July 2022 Auction  29 July – 8 August

Now Live: July Auction

A warm welcome to our July Auction. Featuring over 9,500 rare whiskies and fine spirits, this is a unique opportunity to bid on some of the world’s most sought-after bottles.

We have legendary vintages from pioneering independent bottlers, grandeur aplenty from established distilleries and unique and experimental drams from the hottest names in the whisky industry right now.

Browse the auction in its entirety and you may just discover one of your favourites, that elusive bottle you’ve been searching for or an amazing gift for someone special.

Prima and Ultima | First and Second Release

Exceptional Kingsbury Independent Bottlings

The Macallan Raffles Hotel Singapore

Rare and Collectible Glenfiddich

Cadenhead’s Curiosities

Interested in selling in our next auction? Fill out our Seller Form today.

While the weather here in Uist has had a bit of a wintery feel over the last month, the plants and wildlife of the islands seem to know to keep doing their summery thing all the same. Blustery walks along the beach are extra special when the machair flowers are in bloom, their sweet honey scent attracting rare species of bees and more common appreciative humans alike.

If you’re in the Outer Hebrides (or near to one of the very lucky bits of the west coasts of Scotland and Ireland that are also home to machair, one of the world’s rarest habitats) we highly recommend a visit over the next couple of weeks to catch the joy of the wildflowers at their peak.

And if you’re not, then you might like to hop over to our blog and spend a little time learning more about this unique and fascinating habitat, and enjoy some of the photos that the team have snapped as we crawl carefully through the beautiful low-lying landscape on hands and knees

Summer in Uist, machair flowers

Bere(ly) Here.
Whisky There.

Speaking of the machair, all of you whisky fans out there will be pleased to hear that our bere barley is coming along nicely. After careful sorting and sowing, it’s very exciting to see it growing and developing into beautiful heads of grain. Watching it nodding in the wind, we can’t help but picture a field of tiny drams swaying side to side, waiting to be raised as the Nunton bell rings.

In further exciting news helping us along our whisky journey – we have placed our order for Nunton’s whisky making equipment and are counting the days (it will be a fair few) until it arrives and meets our first crop of bere, it will be a match made in heaven.

Woodinville “K&L Exclusive” Cask #7039 Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $69.99 View

Westward K&L Exclusive Single Barrel #277 Cask Strength Single Barrel American Single Malt Whiskey (750ml) (Previously $100) $70.00 View

Westward has long been producing some of the finest American single malts available due to a few very intentional choices and Scottish-like climate. We’ve selected one of their oldest available casks and it’s a classic. Westward only uses Pacific Northwest grown barley and it’s all malted just 10 miles from the distillery at Great Western Maltings. This two-row barley is malted to spec—high color pale malt—which would be something akin to a medium or medium + coffee roast. This brings out an array of beautiful toasted flavors ranging from filberts, almonds, and coffee to chocolate nibs and cereals. Perhaps the biggest flavor differentiator is in the yeast choice. The vast majority of distillers use an highly efficient distiller’s yeast, not so here. Westward employs the Chico Strain ale yeast—the very same yeast that accounts for Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale’s famous flavor. Combine that with a low and slow 5-day ferment and the tropical fruit esters in the whiskey are off the charts. Sweet mash leads to a little extra variation from barrel to barrel making the selection that much more special. Our barrel was aged in brand new #2 char 100% American oak for over 5 years in Clackamas, OR. The predominantly cool and wet climate with a short hot summer isn’t all that different from Scotland allowing for that ester development combined with barrel extraction that makes great single malt so special. Distilled 4-21-16. Bottled 6-10-21.

Woodinville “K&L Exclusive” Cask #7918 Cask Strength Straight 100% Rye Whiskey (750ml ) $74.99 View

The first Woodinville single barrel of Rye outside of Washington State is here! Bold, spicy and bringing the heat at 57.61% ABV, this is a worthy first cask of what is hopefully many more to come. Woodinville sources all of their grain from a single farm in Quincy, Washington which is also where the barrels age – the large climatic swings of Eastern Washington are perfect for aging whiskey.

ralfy review 937 Extras – ‘Product’ and ‘Brand’.

