October Auction Highlights 2026
Our October auction brings together another remarkable selection of collectable whisky, with exceptional old vintages, historic distillery bottlings, rare single casks and collections spanning several decades of whisky history.
From a magnificent 1946 Macallan Select Reserve and rare Hanyu Card Series bottlings to early Scotch Malt Whisky Society releases, extraordinary old Lagavulins, lost distilleries and an extensive collection of Jack Daniel's, there's plenty for collectors and enthusiasts to explore.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Following September's excellent selection, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society returns with over 20 lots, including early Society releases, remarkable old vintages and whiskies from several of Scotland's long-lost distilleries.
Founded in Edinburgh in 1983, the Society helped pioneer the appreciation of single cask, cask strength Scotch whisky. Its distinctive numerical coding system introduced members to individual casks and distilleries they might otherwise never have encountered. Today, these early releases provide a fascinating record of a period when single malt whisky was still finding its place beyond the traditional blended Scotch market.
One of the outstanding highlights is Springbank 1965 27 Year Old SMWS 27.21, bottled in the winter of 1992 from an Amoroso sherry butt. An exceptional example of 1960s Springbank, it was described in the Society's original tasting notes as "a truly great whisky" and originally sold to members for just £50. More than three decades later, it offers a remarkable glimpse into Springbank from one of the distillery's most celebrated decades.
Other early releases include a Glenfarclas 1972 24 Year Old SMWS 1.66, Royal Lochnagar 1972 21 Year Old SMWS 103.4 and Talisker 1984 12 Year Old SMWS 14.4. There's also an Oban 1980 SMWS 110.2, wonderfully titled Dry & Nutty Like A Good Walnut Oil, an early example from a distillery whose independent bottlings have always been relatively uncommon.
Closed distilleries are particularly well represented, with two St Magdalene bottlings distilled in 1975 and 1980, alongside a Glen Albyn 1979 27 Year Old SMWS 69.12 and Glenlochy 1980 24 Year Old SMWS 62.12. Both Highland distilleries closed in the early 1980s, making these surviving single casks particularly interesting. There's also a Rosebank 1990 11 Year Old SMWS 25.22, appropriately named Sweet Peas & Parma Violets.
Elsewhere, the collection includes releases from Auchroisk, Aultmore, Benromach, Blair Athol, Dailuaine, Highland Park and Knockando, alongside more recent bottlings from Craigellachie and Glen Grant. An unusual Caol Ila and Teaninich Society set adds further variety.
Together, these bottles illustrate what made the Society so important in its formative years: the opportunity to explore individual casks from an extraordinary range of distilleries, often when their whiskies were rarely available as single malts.
Independent Bottlers
Independent bottlers have played an important role in Scotch whisky history, preserving exceptional casks, championing lesser-known distilleries and releasing whiskies that might otherwise never have been available as single malts. Our October auction brings together an outstanding selection from some of Scotland's most respected bottling houses, with vintages stretching back to the 1960s.
Among the highlights are three exceptional Lagavulin single casks from The Syndicates, a name associated with privately selected casks and some extraordinary old Islay whiskies.
The earliest is a Lagavulin 1979 15 Year Old, bottled in the mid-1990s at 59.2%, alongside a magnificent Lagavulin 1979 38 Year Old, bottled in 2017 from cask 115. Completing the trio is a Lagavulin 1990 35 Year Old, bottled in 2025 from cask 4396. Together, they offer a rare opportunity to explore privately bottled Lagavulin across different vintages and maturation periods.
Closed distilleries are another major feature, including a Port Ellen 1977 29 Year Old from Douglas Laing's Old & Rare Platinum Selection and a Port Ellen 1981 18 Year Old from Douglas McGibbon's Provenance range. Both were distilled before the famous Islay distillery closed in 1983, offering two very different examples of historic Port Ellen.
Other lost distilleries include a St Magdalene 1975 24 Year Old from The Dormant Distillery Company and a Dallas Dhu 1978 23 Year Old Signatory Vintage single cask, both offering a fascinating glimpse into distilleries that closed in the 1980s.
Gordon & MacPhail is particularly well represented, with historic bottlings including Banff 1976, Glencadam 1974 and Glen Elgin 1968 from the Connoisseurs Choice range, alongside a Glen Mhor 1979. First introduced in 1968, Connoisseurs Choice helped bring individual distillery single malts to a wider audience, and these older releases remain an important part of independent bottling history.
There's also an excellent selection from Cadenhead's, Scotland's oldest independent bottler, established in 1842. Leading the collection is a remarkable Littlemill 1966 25 Year Old from the Authentic Collection, a particularly interesting survivor from the Lowland distillery's earlier years. Other highlights include a Bruichladdich 1991 25 Year Old Wine Cask, Springbank 2001 19 Year Old Authentic Collection and Bowmore 2003 19 Year Old Sherry Cask. An unusual addition is a six-year-old Chichibu, bottled in 2020 for Cadenhead's World Whiskies range, bringing one of Japan's most highly regarded modern distilleries into the collection.
