BONHAMS TO SELL OUTSTANDING COLLECTION OF ULTRA RARE WHISKY

View the catalogue: Bonhams : The Old, the Rare and the Only an extraordinary single owner collection of Whisky, Part 1

Glenfiddich Rare Collection-64 year old-1937. Estimate: £80,000-90,000

London – Bonhams is to sell one of the most exciting and comprehensive collections of rare Whisky, Cognac and Armagnac to appear on the market for many years. The Old, The Rare and The Only: an extraordinary single-owner collection of rare Whisky will be offered over two sales in London on 13 April and 10 June 2022. The private collection took more than 20 years to assemble and includes some of the most desirable and rarest bottles ever to appear at auction.

With more than 400 Single Malts, the collection is a Scotch Whisky time capsule. There are vintages from eight decades from the 1920s to the 2000s with many whiskies matured for up to 60 years and beyond.

Diego Lanza, Bonhams Senior Whisky specialist in London said: “This wonderful compendium of old, rare, and unique aged spirits was put together by an avid collector who travelled the world chasing down the rarest and most desirable bottles of single malts. The quality is staggering and there are bottles on offer of such rarity that collectors can spend a lifetime waiting for them to appear on the market.

Highlights of the 13 April sale include:

Whisky

• Glenfiddich Rare Collection-64 year old-1937. Regarded as the most legendary Glenfiddich ever produced, this is bottle No. 9 of 61 (£80,000-90,000).

• Black Bowmore Aston Martin DB5-31 year old-1964. This legendary Bowmore vintage was first bottled in 1995. Renowned for its unparalleled taste, it was re-bottled in 2020 and is presented in a decanter that incorporates a genuine Aston Martin DB5 piston. It is decanter 19 out 27 (£75,000-85,000). 

• Mortlach-70 year old-1938. One of the oldest single malts ever bottled was distilled in 1938, bottled in 2008 and released in a strictly limited edition of 54 of which this is decanter number 16 (£25,000-35,000).

• Ardbeg Double Barrel-1974. Two bottles from a limited edition of 250 pairs. Presented in an original bespoke leather-bound gun case made by Purdey & Sons, the pair comes with eight engraved sterling silver drinking cups (£20,000-25,000).

• Glenfiddich 1978-32-year-old. The Rafael Medina Edition is incredibly rare, and this is bottle 2 of only 7 in the world (£10,000-12,000).

• The cream of the crop of the Macallan’s legendary 1940s’ production era including The Macallan 1949 Millennium Decanter 50-year-old (£25,000-30,000); The Macallan Select Reserve-51 year old-1948 (£14,000-16,000) and The Macallan Select Reserve-52 year old-1946 (£13,000-15,000). 

• Glenfarclas 60-year-old. Bottled 2014, it is one of 360 bottles (£14,000-16,000).

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and collectables, motor cars and a luxury division, including jewellery, watches, wine and whisky. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, and Sydney. With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advice and valuation services in 53 specialist areas. For a full list of forthcoming auctions, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com