We are pleased to be offering our complimentary collection service in London on:

Sunday 13th September 2020
6-8pm by appointment only
St Paul’s Hotel, Hammersmith, W14 0QL

Collections are limited and by appointment only. If you would like to attend please complete the form which can be found here. Please do not attend without an appointment or if you are feeling unwell in line with COVID 19 guidelines. Additionally, please complete a Submission Sheet. This must be handed to the collections team. 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.

We are monitoring the COVID situation, this collection may be cancelled if infected numbers increase over the coming days.

Sotheby’s Largest Online Spirits Sale

Achieves £1.2 Million / $1.6 Million

Established Collectors and First-Time Buyers Compete for 250 Lots

Comprising Whiskies from Scotland and Japan

First Offering at Auction of Set #1 of the First Release of

The Prima & Ultima Collection Brings £26,840

“We are delighted to have finished the summer with a successful online auction where 47% of buyers were new to Sotheby’s and 40% of bidders were under 40 years old. It was also a privilege to offer the first release of The Prima & Ultima Collection with the proceeds being donated to WaterAid. The staggering values we achieved on the Macallan Fine & Rare collection are testament to the current strength of the spirits market. We look forward to continuing our success into October when we offer the Ultimate Whisky Collection Part II.”

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Spirits Specialist 

LONDON, 3 September 2020: Distilled | The Macallan Fine & Rare and The Prima & Ultima Collection, an online sale featuring some of the very rarest whiskies to be offered at auction, closed on Wednesday, raising a total of £1.2 million, and just tipping over the pre-sale high estimate. Headlined by The Macallan’s most sought after releases, an array of rare Italian import Scotch, and the first set from the new Prima & Ultima Collection series, this was Sotheby’s largest online spirits sale by lot.

KEY FACTS AND FIGURES: 

• Sale realises £1,201,590 / $1,580,989 (pre-sale estimate: £860,750 – 1,176,600 / $1,132,661 – 1,548,288)
• 44% of lots sold achieve prices in excess of high estimate
• 47% of buyers were new to Sotheby’s and 40% of bidders were under 40 years old 

NOTABLE PRICES 

• Set #1 of the first release of The Prima & Ultima Collection sold for £26,840 / $35,249 (est. £16,000-28,000). The sale marked the first opportunity to acquire this collection at auction, following the recent inaugural launch of a new series of single vintage malt whiskies by distillery owner Diageo. Proceeds will be donated to Diageo’s charity partner WaterAid.

• Over 90 Macallan lots brought a combined total of £876,976 / $1,154,013 against a pre-sale estimate of £617,960 – 838,450 / $813,174 – 1,103,316, led by The Macallan Fine & Rare Collection featuring the most iconic whiskies from The Macallan distillery, including vintages spanning 1940 to 1976.

• Achieving the top price in the sale was a bottle of The Macallan Fine and Rare 56 Year Old 1945, sold for £46,360 / $60,885 (est. £35,000-48,000) – this is the second oldest age statement in the Fine & Rare Collection after the record-breaking 60 year old 1926, and one of only 152 bottles of this whisky to exist.

• The selection of independent bottlings was led by three bottles of Laphroaig Samaroli 16 Year Old 1970, all of which surpassed their pre-sale estimate, with two bottles selling for £17,080 / $22,431 each and a third realising £15,860 / $20,829 (est. £9,000-13,000) – final prices indicative of the rarity of seeing three bottles of this whisky in a single auction.

• An exceptional selection of Japanese whiskies was distinguished by 27 Karuizawa lots made up of Single Cask bottlings and vattings from Japan’s most popular closed distillery. Together they sold for a combined total of £113,018 / $148,720 (est. £74,300 – 98,100 / $97,771 – 129,090), led by Karuizawa Sapphire Geisha 36 Year Old Cask #5077, sold for £18,300 / $24,034 (est. £11,000-15,000).

• Eleven Port Ellen lots were 100% sold, with several bottles reaching prices in excess of their pre-sale high estimates, including Port Ellen Fourth Annual Release 25 Year Old 1978 (sold for £2,684 / $3,525, est. £1,000-1,400), and Port Ellen Tenth Annual Release 31 Year Old 1978 (sold for £2,318 / $3,044, est. £750-1,200). Leading the group was a bottle of Port Ellen 1979 40 Year Old Casks Of Distinction #1883, which realised £21,960 / $28,840 (est. £20,000-26,000).

A quick reminder that the latest auction will end this evening. For the benefit of our first time bidders, this is how it works:

From 7pm UK time the software starts monitoring activity on the site, and at an unspecified time it will shut down the auction. This feature has been designed to beat sniper software.

