NEW YORK, 13 March 2021 – Moments ago in our New York saleroom, a specialty lot comprising a one-of-a-kind bottle of 1967 whisky from The Macallan Anecdotes of Ages Collection created in collaboration with the globally renowned British pop artist, Sir Peter Blake achieved $437,500.

Jamie Ritchie, Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s Wine, said: “Sotheby’s Wine and The Macallan have had a longstanding relationship for many years, and it has been a privilege to sell some of the brand’s most iconic and sought-after bottles – with the A New Era of Advertising bottle now joining this illustrious group. In addition to the proceeds from the sale of The Macallan benefitting the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s diversity, equity, access and inclusion initiatives, we were pleased to help raise funds for both the Shawn Carter Foundation, and the Asian American Business Development Center via two other outstanding lots: the D’USSÉ® 1969 Anniversaire Limited Edition Grande Champagne Cognac and Hennessy X.O x Frank Gehry Masterpiece Decanter. It was exciting to see the worlds of art, design, and rare spirits come together through these exceptional bottles, and we look forward to continuing to present collectors with more superlative spirits through distillery collaborations throughout our 2021 auctions.”

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Spirits Specialist, remarked: “We are thrilled with the results achieved for the three exceptional charitable lots presented today in our first dedicated Spirits sale in New York. Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed a staggering increase in demand for prized, rare whiskies – and the strong prices realized during today’s sale are a perfect illustration of this rapidly growing trend. With opportunities to gather again in-person with friends and family slowly becoming more frequent, now more than ever we are seeing collectors acquire special bottles from some of the world’s most celebrated spirits producers, in hopes of sharing them with loved ones in the near future. And it was our pleasure to present these extraordinary bottles to collectors worldwide through today’s auction.”

One-Of-A-Kind Original Bottle of 1967 Whisky from The Macallan’s Anecdotes of Ages Collection

Receiving 49 bids in advance of today’s live sale, A New Era of Advertising bottle is one of only 13 original bottles from this newly-launched whisky and art collection, and was offered alongside a print donated by Sir Peter Blake as well as a bespoke VIP experience at The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland. Proceeds of this sale will benefit the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s diversity, equity, access and inclusion initiatives, with the objective to increase both free access and outreach to a variety of diverse audiences within the New York metropolitan area. Audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy free admission to the Guggenheim Museum on select Saturdays through a new initiative, ‘Saturday on the House’.

Igor Boyadjian, Managing Director for The Macallan, said: “The Macallan Anecdotes of Ages Collection is an extraordinary art and whisky collaboration with globally renowned British pop artist, Sir Peter Blake that celebrates The Macallan’s rich legacy and Sir Peter Blake’s remarkable contribution to the art world.

“At The Macallan, community is a constant guiding principle and mindset at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to have partnered with Sotheby’s New York to auction this one-of-a-kind bottle of exceptional 1967 whisky, featuring original Sir Peter Blake collage art on the label, in support of the Solomon R. Guggenheim’s diversity, equity, access and inclusion initiatives. The funds from the auction will increase free access and develop engagement with a variety of audiences, and will support ‘Saturday on the House’, an opportunity for visitors to enjoy free admission to the Guggenheim Museum in New York on select Saturdays.”

About Sotheby’s

Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury. Sotheby’s promotes access, connoisseurship and preservation of fine art and rare objects through auctions and buy-now channels including private sales, e-commerce and retail. Our trusted global marketplace is supported by an industry-leading technology platform and a network of specialists spanning 40 countries and 50 categories, which include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits, and Interiors, among many others.

Sotheby’s Wine’s annual worldwide auction sales of wine and spirits totaled an outstanding $92 million in 2020, with over 15,000 lots sold across 41 sales – a nearly 50% increase in the number of auctions held in 2019. Over $60 million of wine and spirits were sold to online bidders in 2020 versus $28 million in 2019, with 85% of all lots offered finding online buyers. Demonstrating continued strength in Asia, Sotheby’s led the market in the region for the third consecutive year, with over 70% of the total bid amount in all Wine and Spirits sales attributed to collectors in Asia.