Further highlights include a Bruichladdich 1967 32 Year Old and Tomintoul 1976 18 Year Old from the First Cask series, an Adelphi Caol Ila 1983 28 Year Old and a Glenrothes 1989 21 Year Old from Blackadder's Raw Cask range, known for its minimal filtration and distinctive approach to presenting whisky straight from the cask.
Completing the selection are an Auchentoshan 1989 24 Year Old from Càrn Mòr's Celebration of the Cask, a Samaroli Caol Ila bottled for The Whisky Barrel, and a Macallan 1987 20 Year Old released for Runrig's Beat The Dram event at Loch Ness in 2007. There's also an intriguing 50 Year Old Secret Speyside from Master of Malt's Secret Bottling Series.
From pioneering independent releases to extraordinary old Lagavulin single casks and whiskies from Scotland's lost distilleries, this collection captures individual casks and distillery styles from periods that have long since passed.
Distillery Bottlings
Our October official distillery bottlings are equally impressive, spanning more than six decades of whisky history. From historic Macallans and early Springbanks to rare single casks, closed distilleries and celebrated limited editions, this is one of the strongest parts of the catalogue.
Among the most remarkable is a Macallan 1946 52 Year Old Select Reserve, distilled in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and bottled in 1998. The 1946 vintage occupies a special place in Macallan's history, having been produced during a period when restrictions on traditional fuel supplies encouraged the use of peat in the malting process. The resulting whisky offers a fascinating contrast to the rich sherried character for which Macallan would later become famous.
Alongside it is a superb collection of older Macallans, including two 1962 vintage 25 Year Old Anniversary Malts, bottled in 1987 and 1988, a 1964 Special Selection imported by Rinaldi for the Italian market and a 1975 18 Year Old Sherry Cask. Two further 25 Year Old Anniversary Malts, in 70cl and 75cl formats, complete an excellent selection from one of Macallan's most celebrated historic ranges.
Springbank is another highlight, with two exceptional 25-year-old bottlings. The first is an older sherry cask edition from the 1990s, while the second comes from the distillery's Millennium series, released in 1998. Both belong to an important period in Springbank's history, when its traditional production methods and distinctive character were attracting increasing attention from whisky enthusiasts.
There's also a fascinating collection of Bowmore, ranging from a 15 Year Old Glasgow Garden Festival ceramic decanter released in 1988 to more recent distillery exclusives. Highlights include a Bowmore 1989 23 Year Old Port Cask, a 1999 17 Year Old Warehousemen's Selection, the 20 Year Old David Simson release and a 27 Year Old Port Cask from the Vintner's Trilogy. The selection also features Bowmore's Aston Martin Masters' Selection Edition 3, a 25 Year Old, an older 15 Year Old Mariner and festival releases from 2017 and 2026.
The Islay selection continues with a remarkable Laphroaig 1960 40 Year Old, bottled in 2001 exclusively for Oddbins, alongside a late-1970s Laphroaig 10 Year Old Unblended. Both offer an interesting glimpse into Laphroaig from an earlier era.
Other highlights include a Bruichladdich 1972 34 Year Old Legacy Series Six, a signed 2010 festival single cask from Jim McEwan's time at the distillery and the experimental X4 quadruple-distilled spirit. There's also a 24 Year Old Black Art Edition 11.1, an early Lagavulin Distillers Edition and a Caol Ila 1975 20 Year Old Rare Malts bottling.
Closed distilleries feature prominently, led by an exceptionally rare Ladyburn 1973 27 Year Old single cask, bottled in 2000. Established in 1966 within William Grant & Sons' Girvan complex, Ladyburn ceased production in 1975, making it one of Scotland's shortest-lived malt whisky distilleries. There are also two Littlemill releases, including the inaugural 21 Year Old from 2012 and a 27 Year Old Private Cellar Edition.
The historic Rare Malts Selection is represented by a Port Ellen 1978 20 Year Old, St Magdalene 1979 19 Year Old and Glendullan 1972 23 Year Old. Introduced in the 1990s, Rare Malts played an important role in bringing older, often cask-strength whiskies from closed and lesser-known distilleries to collectors.
Another interesting release is the St Magdalene 1978 20 Year Old, bottled in 1998 to commemorate 100 Years of Waterloo Street. A separate official bottling from the lost Lowland distillery, it celebrates the historic Edinburgh address associated with Scottish Malt Distillers.
