Sotheby’s First Single-Owner Whisky Collection

Smashes High Estimate – 100% Sold

‘The Ultimate Whisky Collection’ Achieves £7.6m / $10m

Highest Total for any Whisky Collection Offered at Auction

Highest Value Wine or Spirits Sale Ever Staged by Sotheby’s London

The Macallan Fine & Rare 60-Year-Old 1926

sets new auction record for any bottle of wine or spirit

Selling for £1.5 million / $1.9 million 

“There was an electric atmosphere in the room today for our first-ever single-owner spirits auction. This sale marks an historic moment for the spirits market, with new benchmark prices and a fresh approach to selling whisky. We are delighted that our Spirits specialist Jonny Fowle, can celebrate such a ground-breaking first sale and we look forward to growing our spirits business.”

Jamie Ritchie, Chairman, Sotheby’s Wine 

London, 24 October 2019 – A new auction record for a bottle of whisky was set at Sotheby’s today when The Macallan 60-Year-Old 1926 soared to £1,452,000 / $1,873,951, far surpassing its pre-sale estimate of £350,000-450,000. This “holy grail” of whiskies was the star of a sale of more than 460 bottles of Scotch whisky from the collection of a private American Connoisseur, put together over some 20 years. Buyers from across the world drove prices well above estimate, leaving not a single lot unsold. 

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Spirits Specialist, added: “This fantastic result is testament to the quality of the collection. It was remarkable to see so many iconic bottles break records – homage to the importance of distilleries such as Bowmore, Brora, Springbank and, of course, The Macallan. The electricity in the auction room was palpable. There were cheers when the hammer fell on the Macallan Fine and Rare 1926, in one has to be one of the most exciting moments in the history of whisky sales. The final hammer dropped just in time for our friends at RM Sotheby’s to start their sale of collectible motor cars. Our clients were delighted to share their enjoyment and passion for both cars and whisky in the same space.”

KEY STATISTICS AT A GLANCE:

• The Ultimate Whisky Collection totals £7,635,619 / $9,854,530 (pre-sale estimate: £3.3-4.6m / $4.3-5.9m)
• Sale is 100% sold
• 87% of lots achieve prices above pre-sale estimates
• Bidders from around the world, with pronounced interest from Asia
• The most comprehensive catalogue of whisky ever to be offered by a single owner in a single auction, spanning whiskies from each of Scotland’s key whisky-producing regions: Speyside, Highland, Lowland, Islay and Campbeltown (more details here)
• Full results available here

THE MACALLAN REIGNS SUPREME:

• The record-breaking Macallan mentioned above was part of a 178 bottle-strong collection of the Fine and Rare series, spanning seven decades from 1926 through to 1991, which sold for a combined total of £5.1m / $6.6m – this is the most extensive collection of Macallan Fine and Rare ever to be seen at auction.
• Two complete Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection, offered in specially designed cabinets by James Laycock, doubled their low estimate to achieve £665,500 / $858,984 and £629,200 / $812,046 respectively.
• A bespoke, hand-crafted wooden display case containing 46 bottles from the Macallan Fine and Rare miniature collection, ranging from 1937 to 1991 sparked a flurry of bids, pushing the final price over six times above the high estimate to £338,800 / $437,255. These 46 bottles represent the complete collection of miniatures in the Fine and Rare series, as the series existed when the Ultimate Whisky Collector stopped collecting them in 2018.
• The four top lots of The Macallan sell for a combined total of £3m / $4m.

NEW AUCTION RECORD FOR SPRINGBANK 50 YEAR OLD 1919:

• Distilled in 1919, bottled in 1970, this Springbank is undoubtedly one of the rarest whiskies ever to be released, with only 24 bottles produced and once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most expensive bottle of whisky ever sold.
• The appearance on the market of one of these bottles caused a great deal of excitement, driving the final sale price to £266,200 / $343,558, almost double the pre-sale high estimate.
• Distilled a year after the end of the First World War, at a time when distilleries throughout Scotland had ceased operations, the bottle contains a snapshot of history. 

NEW AUCTION RECORD FOR BRORA LIMITED EDITION 40 YEAR OLD:

• Brora’s first release to exceed 40 years, one of only 160 bottles to have been produced reached new heights, selling for a record £54,450 / $70,273, in the year of the distillery’s 200^th anniversary, and just ahead of its reopening next year.
• The full set of Brora Annual Releases, sold as individual bottles, achieved for a combined total of £30,129 / $38,884. 