Sotheby’s Wine’s has had the privilege of auctioning numerous record-breaking wines and spirits in recent years, with 2020 alone witnessing new world auction records for any bottle of Japanese whisky, any bottle of whisky produced by the Dalmore Distillery, as well as any bottle of Cognac. Sotheby’s Wine currently holds the world records for any whisky collection ever sold at auction, any private wine collection ever sold at auction, the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold at auction and the most expensive bottle of spirits ever sold at auction.

In addition to auction, Sotheby’s Wine launched a retail business in 2010. With a retail store located in Sotheby’s New York headquarters and e-commerce at www.sothebyswine.com, Sotheby’s Wine offers a carefully curated selection of wines from the world’s most prestigious producers and important regions. Expertly assembled by our experienced specialists, the selection is built upon lasting relationships with winemakers from across the globe, with bottles that are ready for immediate consumption, in addition to investment-worthy wines from highly sought-after vintages. A second retail location opened in Sotheby’s Hong Kong galleries in 2014.

This offer applies to our April and May auction only.

Any current members or new members who share this post may even see a little surprise turn up in their next order…

Would you like to sell whisky in our next auction?

+44 (0)1463 210 427

E. sales@thegrandwhiskyauction.com

LET’S GET TOGETHER THIS WEEKEND

This Sunday, we will be hosting the first event in our new series ‘Adventures in Deliciousness’ as we celebrate the launch of our limited edition Magic Cask. An Evening of Magic, Art & Science is happening on March 21st at 8pm GMT (1pm PDT and 4pm EDT), and we’d love for you to join us.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

We’ll be exploring this marvel of a whisky with a tasting that will take a detailed look at the components that make up its recipe. Plus there’ll be a live Q&A, and an exclusive giveaway with the chance to win one of ten limited edition Magic Cask jigsaw puzzles.

Our founder John Glaser and whiskymaker James Saxon will also be joined by some special guests. Guy Pratt from Stranger & Stranger, who designed the label for this whisky and world-renowned magician Joshua Jay, who has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, will be bringing his own kind of wizardry to entertain us.

WHERE TO BUY

You don’t need to have the whisky to follow along at home but if you would like to stock up before the event, you can buy Magic Cask via our website or from your local specialist spirits retailer. Contact us if you need help finding your nearest stockist.

Click the below banner to sign up and we will send you all the information you need to join on the day.

We hope to see you there!
The Compass Box Team

Online whisky subscription service, Craft Whisky Club is committed to delivering the next whisky classics directly to consumers’ doors. Today (March 15th, 2021) the brand announced to its members, in their next box, that they would receive a bottle of the coveted Torabhaig Legacy 2017 release. Any new members from today will be added to a lottery for access to some additional bottles.

Torabhaig is only the second distillery to open on the Isle of Skye and the first for nearly 200 years, now alongside the famous Talisker Distillery. The inaugural expression sold out almost instantly, when consumers were able to purchase bottles from specialist whisky retailers throughout the UK last month. Some retailers limited bottles to one per household and others operated on a purely first-come-first-served basis.

For those that missed out on the initial release, the distilleries partnership with Craft Whisky Club offers another chance to try this new, greatly anticipated whisky. All Craft Whisky Club members that are signed up as of today will receive the Torabhaig Legacy 2017, which is sold out everywhere else. Any new members from today will be added to a lottery to get access to some additional bottles. As with all releases, this is limited, and given the attention this bottle has received whisky fans are encouraged to sign up quickly to ensure not missing out once again.

Founder David Nicol commented on the partnership with Torabhaig; “We set out to discover the new classics and we feel we are helping to achieve this with each release we are featuring, but with Torabhaig, we believe we have acquired a real scoop. We would like to say a big thank you to all our loyal UK customers, we really hope you enjoy this one.”

Craft Whisky Club

EXTREMELY LIMITED EDITION RELEASES

The Story Behind Cooper’s Choice

For centuries, Coopers have been skilfully crafting the casks that come to store Whisky for distilling. The art of making these casks is passed down from generation to generation and has been done since the middle ages. The Cooper’s Choice range of whiskies is selected from Scotland’s finest distilleries in homage to the Cooper.

The Cooper’s Choice range has won numerous awards for their innovative and creative cask maturations and finishes. These extremely limited expressions frequently become only 300 finished bottles.

