speymalt 1988-2016. There’s also the unusual Macallan 1979 24-Year-Old from Milroy’s, Scott’s Selection’s Macallan 1973-1999, Macallan 14-year-Old Moray Open and the private single sherry cask Macallan 1989-2010.
ISLAY MADNESS
Soooo much amazing stuff this month! We’ll kick off with the all-time classics: Ardbeg 1976 Committee Cask 2394, the chestnut-coloured Signatory Ardbeg 1967 30-Year-Old, Bowmore 22-Year-Old Seagulls, Bowmore 1965 Sherry Cask, a Duty Free edition of Bowmore Bicentenary, Black Bowmore 1964 42-Year-Old, Gold Bowmore 1964 44-Year-Old, and the Celtic Heartlands Bowmore 1968 35-Year-Old, Laphroaig 1976, the very rare Laphroaig 1960 40-Year-Old for Oddbins, 1980s Laphroaig Unblended 15-Year-Old, Bruichladdich 1964 40-Year-Old, Caol Ila 15-Year-Old Managers Dram and the beautiful Bunnahabhain 1968-2002 Auld Acquaintance. What an incredible selection of bucket list Islay malts right there.
Less esoteric but equally worthy Islays include another good selection of the ever-popular Syndicate Lagavulins: Lagavulin 15-Year-Old, Lagavulin 1979 38-Year-Old, Lagavulin 1979 35-Year-Old, Lagavulin 1979 40-Year-Old, Lagavulin 1990 25-Year-Old. Notable Lagavulin OBs include 1980s Lagavulin 12-Year-Old White Horse, a litre of the first Lagavulin 1979 Distillers Edition, Lagavulin Distillery Only 2010 and Lagavulin 21-Year-Old Jazz Festival 2019.
Laphroaig-wise there’s Laphroaig 1989 17-Year-Old, Laphroaig 20-Year-Old Double Cask, Laphroaig 25-Year-Old Cask Strength (2015), Laphroaig 10-Year-Old Cask Strength (Red Stripe) and the later Laphroaig 10-Year-Old Cask Strength Batch 2 (2010).
There’s also a good selection of the PE Special Releases: Port Ellen 1979 22-Year-Old (1st Release), Port Ellen 1978 24-Year-Old (2nd), Port Ellen 1978 25-Year-Old (4th), Port Ellen 1979 25-Year-Old (5th), Port Ellen 1978 27-Year-Old (6th), Port Ellen 1979 28yo (7th), Port Ellen 1978 29-Year-Old (8th) and Port Ellen 1979 32-Year-Old (11th), plus indies like Douglas Laing’s Port Ellen 1982 21-Year-Old and the sherried Port Ellen 1983 27-Year-Old.
GORDON & MACPHAIL GOODIES
We’ll do the heavyweights first: The outrageous Caol Ila 1968-2018 Private Collection – one of only 50 bottles – and the no-less-impressive Glen Grant 1948-2006, Mortlach 1936 50-Year-Old Decanter, Glen Grant 1952-2012, Glen Grant 1957-2011, Glen Grant 1963-2014 (first fill sherry butt) and a sadly slightly damaged Glenlivet 1940 50-Year-Old.
Also very notable are the old Connoisseur’s Choice Oban 1972 14-Year-Old, Bladnoch 1975, Port Ellen 1971 and Glenkinchie 1974 as well as miscellaneous gems like Strathisla 40-Year-Old and Glen Grant 1969 5-Year-Old.
Finally, there’s some great stuff from the Old & Rare series including Banff 1966-2015, Clynelish 1972-2016, Glenlochy 1979-2012, Coleburn 1981-2015, St. Magdalene 1982-2015 and Littlemill 1991-2015.
SHERRIED TREASURE
As ever the sherryheads are well looked after. Here’s a small selection to watch out for: Aberlour a’bunadh Batch 20, Auchentoshan 1979 32-Year-Old, Cadenhead’s Caperdonich 1977 22-Year-Old, Edradour 1973 30-Year-Old, Glendronach 1968 25-Year-Old, Glendronach 1976 18-Year-Old, Glendronach 1972 43-Year-Old, Glen Garioch 1984 35-Year-Old, Glen Garioch 1997 21-Year-Old Handfilled, and Tullibardine 1966-2006. There’s plenty of Glenfarclas in the sale too, and Glenfarclas fans should definitely keep an eye on Hunter Laing’s Probably Speyside’s Finest 1966 50-Year-Old.
The outstanding sherried dram this month, though, is the 1980s Springbank 12-Year-Old 100-Proof UK Version, believed to be the same juice as the famous Samaroli Import that scored 98 points on Whiskyfun. Not just one of the best sherried whiskies, but one of the greatest whiskies of all time, period. We’re delighted to have this gorgeous whisky gracing our auction and of course we’re already jealous of whoever wins it!