There are also two exceptional Dalwhinnie Special Releases, distilled in 1966 and 1973, offering rare examples of long-aged whisky from a distillery more commonly encountered through its familiar 15-year-old expression. They're joined by two Glenglassaugh Rare Cask releases from 1972 and 1974, both matured for more than four decades, and an older Glenmorangie 1974 duty-free exclusive.
Glenfarclas is represented by two single casks from The Family Casks series, distilled in 1979 and 1988. Launched in 2007, the series drew upon the distillery's extensive stocks to showcase individual vintages and casks, giving enthusiasts a fascinating insight into different periods of Glenfarclas production.
Joining these is a collection of six Glendronach single casks, including a 1992 26 Year Old bottled exclusively for Whisky-Online. Alongside it are five releases from the 1994 and 1995 vintages, including UK exclusives and bottlings from the distillery's highly regarded single cask batches. These whiskies reflect the rich sherry-cask maturation that helped establish Glendronach's reputation among enthusiasts of traditionally matured Highland single malt.
Beyond Scotland, two exceptional Japanese whiskies stand out: Hanyu 2000 Four of Clubs and Three of Hearts, both bottled in 2010 as part of Ichiro Akuto's famous Card Series. Released from the remaining stocks of the closed Hanyu distillery, the 54-bottle series has become one of the most celebrated collections in Japanese whisky history. These two releases, drawn from single casks 60 and 465 respectively, are fascinating survivors from Hanyu's final year of production.
Other notable bottlings include a Glenfiddich 1976 Private Vintage single cask released exclusively for Concorde, a Glenfiddich Straight Malt from the 1960s and an Arran 1995 30 Year Old Reflection, released in 2025 to celebrate the distillery's 30th anniversary. There are also older expressions from Tomatin, Tomintoul, Dalmore and Glen Garioch.
From the post-war Macallan 1946 and historic sherry-matured Springbanks to rare Japanese single casks and whiskies from Scotland's lost distilleries, these official bottlings bring together some extraordinary examples of whisky history.
Jack Daniel's – A Collection of American Whiskey
Beyond the Scotch and Japanese whiskies, our October auction features an interesting collection of Jack Daniel's, with more than 30 different releases spanning commemorative editions, historic label designs, single barrels and limited bottlings dating back to the 1990s.
While Old No.7 remains the distillery's most recognisable expression, Jack Daniel's has produced an extraordinary range of special editions over the years, many celebrating its founder, history and connections to the town of Lynchburg, Tennessee.
Among the earliest and most interesting is Jack Daniel's Barrel House 1 Batch 001, released in the summer of 1994. Named after one of the distillery's oldest post-Prohibition warehouses, this historic release became the first bottle legally sold at the distillery following changes to Tennessee law, making it an important milestone in the brand's history.
Another highlight is a selection from the Gold Medal Series, commemorating international awards won by Jack Daniel's whiskey during the early 20th century. The collection includes editions celebrating the 1905, 1913, 1914 and 1915 awards, recalling the period when Jack Daniel's was establishing its reputation beyond Tennessee.
There's also an excellent selection from the Master Distiller Series, including editions No.1, No.2, No.3, No.5 and No.6, each honouring individuals who helped shape the distillery's history.
Other commemorative releases include the 150th Anniversary of the Jack Daniel Distillery from 2016, Mr Jack's 160th Birthday edition from 2010, and special bottlings celebrating the White Rabbit Saloon and Red Dog Saloon. An unusual 2009 release commemorating Oregon's 150th birthday adds another interesting edition.
The collection continues with Jack Daniel's Monogram 2nd Edition from 2004, Silver Select Single Barrel, a 1-litre Sinatra Select, Gold No.27 Double Barreled and a selection of individual Single Barrel releases.
For those interested in the changing appearance of Jack Daniel's, there are all three Old No.7 Legacy Editions, released between 2018 and 2020, each revisiting historic label designs. These are joined by an older second-generation Gentleman Jack half bottle from the 1991–1998 period, a large 1.5-litre Maxwell House bottle and the more recent McLaren Formula 1 Team 2023 Edition.
Completing the collection are a Scenes from Lynchburg No.11 Cave Spring edition, Green Label, Bonded 100 Proof and several modern flavoured expressions.
From the historically important 1994 Barrel House 1 release to the Gold Medal commemoratives, Master Distiller editions and anniversary bottlings, this collection offers an interesting look at how Jack Daniel's has celebrated its heritage through limited releases.
Explore October's Auction
From historic single malts and pioneering independent bottlers to rare Japanese whisky, lost distilleries and collectable American whiskey, our October auction brings together an extraordinary range of bottles.
These are just some of our highlights, with plenty of other interesting whiskies to discover throughout the sale. Head over to our October auction and take a look at the rest of this month's catalogue.