BOWMORE BECKONS BIDDERS:

• Bottle number 1 of Bowmore’s “Crashing Waves”, the oldest whisky to be released from the legendary distiller after 54 long years of maturation, swelled to £363,000 / $468,488. One of only 12 ever released in a hand-blown sculpted bottle depicting the crashing waves of the Atlantic against Islay’s shores, this is arguably the finest bottle of Islay whisky ever produced.
• Bottles from each of the Bowmore Black releases (First, Second, Final and Bowmore Black 50 Year Old) met with significant demand to sell for a combined total of £119,790 / $154,601.
• The Bowmore Trilogy series, all of which were distilled in 1964, achieved an overall total of £62,920 / $81,205. 

OUTSTANDING REPRESENTATION OF DALMORE BOTTLINGS

• Headlined by The Dalmore Eos 59 year old, which achieved £99,220 / $128,053. With a tiny release of just 20 bottles, this single malt was created from casks 1781 and 1782. 

FURTHER NOTABLE RESULTS:

• Nine casks of single malts were pursued by multiple bidders, selling for a combined total of £399,300 / $515,337. The Highland Park First Fill Oloroso Sherry Cask commanded the highest price, selling for £72,600 / $93,698.
• An entire vertical of Port Ellen’s Annual Releases (1^st to 17^th), sold as individual bottles, achieved a combined double-estimate total of £63,404 / $81,829. These bottlings are amongst the most sought after of all Scotland’s closed distilleries, with annual releases a must-own for collectors. In 2017 Diageo announced they would cease further Annual Releases, but that they planned to revive the distillery – which closed in 1983 – back to its former glory, with production due to recommence in the near future.
• A range of legendary Silvano Samaroli bottlings was led by Bowmore Bouquet Samaroli 18 Year Old, which sold for a record £72,600 / $93,698.

About Sotheby’s Wine

Sotheby’s Wine’s annual worldwide sales reached an important new milestone in 2018, with sales significantly exceeding US$100 million in a single year – for further details, please click here.

Sotheby’s Wine auctions reached $65 million worldwide in the first half of 2019, up 23% over the same period in 2018 and the highest spring season total since Sotheby’s Wine auctions began in 1970.

In Spring 2019, Sotheby’s set a world record for any series of wine sales when a four-day series of auctions in Hong Kong brought a combined total of HK$273.1 million / US$34.8 million. A record for a private wine collection sold at auction was also set when the three-day sale of Tran-scend-ent Wines realised a total of HK$233.6 million / US$29.8 million. 

About Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby’s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby’s has a global network of 80 offices in 40 countries and presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris.  Sotheby’s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby’s Financial Services, the world’s only full-service art financing company, as well as the collection, artist, estate & foundation advisory services of its subsidiary, Art Agency, Partners. Sotheby’s also presents private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby’s Global Fine Art Division, and three retail businesses: Sotheby’s Wine, Sotheby’s Diamonds, and Sotheby’s Home, the online marketplace for interior design.

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.

FRESH-TO-MARKET EXCEEDINGLY RARE 30-YEAR MACALLAN WHISKY CASK AT BONHAMS

*One of the oldest editions currently available*

Fine & Rare Wine and Whisky Sale

15 November 2019, Bonhams Hong Kong

Hong Kong – Bonhams is delighted to present an exceedingly rare 30 year whisky sherry hogshead cask from the famed Macallan Distillery (estimate: HK$3,600,000 – 4,600,000). Distilled in May 1989 and never since been moved from the distillery, it is currently one of the oldest editions of Macallan whisky cask available in the market. The cask with perfect provenance can be stored at Macallan for as long as the buyer wishes, or yielded into a total of 261 bottles.

Daniel Lam, Bonhams’ Director of Wine & Spirits, Asia, comments: “Whisky casks are trending because they offer much flexibility for collectors. Getting a good cask means that one can gain more quality bottles at a competitive price, or let it mature further to yield a higher value. The current 30 year Macallan cask is no doubt one of the finest of its kind available in the market yet.”

Bonhams currently holds the world auction record for a whisky cask, with An American Hogshead Cask from Macallan Distillery 1996–22 year old selling for HK$3,430,000 in Hong Kong in November 2018. The current cask on offer is an even older and rarer edition.

Two months ago, Bonhams set a new world auction record for a Japanese whisky collection, as Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series sold for HK$7,192,000 to an Asian female collector, nearly doubling the previous record set in 2015, also by Bonhams.