VIEW COOPER’S CHOICE BOTTLINGS

Welcome to this weeks episode of the show in which I’ll be looking at a selection of bottlings that retail for under £50. Are they good value for money?

https://youtu.be/7roD_s5YRfA

Following on from the news that President Biden has decided to suspend the 25% tariff imposed by the Trump administration on Scotch whisky, there is definitely a lot of optimism in the whisky market. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, the tariff attributed to a fall in exports to the US of 35%, amounting to over half a billion pounds in lost exports. Elite Wine & Whisky therefore expects that the lifting of this tariff will enhance Scottish trade with the US and demonstrate dramatic economic impacts. Although Elite Wine & Whisky does not expect a shift back to a consumption of Scotch whisky in the US to happen overnight, the removal of the tariff is expected to gradually enhance exports of the commodity once again, increasing the demand for Scotch whisky.

As discussed by the British International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, “the benefits will be felt across our nation, especially in Scotland, where Scotch whisky distillers will be able to sell at lower prices in the United States, their most valuable market. The easier it is for Americans to buy a bottle of Macallan, Talisker or Glenfiddich, the more money those producers will have to invest in their businesses, their staff and futures.”

But how will this temporary removal of the 25% tariff impact the global markets? In recent years the global landscape of investments has changed dramatically, with Elite Wine & Whisky noticing an increase in the willingness of the general public to take trading into their own hands and invest and trade in a range of commodities through online platforms and investment advisors. This year has demonstrated the global volatility of the stock markets and poor returns on extremely low interest rates, driving investors to discover ways to diversify their asset portfolios.

One such way to diversify is taking this opportunity to invest in a luxury commodity with great potential in the coming months following the aforementioned tariff reduction. Elite Wine & Whisky is currently trying to make the whisky market far more accessible to a range of investors, even those with no prior knowledge of whisky. But why should one invest in whisky over other luxury commodities? With exceptional returns in recent years (between 12-20%), a better question might be ‘why not whisky?’

As with any investment, it is extremely important to make sure you’re in the best hands. Elite Wine and Whisky is one of only a handful of companies globally that has been accepted into the prestigious London International Vintners Exchange, which is considered a great accolade in the industry.

Currently, Elite Wine & Whisky has around £20 million under its jurisdiction and they continue to work closely with the world’s finest wineries and distilleries. Their mission is to build and maintain a solid foothold in the marketplace that is sufficiently robust as to ensure their clients have autonomy when they wish to grow their portfolio.

It’s not very often that you get the opportunity to educate yourself in an investment. However, Elite Wine and Whisky believes in allowing their investors to embrace the sweet taste of success by inviting them to join one of their virtual whisky tastings. If lockdown has taught us anything, it is establishing the importance of expanding our knowledge, so there has no better time to develop your whisky knowledge by tasting a selection of whiskies from fantastic family run distilleries. Or if you’re merely just interested in making an investment, their portfolio specialists have got this covered too.

https://elitewineandwhisky.com/

Why use Scotch Galore?

What is the alternative?

Quite simply Auction Sites where you will have to pay £6 to join and give personal details, £6 for each and every bottle you want to sell and if you want to protect your investment by putting a reserve on it that can cost you as much as another £12 per month and if your bottle does sell from point of putting it in to getting cash in your hand can take as long as 6 to 8 weeks.

So the question should be? Why not use Scotch Galore?

What’s in it for you?

Quite simply we give you an alternative to auctions.

Somewhere you can buy and sell Whisky 24/7 and get paid instantly for any Whisky you sell.

Question:  Who else doesn’t charge a fee to join?

Question:  Who else doesn’t charge a fee for putting bottles on their site?

Question:  Who else arranges free UPS collection from your door?

We have customers who have discovered the benefit of Scotch Galore that we pay thousands of £££’s each month for the Whisky they have sold on our site.

We give YOU the opportunity to sell Whisky on our site like your running your own business, on our free to use online platform with the ability to set your own price for your Whisky and the freedom to change that price at any time.

But don’t take my word for it, have a look at our reviews. http://www.scotchgalore.com

As they say if you always do what you’ve always done you’ll always get what you’ve always got. Scotch Galore Whiskies – Shaking things up!

Stephen Pyne 

Scotch Galore.