The auction does not end at 7pm, only the end process begins then. In our experience it is some time after 8.30pm before the auction ends, so there us no need to rush to bid dead on 7pm.

If you are looking to collect the bottles from the office please note that we are now operating an appointment only system. Appointments are available from 10am-7pm Monday-Friday and you can book online.

We hope you have enjoyed the auction.

Kind regards from Glasgow,

The SWA Team.

Auction Is Now Live!

THE LIVE AUCTION

21oo+ lots to bid on including a…

Macallan – 72 Year Old Lalique Genesis Decanter

Interested in selling whisky in our next auction?

+44 (0)1463 210 427

sales@thegrandwhiskyauction.com

Our 111th auction is now live! Not only do we have a voluptuous volume to digest this month but a fantastic spread of choice for the avid collector, drinker, right up to the extraordinary..

Tennants Auctioneers, The Auction Centre, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 5SG

Tel: 01969 623780 Email: enquiry@tennants-ltd.co.uk Website: www.tennants.co.uk

WHISKY

A good selection of bottles are on offer from every Whisky region in Scotland, with an interesting mix of rare collectable bottles and affordable lots to drink.

Macallan continues to dominate the market, and the top bottles of whisky in the sale hail from the renowned highland distillery. On the top shelf is The Macallan 30 Years Old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky (estimate: £5,500-6,500), and The Macallan 25 Years Old Anniversary Malt (estimate: £2,000-3,000). A rare bottle, the Anniversary Malt was a special bottling in 1985, marrying two sherry matured casks of single malt whisky which were distilled in 1958 and 1959.

Good age statements to look out for include the Tomatin 36 Year Old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky; distilled in small batches in the Highland distillery south of Inverness, this bottle is number 14 of 800 in Batch 3 (estimate: £500-700). A Littlemill 1983 20 Year Old Single Lowland Malt Whisky, bottled by Direct Wines Ltd for their First Cask range (estimate: £200-400) is also of note, as is a 1980s bottling of Glenfarclas 25 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (estimate: £400-600). Also of note to collectors is a bottle of Cambus 25 Year Old Single Grain Scotch Whisky (estimate: £120-180). Cambus was a distillery perched on the border between the Highland and Lowland regions, which closed in 1993; this is an independent bottling by That Boutique-Y Whisky Company and is number 280 of 349 bottles.

The Macallan 30 Years Old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky – Estimate: £5,500-6,500

SALE:               Fine Wine & Whisky

Auction:           26^th September 2020

Venue:             Tennants Auctioneers, Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5SG

Details:            www.tennants.co.uk

ABOUT TENNANTS 

• Tennants Auctioneers is a fourth-generation family business and is one of the UK’s largest international Antiques and Fine Art auctioneers. Situated in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, Tennants holds over 80 sales a year.

• Tennants connects more than 200,000 buyers and sellers a year.
• As a family business, Tennants stays true to its Yorkshire heritage and offers its clients unrivalled service, expertise and value.
• In 2014 Tennants expanded the Auction Centre to 80,000sq ft with the development of The Garden Rooms – a dedicated venue for events, weddings, conferences and exhibitions. The venue is one of the region’s largest event spaces with a capacity of over 600 people.

Sotheby’s to Hold its Largest Online Spirits Sale

Over 250 Lots, with Whiskies from Scotland, Japan and India

First Offering at Auction of Set #1 of the First Release of

The Prima & Ultima Collection

The New Series of Single Vintage Malt Scotch Whiskies

*Proceeds from the Sale To be Donated to Diageo’s Charity Partner WaterAid*

 Open for Bidding from 26 August to 1 September

The Macallan Fine & Rare Collection

“We are thrilled to present our second spirits auction of the month and our largest online auction, with over 250 lots. The quality and variety of bottles offered in this sale are a testament both to the strength of the current whisky market and of our success in developing our online auction format throughout 2020.”

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Spirits Specialist

LONDON, 25 August 2020 – From The Macallan’s most sought after releases to an array of rare Italian import Scotch, including the highly acclaimed Samaroli Laphroaig 1970, and the first full set of the new Prima & Ultima Collection, Sotheby’s online Distilled sale features some of the very rarest whiskies to be offered at auction. Comprising 267 lots with a combined pre-sale estimate in excess of £850,000, the auction will open for bidding at 2pm BST on 26 August and run until 1 September. 