Other highlights in the sale include:

Scotch Whisky

·         Lot 906: Classic trio of Bowmore 1964 (estimate: HK$300,000 – 400,000)

o    Bowmore Fino Cask-1964-37 year old

o    Bowmore Bourbon Cask-1964-38 year old

o    Bowmore Oloroso Cask-1964-38 year old

·         Lot 784: The ‘Dreams’ series, one of legendary bottler Samaroli’s most well-known selections (estimate: HK$80,000 – 100,000)

o    Bowmore-Dreams-1984

o    Bowmore-Dreams-1991

o    Caol Ila-Dreams-1984

o    Caol Ila-Dreams-1990

o    Dailuaine-Dreams-1975

o    Glenrothes-Dreams-1969

o    Longrow-Dreams-1987

o    Linkwood-Dreams-1989

o    Mortlach-Dreams-1989

·         Lot 705: A complete set of Macallan Cask Strength series, a rare limited edition that can only be acquired from the Easter Elchies House. (estimate: HK$150,000 – 190,000)

o    Macallan Cask Strength-1981-#9780

o    Macallan Cask Strength-1980-#4063

o    Macallan Cask Strength-1980-#17937

o    Macallan Cask Strength-1990-#24680

o    Macallan Cask Strength-1989-#552

o    Macallan Cask Strength-1990-#24483

Japanese Whisky

·         Lot 874: Karuizawa-1960-52 year old-#5627, the oldest expression from the famed Karuizawa Distillery to be hand-bottled by former malt master Osami Uchibori. (estimate: HK$1,000,000 – 1,400,000)

·         Lot 873: Karuizawa Vertical Series 1975-1996, a full vertical vintage set of Karuizawa in 250ml, chronicling the golden age of the now closed distillery. (estimate: HK$180,000 – 240,000)

·         Lot 856: Yamazaki-35 year old. Matured in special 90 litre second-fill Spanish oak sherry butt. Released in 2006, this expression is one of the most collectable item from Yamazaki Distillery. (estimate: HK$620,000 – 780,000)

·         Lot 758: Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt-10 of Spades, 23 lots of Hanyu Ichiro’s Card Series including the rarest 10 of Spades. (estimate: HK$300,000 – 400,000)

Fine & Rare Wine and Whisky Sale (Catalogue HERE)Bonhams Hong Kong Gallery, 20F, One Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong KongPreview: 12 – 15 November 2019Auction: Friday 15 November 2019, at 12nn Specialist: Daniel Lam, Bonhams’ Director of Wine & Spirits, Asia

NOTES 

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

Scotch Galore Whiskies – The Alternative to Auctions!

We would like to say very BIG Thank You!

To everyone that has bought and sold with us so far!

In our first 5 weeks we have been rushed off our feet at Scotch Galore, without you this would not have been possible!

So please visit us when selling or buying Whisky! www.scotchgalore.com

Why sell your bottle with Scotch Galore?

When we receive your bottle we instantly add this to our website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google Shop thus your bottle becomes instantly available to millions of people around the world at the price you want.

 3 Good Reasons to Sell your Whisky with Scotch Galore Whiskies the alternative to Auctions:-

1^st     You fix the price you want for each and every bottle (no more gambling on what you might get at auction)

2^nd      No fee’s! We do not charge you for the privilege of selling your Whisky, thus saving you the cost of entering your bottle and paying reserve fees. So maximise your profit!

3^rd       No more waiting for an auction to start, then finish and waiting up to 3 weeks before they start to pay out. You could put your bottle in with us in the morning it would go online and could be sold in the afternoon and the money in your account that evening.

          Scotch Galore Whiskies a new and better way to buy and sell Whisky.

http://www.scotchgalore.com

October auction is now LIVE!

Place your bids from Friday 18^th October until Sunday 27^th October at

www.whiskyhammer.co.uk

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!

Highland Park 50 Year Old 

Longmorn 1961 (Private Collection) from Gordon & MacPhail 

Macallan 30 Year Old (1989) Hogshead #2807 

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.

MACALLAN LALIQUE-50 YEAR OLD TOPS BONHAMS WHISKY SALE IN EDINBURGH

Macallan Lalique- 50 year old. Sold for £100,062.

Two bottles of one of the world’s most sought-after whiskies, the Macallan Lalique-50 year old, sold for £100,062 each at Bonhams Fine Whisky sale in Edinburgh on Wednesday 9 October. They had been estimated at £67,000-93,000.  

The Macallan Lalique-50 year old is the first of The Lalique Six Pillars Collection of the distillery’s rarest single malts, released between 2006-2016. Distilled and bottled by The Macallan Distillers Ltd., Easter Elchies, Craigellachie, it is said to have the aroma of cumin, cardamom and maraschino, and a taste of dark prunes and plain chocolate.

Other highlights included A bottle of Karuizawa-50 year old-1965 which sold for £27,562 (estimate: £23,000-25,000.  The Karuizawa distillery, which is now closed, was situated on the slopes of Mount Asama an active volcano in Nagano Prefecture Japan. It was the smallest distillery in Japan and its output is among the rarest and most sought-after of all Japanese whisky.  The Karuizawa was part of a collection of Japanese whisky that sold for a total of £200,000.

Sale: Fine WhiskyLocation: 22 Queen Street Edinburgh EH2Date: Wednesday 9 October at 11 am

NOTES 

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

Record breaking Scotch Whisky Industry Charity Auction raises over £370k for leading Scottish cancer charity

Glasgow, Scotland – At The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, the parties involved in the Scotch Whisky Industry Charity Auction for Beatson Cancer Charity gathered to mark the success in raising funds and awareness for the charity: The Auction smashed auction estimates by achieving a record-breaking £371,950.

