“Remarkable” whisky auction could raise more than £60,000 for Maclean family’s new clean water charity

Last month, the Maclean brothers completed a cycle and row to every whisky distillery in Scotland.

Now, it’s the turn of their famous father, whisky expert Charles Maclean MBE, to bring his skills to the table to raise money and awareness for their new charity, The Maclean Foundation.

Not to be outdone by the World Record-breaking trio, the author has rallied the Scotch whisky industry to donate a collection of “very rare and highly collectable” spirits for auction, with all funds raised funding the charity’s mission to raise funds for clean water projects in developing countries.

The “outstanding” auction’s 39 lots include a unique one of one Port Ellen from 1979, a 35 year old bottle of Port Ellen, which is part of the Douglas Laing Old & Rare selection and a 36 year old Glengoyne from the Russell Family cask. The Auction runs until 12th September.

Also available will be one of only six bottles in existence of Karuizawa Omoiyari, a single malt Japanese whisky and the first bottle of 278 from the Chichibu Distillery’s thousandth cask.

Charles Maclean MBE

Charles Maclean MBE, who starred as Rory Macallister in Ken Loach’s award winning film ‘The Angels’ Share’, commented: “All the items have interesting stories. Some are very rare and highly collectable, although some lots are easily affordable – appealing to consumers as well as collectors and investors. The provenance of every item is flawless.

“The auction is unusual in many respects. Assisted by other trustees, who have or had long involvement with the Scotch whisky industry, we approached a number of friends and colleagues, and they have been hugely generous.

“The funds raised from this outstanding and unique auction will allow the charity to get off the ground and to start having an impact through the provision of clean water.”

The fundraising target for the auction is £60,000. The charity had hoped for 35 lots in total – one for each day it took the Maclean brothers to row across the Atlantic in 2020 – but thanks to the generosity of its supporters, 39 are available.

A couple of weeks ago,  the trio of adventurer brothers completed a human-powered journey between 121 Scottish distilleries to introduce the new charity to the whisky industry.

Between them, the brothers travelled 2,200 miles by bike and 160 nautical miles across some of the most challenging bodies of water in the British Isles.

The auction is being hosted, free of charge, by Whisky.Auction, a London-based auction website that offers the finest whiskies, spirits and wines from all around the world.

Isabel Graham-Yool, Director of Whisky.Auction said: “This is one of the most remarkable auctions of my career. What is so special is that every single one of the 39 lots has particular significance, not only to whisky enthusiasts, but also to the Maclean family and their generous friends who donated such rare and exceptional bottles from their own private collections. We expect there to be a huge amount of interest in this charity auction.”

Also available will be an outstanding library of 40, primarily first edition, whisky books donated from the personal libraries of 15 of the world’s leading whisky writers, including Gavin Smith, Ian Buxton, Alice Lascelles, Nicholas Morgan, Dave Wondrich, Ingvar Ronde and Charles Maclean.

To support the auction, visit whisky.auction

Whisky auction

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.

The Maclean Foundation 

The Maclean Foundation has been founded by Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan Maclean alongside their dad Charles Maclean MBE, to  raise funds for clean water projects through adventures and collaboration with the whisky industry.

The Maclean Foundation (SC051703) is a registered Scottish charity that exists to create positive change through compassion and the spirit of adventure.

Visit themacleanfoundation.org or follow @themacleanfoundation on Instagram to find out more.

The Maclean brothers

In 2020, Edinburgh born brothers Ewan, Lachlan and Jamie Maclean became the first three brothers to row any ocean, as well as the fastest and youngest trio to row across the Atlantic Ocean.

During their 35 days at sea, as their charity fundraising efforts ramped up to more than £205,000, the brothers began to talk about their aspiration to build a family foundation.

During a trip to Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in Africa, to see clean water boreholes they previously funded all three became ill through contact with dirty water and were treated for parasitic worms.

Whisky for Water

In preparation for their Atlantic row in 2020, the Maclean brothers rowed 300 miles up the West Coast of Scotland, starting in Arran and finishing on the Isle of Skye, stopping at 16 whisky distilleries, ‘pillaging’ donated bottles as they rowed.

The bottles were blended by Charlie to produce a blended Scotch and a blended Malt which alone raised £55,000 for clean water projects, resulting in the construction of eleven boreholes in Madagascar which serve approximately 2,750 people. 

Charlie Maclean MBE

 A graduate of St Andrews and Dundee universities, he was founding editor of Whisky Magazine in 1998, British editor of the Russian glossy Whisky, and contributing editor of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Newsletter.

Mr Maclean famously starred in Ken Loach’s film The Angels’ Share, which won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012, as well as frequent appearances as a commentator on both radio and television.

He was elected a Keeper of the Quaich in 1992 for ‘his services to Scotch over ten years’, elevated to Master of The Quaich – the industry’s highest accolade – in 2009. In 2016 he was inducted into the Whisky Hall of Fame and in May 2019 won the accolade of ‘International Ambassador of the Year’ at the Spirit of Speyside Festival.

Mr Maclean was trained in ‘the sensory evaluation of potable spirits’ by Pentlands Scotch Whisky Research (now the Scotch Whisky Research Institute) in 1992 and has presented numerous tastings and talks in the U.K. and abroad for whisky companies, corporations, universities and clubs, and on radio and TV. He is a member of the Judging Panel (Spirits) of the International Wines & Spirits Competition, was runner-up as ‘Communicator of the Year’ in the 2003 IWSC Awards and won ‘Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Scotch Whisky’ in the 2012 Awards.

In January 2020 he won the Hurun Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to UK – China Relations’, in connection with ‘Whisky Promotion in China’.

In May 2021, he was appointed M.B.E. (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by H.M. The Queen, “for services to Scotch Whisky, UK exports and charity”.

Mr Maclean is a Writer to Her Majesty’s Signet, a Visiting Lecturer to the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, an Honorary Fellow of Massey College, University of Toronto, and of Champlain College, University of Trent and a former office bearer in the Commanderie de Bordeaux à Edimburg.