SOUGHT-AFTER GLENFIDDCH 50 YEAR OLD

LEADS BONHAMS’ FINE WHISKY SALE IN MARCH

The Glenfiddich 50 year old, estimate £12,000-15,000; three bottles of Black Bowmore 1964, estimate £4,000-4,500 per bottle

A bottle of The Glenfiddich 50 year old leads Bonhams’ next Fine Whisky sale on Wednesday 2 March in Edinburgh.  It is estimated at £12,000-15,000.

The whisky was bottled in 1991 from casks filled in 1937 and 1939 and is numbered 448 of an edition of a limited edition.  It comes in its original fitted wooden presentation case and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity provided by The Glenfiddich distillery.

Bonhams Whisky Specialist, Martin Green commented: “The Glenfiddich 50 year old is one of the most sought-after whiskies at auction and always excites much interest when it appears.  Whisky collecting is very much an international pursuit and I would not be surprised to see bidding for this bottle from the USA and countries in the Far East as well as closer to home.”

The sale also features three bottles of Black Bowmore 1964 to be sold separately with estimates of £4,000-4,500 per lot. Bottled in 1993, 1994 and 1995 respectively, they represnt the three editions of 1964 whisky distilled by Morrison’s Bowmore Distillery in casks previously used to age Oloroso Sherry.

As usual, the sale also offers some rarely-seen bottles including The Glenrothes-Glenlivet 20 year old distilled in 1946 and bottled in 1966 by Hepburn & Ross Ltd, Glasgow.  It is estimated at £1,500-1,800.  The company was founded in 1920 by two former First World War soldiers with experience of the whisky trade, Charles Hepburn and Herbert Ross, and had a policy of employing almost exclusively demobilised servicemen.  Although the firm passed out of the founders’ hands in 1959, its name persists and it is still remembered as the original producers of a blended whisky called Red Hackle after the decoration worn in the Tam O’Shanters of the Black Watch Regiment in place of a cap badge.

The Fine Whisky Sale takes place at Bonhams, 22 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 on 2 March starting at 11.00.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. Today, the auction house offers more sales than any of its rivals. The main salerooms are in London, New York and Hong Kong. Sales are also held in the UK in Knightsbridge and Edinburgh; in the US, in San Francisco and Los Angeles; in Europe, in Paris and Stuttgart and in Sydney, Australia. Bonhams also has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of forthcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.