Rare & Collectable at The Whisky Shop

Deemed some of the best collectables on the market, these drams are highly sought-after, and are equally good for new investors and avid collectors alike. We have some incredible bottles on our site so delve into the selection below…

Discover Rare & Collectable →

Free Next Day Delivery for 12 Months For just £14.95 you can enjoy free next day delivery on all your orders for a whole year! Geographic restrictions apply, see full T&Cs. Find out more ❯

1997 Blair Athol 25 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Sherry Butt Cask Strength Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

$279.99

View

This beautiful cask of Blair Athol is truly the star of our 2023 campaign. We rarely get access to such exceptional old malt and if you’ve been following the K&L Exclusives, this will easily compare to the wonderful 25 year Cragganmore we sold last year. The Blair Athol malt is an absolute dream and when you put it into high quality casks, it can produce one of the Highland’s most complex and delicious whiskies. Founded in 1798 by John Steward and Robert Robertson, it changed hands many times until eventually being mothballed in 1932. IT was after that that Arthur Bell purchased the distillery to make it the home of his Bell’s Blend. Production start up again in 1949 and continues to produce the top dressing malt for blends. But a few special casks make it out of the system and we’re extremely lucky and proud to have procured this exceptional whisky. Fewer and fewer casks are able to offer this old malt experience for a relatively reasonable price. Any one looking for great old highland sherry should look no further. This is the best around.

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Lagg Corriecravie, 55% ABV

https://youtu.be/g7kZevk_ApM

My second experience of Lagg, and I have to say that it is yet to let me down in any way at all. The first release was expensive, but due to the secondary market, I don’t blame them. A sherry finished whisky (the colour is remarkable!). We have a peat level of 50ppm, 55% ABV, and what makes this all even more impressive is that it can only be 4YO, at most.

This is better, in many ways, than most new Ardbeg releases. Most new, affordable Bowmore releases, most new Highland Park releases…and it’s just over £60 a bottle. Stop reading this and go and buy one. Watch the review first, though, of course.

HIGHLAND PARK ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF LONDON EDITION

AS PART OF ITS SINGLE CASK SERIES

Orkney-based distillery Highland Park has unveiled its new Single Cask Release as part of its limited-edition Single Cask Series. The Highland Park London Edition will be available in the UK from 11^th September at an RRP of £390, with an ABV of 58.5%.

The launch of the 18-year-old London Edition sees Highland Park release just 642 bottles from a specially chosen cask in one of its 23 stone warehouses. The whisky, distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2021, is a naturally light, elegant golden colour, matured in a refill sherry-seasoned European oak cask. The cask – #4627 – was hand selected by Master Whisky Maker Gordon Motion.

Fans of Highland Park should expect the brand’s signature earthy, smoky tones from the new release, allied to a deep, rounded nose spanning vanilla sponge, oak and nutmeg. Flavours of pears, aniseed and rich cedar wood mark the palate, with a gentle peaty note and lingering sweet spice.

With casks contributing up to 60% of the flavour of Highland Park’s whisky, the distillery works closely with Spanish bodegas to source the finest sherry-seasoned casks available. Sherry’s relatively low alcohol content means it takes less from the cask, leaving more elements to influence the flavour of whisky as it matures.

“Some of our most outstanding single-cask bottlings come from refill casks, as they have often previously held whisky for only a short period of time, so have much to give in subsequent maturation,” says Motion.

For the Single Cask Series, Motions says he is “looking for the exceptional – a unique aroma, an outstanding character or simply a superb example of Highland Park’s uniquely complex balance of flavours”. The cask he chose for the London Edition was marked out by its particular marriage of “diverse yet harmonious flavours”, he adds, via a palate that features notes of pear, vanilla, nutmeg and peat. “When it comes to whisky that’s matured for 18 years and more, I have fewer casks to choose from so those in our Single Cask Series are, quite simply, the most exceptional Highland Park casks available.”

Highland Park whiskies are filled at approximately 63.5%, and during maturation they naturally lose some alcohol and water to evaporation, or the so-called Angels’ Share. As Motion points out, however, the flavours themselves intensify rather than evaporating. “By bottling at cask strength, we encourage whisky enthusiasts to experiment with adding water or ice to reach their preferred drinking strength and flavour,” he says.