SPRINGBANK AND MALT MILL CAUSE A STIR AT ONLINE AUCTION

LONDON, 21^st JULY 2022 : The appetite for rare whisky miniatures shows no signs of slowing as 5cl bottles of collector’s favourite Springbank 1919 and the elusive Malt Mill sell for £7,360 and £6,670* respectively at online auction house Whisky.Auction, setting records for these drams.

Malt Mill is the world’s rarest single malt and at £6,670 for a miniature of Malt Mill 10 Year Old, it just became one of the most valuable. Produced at a tiny distillery in the grounds of Lagavulin on Islay, and only produced between 1908 and 1962, this much sought-after spirit is shrouded in a little mystery and a lot of intrigue, for it was never bottled as a single malt, but rather used for blends. The only way to be sure of the authenticity of a bottle of Malt Mill is with almost impossible levels of research into its ownership, origins and provenance; something that the Whisky.Auction team has done plenty of. Each bottle that appears from the depths of the industry, likely samples from an ex-employee or, in reality a bottle acquired by a local pub landlord, is so desired by many around the world for its elusiveness. Find out more from this piece written by whisky expert and historian Nicholas Morgan: https://magazine.whisky.auction/articles/malt-mill-the-rarest-single-malt-whisky/

In the piece he comments “Is this the rarest bottle of whisky in the world? A genuine taste of antiquity? An insight into what whisky tasted like not just fifty years ago, or a hundred years ago, but in the style of the mid nineteenth century that made, as Peter Mackie said in 1908, ‘highland whisky famous.’ A taste of something that only a handful of other people have enjoyed. And something that will never, ever, be repeated. That’s not as common as muck. That’s real rare.”

The purchaser of this valuable Malt Mill miniature however, isn’t sure it’ll be opened for tasting: “It is exciting! I’m not sure I’ll ever drink it though. The description from Serge [Valentin of WhiskyFun.com] et al is good enough for me. Rather I’ll hang onto it for a few years and feel proud to own it.”

Springbank 1919 50 Year Old is a firm collectors favourite, and broke its own record for a miniature this month with a price of £7,360, having achieved £6,440 back in August 2021. This particular bottle is labelled as bottle ‘No. 2’ and features a Certificate of Authenticity, serving as extra proof of its provenance. The Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown, where traditional hands-on production results in a smaller output than most, has built a global reputation for quality whisky much revered by whisky lovers, in particular these rare early releases.

Whisky.Auction director Isabel Graham-Yooll comments “The prices achieved on these two very rare miniatures is exciting but perhaps not unexpected given the rarity of these whiskies. Much of the liquid we see coming to auction in miniatures is simply unavailable in full bottles, having been consumed many years before. Miniatures often outlive their full-size counterparts in ‘souvenir’ style. And sometimes, the liquid is so scarce that only miniatures ever existed.”

© Whisky.Auction Magazine – Source: https://magazine.whisky.auction/articles/malt-mill-the-rarest-single-malt-whisky/

* prices quoted include commission

Notes

Whisky.Auction is an auction website that offers the finest whiskies, spirits and wines from all around the world. Based in London, Whisky.Auction is run by a team of knowledgeable industry experts, including auction director Isabel Graham-Yooll. The platform runs a monthly auction for full spirits and memorabilia with all lots being received, checked and catalogued by the team, as well as a popular quarterly miniatures auction.

We hope you are enjoying the summer.

Please see below for our August 2022 collection schedule. This month we have included dates for collection in Glasgow, Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire & Inverclyde. Bottles collected will be included in our 135th auction which begins on 2nd September 2022. To register your interest in a collection please complete the form which can be found HERE. Please ensure collection requests are received by the deadline for your area.

Scotland

Collection Points

Inverness – Tuesday 16th August 2022 – From 11am by appointment
* Request deadline Monday 15th August 2022 at 12 noon

Elgin –  Tuesday 16th August 2022 – From 11am by appointment
* Request deadline Monday 15th August 2022 at 12 noon

Aberdeen – Wednesday 17th August  2022  – from 11am by appointment only
* Request deadline Monday 15th August 2022 at 12 noon

Home Collections – for those customers sending 10 or more bottles or bottles to the value of £1000 and above.