MACALLAN 

“At Sotheby’s we have enjoyed a great relationship with The Macallan Fine & Rare series, setting the record for the highest value ever achieved for a bottle of whisky at auction with the Macallan Fine & Rare 1926.”

Jonny Fowle 

The sale includes 94 Macallan lots, with a combined pre-sale estimate of £619,460 – 840,450, led by The Macallan Fine & Rare Collection featuring the most iconic whiskies from The Macallan distillery. The collection includes vintages spanning 1940 to 1976, with estimates ranging from £10,000-14,000 to £35,000-48,000 per bottle. In addition, a selection of the 5cl press release samples from the original launch of the Fine & Rare Collection, which were sent out to journalists together with the press release, are estimated at £800-1,200 each.

The Macallan Fine and Rare 56 Year Old 51.5% 1945, est. £35,000-48,000

This Macallan Fine and Rare 56 Year Old is the second oldest age statement in the Fine & Rare Collection after the record-breaking 60 year old 1926. Macallan was one of the only distilleries to operate during World War II. It was forced to use local peat in their production, due to the rationing of commercial coal use. As a result, this distillate represents a very different character to modern Macallan, and with only 152 bottles of this whisky known to exist, this sale presents an exceptionally rare opportunity to acquire such a highly prized bottle.

PRIMA & ULTIMA

As well as the Macallan Fine & Rare set, this Distilled sale also marks a momentous occasion in the world of collectable whisky, by featuring Set #1 of the first release of The Prima & Ultima Collection, following the inaugural launch of a new series of single vintage malt whiskies that has only just been announced by distillery owner Diageo. With purchase only  through appointed agents, and with pre-order registrations looking to far outstrip the available 238 sets, Sotheby’s sale of set #1 – signed by Dr Jim Beveridge OBE, one of the world’s most respected whisky makers – is the first opportunity to acquire this collection at auction (est. £16,000-28,000). The winning bidder will also secure an exclusive whisky tasting experience with Dr Jim  Beveridge.

The sale marks Sotheby’s first ever collaboration with Diageo for charity, and proceeds will be donated to Diageo’s charity partner WaterAid.

Each rare Single Malt Scotch Whisky in the collection is “the first and the last” of its kind, drawn from a small number of casks from celebrated distilleries including Port Ellen, Cragganmore, Mortlach, Singleton of Dufftown, Lagavulin, Caol Ila, Talisker and Clynelish. These eight bottles are the first in an on-going series of single vintage malts, with further editions of Prima & Ultima to be made available in the coming years.

INDEPENDENT BOTTLES

The sale is distinguished by a number of independent bottlings, including three bottles of Laphroaig Samaroli 16 Year Old 1970 (est. £9,000-13,000). The whisky was scored 95 points by Serge Valentin, a well-known name on the whisky scene, one of the highest ratings he has ever given.

Emmanuel Dron, Sotheby’s Whisky Consultant, owner of The Auld Alliance whisky bar and author of Collecting Scotch Whisky, commented: “Silvano Samaroli’s bottles are among the most legendary ever produced and this 1970 Laphroaig is undoubtedly my number 1 whisky of all time. It is so rare to see three bottles of this whisky in a single auction”.

Two exquisite releases from Gordon & MacPhail comprise Glen Grant Gordon & MacPhail 62 Year Old Mr. George Centenary Edition 1956 (est. £5,500-7,500, illustrated far left), one of the oldest Glen Grant whiskies ever released, and Longmorn Gordon & MacPhail 53 Year Old Private Collection 1966 (est. £4,300-5,500, illustrated left).

BEAUTIFUL JAPANESE WHISKIES

The sale features an exceptional selection of Japanese whiskies, not least 28 Karuizawa lots with a combined pre-sale estimate of £79,300 – 104,100, made up of Single Cask bottlings and vattings from Japan’s most popular closed distillery. Earlier this year in London, Sotheby’s set the record for the most valuable Japanese Whisky ever sold when a bottle of Karuizawa 1960 achieved £363,000.

Stand-out highlights include Karuizawa Sapphire Geisha 36 Year Old Cask #5077 (est. £11,000-15,000, illustrated left) and The Yamazaki LMDW Private Cask #3T70070 (est. £7,000-9,000, illustrated right).

FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Eleven Port Ellen lots, with a combined pre-sale estimate of £28,950 – 39,250, led by Port Ellen 1979 40 Year Old Casks Of Distinction #1883 (est. £20,000-26,000, illustrated far left).

The Original Balvenie “Tun 1401” – The Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch #1 (est. £4,000-6,000, illustrated left).