MISCELLANEOUS DIAGEO RARITIES
Selected gems from Diageo’s Special Releases include Auchroisk 30-Year-Old (2012), Convalmore 1977-2005 28-Year-Old, Linkwood 1978 37-Year-Old, Cragganmore 25-Year-Old (2014), Talisker 30-Year-Old (2009), 2015’s Pittyvaich 1989 25-Year-Old, Lagavulin 12-Year-Old (2003) and a bunch of Broras: Brora 30-Year-Old (2003), Brora 30-Year-Old (2006), Brora 30-Year-Old (2007), Brora 30-Year-Old (2010), Brora 32-Year-Old (2011) and Brora 34-Year-Old (2017).
Rounding up the miscellaneous Diageo goodies we’ve got a Rare Malts Royal Lochnagar 1974 30-Year-Old, Convalmore 1978 24-Year-Old and most importantly the famed Brora 1972 22-Year-Old. There’s also a recent Talisker 25-Year-Old, Talisker 30-Year-Old, Rosebank 12-Year-Old Flora & Fauna, and Mortlach 1980-1997 Cask Strength Flora & Fauna.
INDIE CRACKERS
There’s some great golden-age SMWS stuff this month: Auchentoshan 1977-1991 SMWS 5.6, Lagavulin 1987-2001 SMWS 111.16, the glorious Springbank 1965-1993 SMWS 27.22, Springbank 1979-1991 SMWS 27.12, the young but dark Springbank 1989-1998 SMWS 27.42, Ardbeg 1966-1992 SMWS 33.13, and Glen Scotia 1991-1998 SMWS 93.2.
From Cadenhead’s there’s the very rare dumpy Tomatin 1956 24-Year-Old and Oban 1963 21-Year-Old and the classic white label Clynelish 1972 Cask Strength. We’ve also got the stunning sherried Signatory Glendronach 1970 20-Year-Old in an incredibly rare cut-Crystal decanter, Chieftain’s Brora 1981 30-Year-Old and last but not least, the very highly-rated Brorageddon 1972 30-Year-Old by Douglas Laing.
OLD SCHOOL ORIGINALS
Some great stuff from the golden age when prestige bottlings were the exception rather than the norm: Glenlivet 25-Year-Old Royal Wedding, Strathisla 25-Year-Old Distillery Restoration, Strathisla 35-Year-Old Bicentenary (bottled 1986), Aberlour 1964 25-Year-Old, Auchentoshan 1966 31-Year-Old, Glen Moray 1959 40-Year-Old, the wonderful Springbank 1966 Local Barley 503 and Balblair 33-Year-Old.
There’s also the ‘standard’ bottlings that have become legends, such as the 1970s Ainslie & Heilbron Brora: Clynelish 12-Year-Old and Longrow 1974 16-Year-Old, plus 1970s Talisker 8-Year-Old and Talisker 12-Year-Old, 1980s Balvenie Founders Reserve and a very early Glenmorangie Port Wood.
Lovely old blends include a very rare 1930s Johnnie Walker Black Label, 1950s Dewar’s White Label, Logan’s Extra Age Superb and Dimple, 1960’s Teacher’s Highland Cream and Black & White and, best of all, a 1940s US version of the Mackie’s Ancient Brand, a truly fabulous dram reputed to contain the fabled Malt Mill.
MODERN CLASSICS
Some recent-ish belters here: Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 1, Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 5, Balvenie 2001-2016 DCS Compendium at a staggering 62.3%, Balvenie 40-Year-Old, the Wealth Solutions Clynelish 41-Year-Old, Benriach 35-Year-Old (2014), Highland Park 40-Year-Old, Glenmorangie 1990-2016, Old Pulteney 40-Year-Old and the magnificent Glenfarclas 1953-2012 single cask.
FAVOURITES, BARGAINS AND CURIOS
Returning favourites this month include a litre of 1980s Macallan 12-year-Old, Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist 1990-2006 and the still-underrated 1970s Glendronach 12-Year-Old.
Curio-wise there’s the unicorn malt Ladyburn 1972 27-Year-Old and some rare William Grant collectables such as the staff-only Balvenie Values Edition, Kininvie 1990 23-Year-Old and the Hazelwood 110 Janet Sheed Roberts blend.
Irish favourites this month include the cask strength Bushmills 1982 Millennium, Bushmills 400th Anniversary, Midleton Very Rare 1996, Midleton Very Rare 2002, the wonderful Jameson 15-Year-Old Millennium, Redbreast 28-Year-Old Dream Cask, and the fantastic Dunville’s Three Crowns 1948. The WWI-era Dunville’s Very Rare, though, is the oldest Irish whiskey in the auction and will be fiercely-contested.
Elsewhere, Campbeltown aficionados will be eyeing up the Longrow 21-Year-Old, Hunter Laing’s Springbank 1993 22-Year-Old, the private cask Springbank 1996 16-Year-Old and Springbank 1997 22-Year-Old.
Value picks include the 1980s G&M Strathisla 8-Year-Old, a nice old bottle of the Talisker-based Poit Dhubh 12-Year-Old, and finally an interesting full strength private cask of Isle of Jura 1993-2010 for those who were wondering what it tastes like without caramel.
That’s it for this month’s highlights, the full auction is here – Good Luck and Happy Bidding!