HIGHLY DESIRABLE GLENFIDDICH 50-YEAR-OLD LEADS BONHAMS WHISKY SALE IN EDINBURGH

A bottle of Glenfiddich 50-year-old is the star lot in Bonhams next Whisky sale in Edinburgh on October 7th. It is estimated at £12,000-15,000.

Bottled in 1991, it has a special place in the history of the Grant family, distillers of Glenfiddich, which founded the company in the 1880s. It comes from a batch of nine casks laid down in the 1930s – one for each of the William Grant’s nine children who helped him build the Glenfiddich Distillery.  Once the whisky had been blended, it was returned to the cask for a year before being bottled in a limited edition of 500 of which this is number 184.  Bonhams whisky specialist, Martin Green, said: “This is one of the most desirable Glenfiddichs – or, indeed of any Scotch whisky –  and is keenly sought after by collectors for its exceptional quality and rarity.”

Bowmore Premier over 42 years old, £5,500-6,000

Other outstanding lots include a Bowmore Premier over 42 years old (lot 40) that was distilled in 1965 and bottled in 2008. It is numbered 37 of an edition of only 57 and is estimated at £5,500-6,000. Also offered are two bottles of The MaCallan Select Reserve 52 year old (lot 61) distilled in 1946. Martin Green commented, “The MaCallans distilled immediately after the Second World War are regarded as some of the finest the firm has ever produced. This whisky was made with peated malt because coal was so scarce and expensive at that time and this accounts for its special nuanced flavour.”

As usual, the sale features a selection of early whiskies including the rare Dalmore 50 year old (lot 48) distilled in 1928 and estimated at £4,000-5,000; the very scarce Glen Grant 1929 (lot 119) estimated at £1,500-2,000; and an interesting curiosity in the form of an early 20^th-century bottle of Lawson’s Liqueur Whisky (lot 129), blended by Lawson’s of Dundee estimated at £400-600.

NOTES

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. Today, the auction house offers more sales than any of its rivals. The main salerooms are in London, New York and Hong Kong. Sales are also held in the UK in Knightsbridge, Oxford and Edinburgh; in the US, in San Francisco and Los Angeles; in Europe, in Paris and Stuttgart and in Sydney, Australia. Bonhams also has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of forthcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.