SMWS 26 Malts Collection (est. £4,500-6,000)

Notes 

Auction World Record Prices for Spirits 

After launching our Spirits business last year this segment of the market saw the fastest growth with three new auction world record prices.

AUCTION WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR A BOTTLE OF JAPANESE WHISKY

London, March 2020

Karuizawa 52 Year Old Zodiac Rat Cask #5627 1960, $435,273

AUCTION WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR ANY BOTTLE OF THE DALMORE

London, May 2020

Two bottles of The Dalmore 62 Year Old, $324,445 (per bottle)

AUCTION WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR A BOTTLE OF COGNAC

London, May 2020

The Gautier Cognac 1762, $144,525

Sotheby’s holds producer records for: Bowmore, Springbank, Brora, Samaroli and Glenfiddich.

SOTHEBY’S ALSO HOLDS THE AUCTION RECORD FOR THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE BOTTLE OF WINE OR SPIRIT

London, October 2019

The Macallan Fine & Rare 60-Year-Old 1926, $1.9 million

**NEWSFLASH** NEW WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A BOTTLE OF JAPANESE WHISKY SET AT BONHAMS HONG KONG

The Oldest Japanese Whisky – Yamazaki-55 Year

Sells for HK$6,200,000 (US$795,000) 

More Than Ten Times the Pre-sale Estimate &
Far Exceeding Previous Records

Hong Kong – At Bonhams Fine & Rare Wine and Whisky Sale in Hong Kong today, Yamazaki-55 Year, the oldest Japanese whisky in history, commanded the price of HK$6,200,000 (US$795,000), establishing a new world auction record for a bottle of Japanese whisky. It had a pre-sale estimate of HK$580,000 – 780,000.

The single-malt blockbuster was freshly released in June this year by Suntory, via a customer lottery system applicable only to residents from within Japan. Yamazaki-55 Years was distilled in the 1960s and produced in an exceedingly-limited edition of 100 bottles.

Daniel Lam, Director of Wine and Whisky, Asia, commented: “The stunning price sets a new milestone for the market of Japanese whisky, testament to collectors’ desire and determination to acquire the very best the market has to offer. We are pleased to see a keen demand for Scotch whisky in today’s sale as well.”

This new record far exceeds the previous records, set respectively in March 2020 for GBP363,000 (US$475,000) and in May 2019 for NT$13,512,500 (US$459,000).

The Yamazaki-55 Year Old was matured in both Japanese Mizunara oak cask from 1960 and white oak cask from 1964, the year of the previous Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Distilled to 46% ABV, it has a deep reddish amber colour with a complex agarwood and sandalwood nose, rich in fruity scents with a sweet aftertaste. The gold-dusted bottle is housed in a black Mizunara oak box with Suruga lacquer. The bottle mouth is wrapped in handmade Echizen Washi and tied with a traditional Kyoto braided cord.

Bonhams currently holds three world auction records in the whisky category, namely:

World auction record for a Japanese whisky collection

Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series (in 54 bottles)

Sold for of HK$7,192,000 (US$ 922,000)

August 2019

World auction record for a whisky cask

Refill European Sherry Hogshead Cask from Macallan Distillery

Sold for HK$4,464,000 (US$572,000)

November 2019

World auction record for a bottle of Japanese whisky

Yamazaki-55 Year

Sold for HK$6,200,000 (US$795,000)

August 2020

Sale: Fine and Rare Wine & WhiskyDate: 21 August (Friday)

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and antiques, motor cars and jewellery. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney. With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full list of forthcoming auctions, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com. bonhams.com

Our August auction is now LIVE!

Place your bids from Friday 14th August until Sunday 23^rd August.

www.whiskyhammer.com

Every month, we present an incredible selection of whiskies and other fine spirits to our members right across the globe. You will find everything here from limited edition releases and vintage bottles to whole casks of rare whisky. There is certainly something for everyone – whether you are looking to collect, invest or enjoy!

Macallan – 32 Year Old (1969 Fine & Rare)

Old Rip Van Winkle – 23 Year Old  (1986) Family Selection 

Cask sales – Springbank (1991), Craigellachie (2008) & Glenfarclas (2011).

Hibiki – 30 Year Old (Aritayaki)  

Selling whisky? Why not arrange the pick-up of your bottles using our global courier service? If you’re based in Scotland, you might want to arrange the personal collection of your bottles. Wherever you’re based in the world, we will make getting your bottles into our monthly auction as simple as possible. Get in touch with the Whisky Hammer team now by dropping them a message at sales@whiskyhammer.co.uk.