To find out more about Highland Park visit: www.highlandparkwhisky.com

About the release of Highland Park Single Cask #4627 18-Year-Old London Edition

RRP: £390

ABV: 58.8%

Total production: 642 bottles

On sale date: 11^th September 2023

Appearance: Elegant light golden colour

Tasting notes: Deep, rounded aromas of vanilla sponge, fresh Galia melon, oak, nutmeg and light peat tones. Flavours of pears, aniseed and rich cedar wood mark the palate, with a gentle peaty note sweeping through the mid-palate, finishing with a lingering sweet spice and woody character. 

About Highland Park

We’ve been crafting our award-winning whisky at the Highland Park Distillery in Kirkwall, Orkney since 1798. Now, 225 years later, we are one of the ten oldest working distilleries in Scotland. Age, experience and respect for tradition may define our whisky but it’s Orkney that differentiates us. And it’s not just the influence of the finest sherry-seasoned oak casks on our whisky as it matures, it’s the salty sea winds that batter Orkney’s rugged coastlines, the intensely floral character of our treeless but heather-rich peat, and the fiercely independent Viking spirit that drives us. These are the elements that go, untamed, into our whisky-making to create a wild harmony of sweet-smoky flavours that is, uniquely, Highland Park.

www.highlandparkwhisky.com

About Edrington UK

Edrington UK is the UK’s number one whisky supplier, part of the global Edrington family and responsible for the UK sales, marketing and distribution of a portfolio of ultra-premium brands including The Macallan, Highland Park, The Glenrothes, The Famous Grouse, Naked Malt and Brugal. As a valued distribution partner of Beam Suntory, Edrington UK also represents many of its brands in the UK marketplace, such as Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Bowmore, Laphroaig, Courvoisier and The House of Suntory range of Japanese craft spirits.

uk.edrington.com

The GlenDronach 29YO PX Puncheon Cask #6738 Exclusively for Dom Whisky /53,3%/

The single cask edition presented here brings whisky from a different era – distilled in June 1993, when the distillery was owned by Allied Distillers, spent almost three decades in PX sherry puncheon # 6738 (in our opinion, the best type of wood for this whiskey). This nectar was bottled at cask strength (53.3% abv) exclusively for us, for DOM WHISKY, in 2023. The cask yielded 694 bottles.

Nose: creamy cappuccino, chocolate-coated raisins, roasted almonds, vanilla, hints of herbs (thyme and sage), ripe cherries and plums, delightful combination of sweet, dark fruit and the spiciness of toasted oak.

Taste: silky smooth and multi-layered, mocha, gingerbread, a dash of cinnamon, melted butter, plenty of dark fruit, especially plums and blackberries, roasted walnuts, and tobacco leaf.

Finish: long and evolving, from sweet layers of honey and blackberries to a subtle spiciness and mixed nuts playing a final cord.

The GlenDronach 29YO PX Puncheon Cask #6738

Situated in the picturesque village of Knock in Aberdeenshire, Knockdhu Distillery was founded by John Morrision back in 1894. The distillery is named after the nearby Black Hill, known as Knockdhu in Gaelic, the source of many springs that feed the distillery. The whiskies from Knockdhu were re-named anCnoc in 1993 to avoid confusion with nearby Knockando distillery. This dynamic, exciting distillery produces sweet, fruity whiskies with characteristic flavours of honey and citrus. The majority of the whiskies are unpeated, and matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks. They also produce limited quantities of peated single malt whisky.

View anCnoc Releases

Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

(700ml)(European Import)

$270.00

View

From Buffalo Trace Distillery, Blanton’s holds the distinction of being the world’s first regularly released single-barrel bourbon. This exceptional brand was launched in 1984 and named for the legendary leaders of that historic distillery outside of Frankfurt, Albert B. Blanton. The brand, which is produced and distributed by Sazerac at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, is owned by the previous owners of the distillery a Japanese company called, Age International. Over the last several years, Blanton’s has become one of the most sought-after and inaccessible whiskies on the market. This, their rarest and most elusive expression, is previously completely unobtainable. For instance, in 2021 K&L was allocated a measly 3 bottles company wide. Now that new regulations allow 700ml bottles to be sold, another channel is open for us to obtain this special whiskey. Each barrel is different, bottled at full cask strength without chill filtration of any kind. Proofs range from 115-135 proof and cask numbers cannot be checked in advance of purchase. This rare expression is truly one of Kentucky’s finest.