Glasgow/Motherwell  includes all G & ML postcode areas – Tuesday 9th August 2022
*Request deadline Friday 5th August 2022

Inverclyde & Renfrewshire – Thursday 11th August 2022
*Request deadline Tuesday 9th August 2022
Dundee – Wednesday 17th August 2022
* Request deadline Monday 15th August 2022 at 12 noon

Perth  –  Wednesday 17th August 2022
* Request deadline Monday 15th August 2022 at 12 noon

Ayrshire – Monday 22nd August/Tuesday 23rd August 2022
* Request deadline Monday 15th August 2022 at 12 noon

Dumfries –  Monday 22nd August/Tuesday 23rd August 2022
* Request deadline Monday 15th August 2022 at 12 noon

Fife & Kinross – Thursday 25th August 2022
* Request deadline Monday 22nd August 2022 at 12 noon

Stirlingshire –   Thursday 25th August 2022
* Request deadline Monday 22nd August 2022 at 12 noon

Islay –  Thursday 25th August 2022
* Request deadline Monday 22nd August 2022 at 12 noon

Campbeltown/Oban – Friday 26th August 2022
* Request deadline Monday 22nd August 2022 at 12 noon

Edinburgh – Monday 29th August 2022
* Request deadline Wednesday 24th August 2022 at 12 noon

England

England – Home Collections – Thursday 18th August 2022 – Monday 22nd August 2022
* Request deadline Monday 15th August 2022 at 12 noon

Collection Points

Manchester – M21 – Sunday 21st August 2022 From 6pm *** New Location ***
* Request deadline Monday 15th August 2022 at 12 noon

London AM – NW2, SW16, E6 – Sunday 21st August 2022 – from 10am by appointment only
* Request deadline Monday 15th August 2022 at 12 noon
*** New East London Location ***

London Evening – W14 – Sunday 21st August 2022  – from 6pm by appointment only
* Request deadline Monday 15th August 2022 at 12 noon

Wales

Newport – NP18 – Saturday 20th August 2022 from 9am
* Request deadline Monday 15th August 2022 at 12 noon

Collections are limited and by appointment only. If you would like to attend please complete the form which can be found here. Please note deadlines apply for collection requests. It would be appreciated if bottles could be packed for uplift. In addition a submission form and label should be completed. Submission forms can now be completed via your main accounts page. A winner in our auction? We are now offering a delivery (to collection point) service to customers who are dropping bottles off for a future auction. This service is charged at £12 (inc VAT), optional loss and breakage cover is available.

Submission Form & Label

The Norfolk Farmers – Single Cask 50cl

Our grain whiskies are bottled under “The Norfolk” brand & this is only the 2^nd ever release of a single cask bottling made available to the public. This cask holds whisky made from a range of different grains and the end result is an extraordinary whisky with layer after layer of flavour and aroma. Definitely worth leaving the safe harbour of single malts to try this unusual and rare whisky.

56.1% ABV

Receive 10% discount when you purchase 6 bottles of The Norfolk – Farmers 

Staff Choice 003 – Mark

Mark runs the day to day operations of our whisky website. He has been with us a few years now and many of you will have spoken to him once or twice using the Chat facility or through emails. He likes a broad range of whisky, with a particular fondness for peated whiskies and for this weeks staff pick he has selected Ledaig 10 year old. A lovely sweet and smoky whisky.

Check out Mark’s pick here >

Recently arrived as part of the Chivas Brothers Distillery Reserve Collection, a range of single cask expressions from across Speyside and beyond, showing the character and tradition of renowned single malt distilleries.

From nutty Tormore to rich sherried Strathisla and a maritime Scapa, these distillery reserves are a great opportunity to explore the bold flavours of your favourite distillery and discover limited drams that are rarely seen outside the realms of blends and independent bottlings.

 SHOP DISTLLERY RESERVE COLLECTION 

ralfy review 937 – Johnnie Walker 12yo @40%vol: (2022)