Highland Auction is now LIVE at The Whisky Shop Auctions!

TWSA is back with its first theme of 2021: whiskies from the Highlands! From Thursday 11th – Sunday 21st March, treasures from Dalmore, GlenDronach, Brora and many more, will be going under the hammer.

https://www.whiskyshop.com/auctions/lots

 See our highlights below.

BRORA 1978 40 YEAR OLD 200TH ANNIVERSARY

This impressive and heavily peated expression from the now-closed Brora Distillery in the Highlands was distilled in 1978 and matured for four decades in American oak hogsheads. This special release celebrates the distillery’s 200th Anniversary, with just 1,819 bottles released – 1819 being the year the distillery opened! This spectacular whisky comes at 49.2% abv.

DALMORE 35 YEAR OLD

Take a look at this beauty! This rare 35 Year Old expression from The Dalmore is derived from a special three wood assemblage using a Bourbon barrel, a Matusalem 30 year old Oloroso Sherry butt and a rare vintage 1970 Port Colheita Pipe. This stunning bottle is presented in a bespoke crystal decanter crafted by Baccarat, the prestigious French crystal house, and features The Dalmore’s iconic ’12-point Royal Stag’ created by leading Scottish silversmiths, Hamilton & Inches. Just 130 bottles have been produced, making this an incredibly hard-to-find treasure.

GLENMORANGIE 1975 COTES DE NUITS WOOD FINISH

A truly unique treasure from the world-renowned Glenmorangie Distillery, this Highland single malt was distilled in 1975 and matured for over two decades initially in bourbon casks, before spending a period of time in second fill Cote de Nuits Burgundy Grand Cru casks. Each bottle has been individually numbered by hand.

FETTERCAIRN 1978 46 YEAR OLD

A spectacular 46-year-old Fettercairn that this expression has matured for over four decades initially in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, before being treated to a finish in tawny port pipes. Only 55 individually numbered bottles of this single malt were produced at a strength of 42.5% abv.

GLENDRONACH 1989 29 YEAR OLD KINGSMAN EDITION

This limited edition expression from The GlenDronach has been crafted in collaboration with Matthew Vaughn, director of the Kingsman film franchise, to mark the release of the latest film in the series, The King’s Man. This 29-year-old release was distilled in 1989 and matured in oloroso sherry casks before being finished in Pedro Ximenez casks. The result is a masterful expression of complexity and depth, truly befitting a Kingsman. Bottled at a strength of 50.1% abv and presented in a luxurious case adorned with the bespoke Kingsman insignia, this expression is limited to just 3,052 bottles worldwide.

Want to sell with us in our next auction?

E: auctions@whiskyshop.com

T: +44(0)141 427 2950

Why sell with us?

We currently offer 0% Sellers Commission

Our auctions are rolling – NO bottle deadlines!

Fastest payout in the industry

Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2012

Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2012 vintage Islay single malt Scotch whisky. Distilled using 100% Islay barley, matured in first fill American oak and French wine casks.

Bruichladdich 9 Year Old 2010 Cask #2784

Bruichladdich 10 Year Old 2009 vintage Islay single malt Scotch whisky. Single French Jurancon white wine cask #5015 bottled January 2020 for the United Kingdom market. 276 bottles. MAXIMUM 1 BOTTLE PER CUSTOMER

Bruichladdich 10 Year Old 2009 Cask #5015

Bruichladdich 10 Year Old 2009 vintage Islay single malt Scotch whisky. Single French Jurancon white wine cask #5015 bottled January 2020 for the United Kingdom market. 276 bottles. MAXIMUM 1 BOTTLE PER CUSTOMER.

Bruichladdich Distillery was established in 1881 by the Harvey family of distillers based in Glasgow. Situated on the Rhinns peninsular on the island of Islay close and close to the sandy bays of Loch Indaal. Re-opened in 2001 with much of the original Victorian equipment restored to working order. The first release of Bruichladdich’s new whisky was the highly acclaimed PC5, the first release in the limited Port Charlotte range. Also producing very highly peated Octamore, Organic using Islay grown barley, and triple and quadruple distilled single malt and single cask releases. Bruichladdich distillery participates in Feis Ile, the annual Islay Whisky Festival.