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

The Good Dram Show – Episode 524 ‘Lady of the Glen’

Welcome to this week’s episode of the show in which I’ll be taking a look at some of the new releases from Hannah Whisky Merchants in their Lady of the Glen range.

https://youtu.be/W3D7itSiHYA

GLEN GRANT SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY REVEALS DEVOTION 70-YEAR-OLD

A SCULPTURAL MASTERPIECE & THE OLDEST EVER RELEASE FROM THE DISTILLERY

The first of the seven total decanters, each one-of-a-kind, will be auctioned by Sotheby’s from September 11-22

ROTHES, SCOTLAND –The Glen Grant Single Malt Scotch Whisky, located in the heart of Speyside, today announces the oldest ever release from the distillery in its 180 years. The Glen Grant Devotion is an exquisite 70-year-old single malt whisky, presented as a handcrafted sculptural masterpiece, many years in the making. Inspired by the remarkable reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this release is a tribute to seventy years of resolute service and a lifelong devotion to nature. These commitments, shared by forefather James ‘The Major’ Grant and Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm OBE, lies at the very core of The Glen Grant.

Sourced from a single French oak butt seasoned with oloroso sherry filled in 1953 at The Glen Grant distillery, Devotion was hand-selected for its lifetime of character achieved through exquisite maturation. The striking deep chestnut hues combine with a definitive floral aroma of intense barley sugar, ripe peach, giving way to honey sweetness. The palate is captivated with rich dried fruits, raisins, sultana, dry spice with just a hint of oak. Showcasing the excellence and unparalleled aging potential of The Glen Grant whiskies, the whisky is at a high strength of 55.5% abv.

The Glen Grant Devotion 70-year-old was brought to life through the combined talents of Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm OBE, award-winning craftsman John Galvin and hot glass master Brodie Nairn of GLASSTORM. With only seven beautiful, hand-blown decanters created, and each one-of-a-kind, The Glen Grant’s Devotion is as rare as it is extraordinary.

All seven of the unique decanters are presented as a mesmerising gem-shaped objet d’art, with seven facets celebrating each decade of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. Each features a silver capsule, adorned with its own individually meaningful floral engraving as a celebration of her inspiring life. The jewel-like decanter is perfectly balanced within a striking wood sculpture handcrafted from a fallen elm tree discovered within the distillery gardens and features an intricate woven design of shapes and forms inspired by nature. The engraving on the sculpture’s silver diameter pays homage to Her Majesty’s favourite flowers, the Lily of the Valley, and features the proud Thistle of Scotland.

To support the preservation of Scotland’s native woodland, decanter Number One will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in an online sale running from September 11th- 22nd September 2023 with 100% of the proceeds donated to the Royal Scottish Forestry Society, of which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was the Patron. This promise will further the work of the Royal Scottish Forestry Society and The Major’s legacy in the creation of his beloved 27-acre Garden of Splendours, with a new planting site on Speyside. The exclusive decanter Number One features The Queen Elizabeth Rose, named for Her Majesty, and engraved in gold and with distinctive embellishments, which are unique to this auction piece.

Commenting on this release, Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm, said, “In the true spirit of The Glen Grant, we bring together the inspiring legacy of our story with the personal devotion of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to realise this exquisite masterpiece. To be devoted, is to show unwavering loyalty and love to something you care for deeply, which sits at the heart of our whisky-making philosophy, as well as shining through with our creative collaborators. This is a lifetime of character and legacy captured in a magnificent creation, like nothing we have ever seen.”

Jonny Fowle, Global Head of Spirits at Sotheby’s said: “This whisky embodies so much of what is important in whisky collecting: quality, rarity, age and most of all provenance as the oldest whisky ever to be released directly from The Glen Grant Distillery itself. This whisky displays a fantastically deep, dark colour after seven decades of oak maturation, which contrasts beautifully with John Galvin’s opulent light wood structure making it the perfect centrepiece for the world’s most impressive whisky collections.”

Following the auction of decanter Number One, the remaining six decanters will be made available for sale with price available upon request, starting in October of 2023.

Each of the seven decanters will be available for sale in select global markets:

Singapore – Orchid
Hong Kong – Daffodil
US – Daisy & Clematis
China – Begonia
Japan – Stephanotis
UK – Rose

The floral details of the seven decanters are as follows:

Decanter #1: The Queen Elizabeth Rose named for Her Majesty engraved in gold, making this first decanter a true one of a kind creation which will be auctioned online by Sotheby’s

Decanter #2: Orchid celebrating the bridal bouquet from her marriage to HRH Duke of Edinburgh.

Decanter #3: Daffodil, the national flower of Wales and homage to the creation of a special Diamond Jubilee flower.

Decanter #4: Clematis which feature around the Buckingham Palace gardens and also Windsor Castle where she is laid to rest

Decanter #5: Daisy, the birth flower of Queen Elizabeth II.

Decanter #6: Begonia from the Silver Jubilee celebrations.

Decanter #7: Stephanotis symbolising Scotland and featured in her Coronation bouquet.

Tasting notes
Colour Deep chestnut with bright golden hues
Aroma Floral, intense barley sugar, and ripe peach give way to honey sweetness.
Taste Dried fruits, raisins, sultana, dry spice, hint of oak.
Finish Lingering, rich and complex, soft fruits, spice, hint of smoke.
ABV: 55.5%

ABOUT THE GLEN GRANT
Brothers James and John Grant built The Glen Grant in 1840, the first distillery in the town of Rothes in Speyside. They left a legacy of ingenuity by engineering the first northern railroad and introducing electric light to both the distillery and the entire town. In 1872, heir James ‘The Major’ Grant, a charismatic innovator and adventurous traveller, inherited the business. Through his intrepid journeys to destinations around the world, he made inspiring discoveries which led to the creation of his beloved 27-acre Garden of Splendours, the only distillery garden of its kind in Scotland. Inspired by his splendid garden, he envisioned a distinctive single malt, engineering tall, slender pot stills combined with unique water-cooling purifiers to create the evocative flavour profile that defines The Glen Grant Single Malt Scotch Whisky to this day.

Now, it is iconic master distiller Dennis Malcolm OBE, the single longest-serving distiller in Scotland, who honours the passionate spirit of The Glen Grant. His life’s work, along with the team at the Glen Grant, is in combining tradition and innovation to preserve the rare character of the whiskies, which are crafted from barley to bottle entirely on the distillery grounds, ultimately ensuring the utmost quality.

ABOUT SOTHEBY’S
Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury. Sotheby’s promotes access to and ownership of exceptional art and luxury 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 70 categories which include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits, and Design, as well as collectible cars and real estate. Sotheby’s believes in the transformative power of art and culture and is committed to making our industries more inclusive, sustainable and collaborative.

Sotheby’s Wine’s annual worldwide auction sales of wine and spirits achieved a record total of $158 million in 2022, a 20% increase from 2021. Sotheby’s currently holds the world records for any whisky collection ever sold at auction, any private wine collection ever sold at auction, the most valuable bottle of wine ever sold at auction and the most valuable bottle of spirits ever sold at auction, in addition to the highest ever total for a charity wine 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.

August 2023 Auction // 25.08.23 – 04.09.23

ENDS SOON

Our August auction ends tonihgt. Featuring over 6,000 rare whiskies and fine spirits, this is a unique opportunity to bid on some of the world’s most sought-after bottles. This month we have an exceptional collection of Laphroaig featuring over 100 bottles, including an array of 1960s vintages. Alongside this we have a brilliant selection of single cask Karuizawa, rare Van Winkle reserve bourbons, and a Samaroli collection featuring many of his most iconic bottlings. Discover this and much more now before they slip away!.

Browse our live auction.

Samaroli Handwritten Labels Collection

Rare Single Cask Karuizawa

Scapa 1958 Samaroli 52% / Handwritten Labels – Signed by Silvano Samaroli

Van Winkle Reserve Bottlings

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