This amount includes the hammer price total, plus 100% of the buyer commission donated by auction host Whisky Auctioneer along with other donations associated with the Auction.

Beatson Cancer Charity supports people and families affected by cancer, from providing wellbeing and patient care services to funding pioneering research and specialist clinical posts.

The inspiration and driving force for the auction came from Ian Curle, former CEO of Edrington and former Chairman of the Scotch Whisky Association, who benefitted first-hand from the skill and dedication of the clinicians at The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.

The collection of 103 exceptional whiskies from over 30 different distilleries and independent bottlers encompassed the very best of the Scotch Whisky Industry and generated a significant level of interest globally, with over 4,200 bids placed by 321 bidders from across 35 countries.

Of particular interest were the one-of-a-kind whiskies bottled exclusively for the auction. One of these, the Bunnahabhain 50 Year Old Beatson Sherry Cask No.1 of 1, donated by Distell, is the oldest official bottling ever released by the Islay-based distillery and raised a stunning £12,650 (inc. buyer commission), which is £7,000 more than the previous auction record for an official Bunnahabhain bottling.

A further unique whisky was specially bottled and donated by Ian MacLeod Distillers, representing their first release in their role as new owners of the soon to be resurrected Rosebank Distillery. The Rosebank 1989 Single Cask 29 Year Old #2477 No. 1 of 1 raised £17,600 (inc. buyer commission), over £10,000 more than the previous auction record for an official Rosebank bottling.

Record UK auction prices were also achieved for The Macallan 1949 Millennium Decanter 50 Year Old, which raised £36,300 (inc. buyer commission) and Dalmore 1978 Constellation 33 Year Old Cask #1, which raised £7,370 (inc. buyers commission).  Previous prices included in this release are retrieved from data held by rare whisky analysts Rare Whisky 101.

Martin Cawley, Beatson Cancer Charity CEO said, “We have been absolutely overwhelmed by the success of this exciting initiative and extremely grateful to everyone involved in making it happen, whether they donated a bottle, helped with the organisation of the auction, or indeed purchased one of the vintage whiskies.  Everyone worked together to make this fundraising initiative such a wonderful success.  The amount raised exceeded all expectations and we are delighted at the outcome!  Our aim is to enhance the lives of people living with cancer and their families by providing practical care and support working closely with our colleagues at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.  I can assure you this money will make a huge positive contribution to people’s lives.”

Commenting on the auction result, Ian Curle said, “We are delighted with the outcome of the auction, which wouldn’t have been possible without the collaboration of all parties involved. The sum raised is testimony to the generosity and support of my former colleagues and friends across the Scotch Whisky industry. A special thanks must go to Whisky Auctioneer who provided their services free of charge and donated their commissions to Beatson Cancer Charity. We were proud to come together to support the exceptional work of Beatson Cancer Charity which supports people through their cancer journey every step of the way.”

Iain McClune, Whisky Auctioneer Founder, said “We are blown away by the results of the auction and could not be more delighted to see Beatson Cancer Charity receive £371,950 towards their vital work. The Scotch Whisky industry has been unreserved in their generosity, donating some truly incredible whiskies that have attracted interest from around the world, achieving deserved record prices. We are truly honoured to have been asked to host the auction and would like to thank everyone involved in making it such a huge success.”

Karen Betts, Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, added, “It’s fabulous news that so much money has been raised for the Beatson Cancer Charity through the generosity of the Scotch Whisky industry and Whisky Auctioneer. The industry’s commitment to supporting organisations such as the Beatson in their provision of outstanding support to cancer patients in Scotland is testament to its spirit of generosity and collaboration.  Our congratulations go to everyone who was involved.”

The auction ran from 13 September and closed on 23 September.

Photographs can be found here (caption as below, and caption is also included in photograph information): https://whiskylink.co/swicapostauction

L to R, Alan Kilpatrick BEM, Kenneth Ferguson, Donna McLeod, Tom MacLaren, Ian Curle, Martin Cawley, Nathan Kaczmarski, Azmat Sadozye, David Glen, Jo Cook, Kirsty Nimmo, Lindsay McGarvie.

A link to the full auction is here:

https://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/scotch-whisky-industry-charity-auction

For more information about the auction or to register to participate in future auctions please visit https://www.whiskyauctioneer.com

For further information, please contact:

Nathan Kaczmarski, Whisky Auctioneer, nathan.kaczmarski@whiskyauctioneer.com 01738 245 576 or 07538 062 076

Graeme Littlejohn, Scotch Whisky Association, glittlejohn@swa.org.uk 0207 073 0544

Rosie Willmot, Scotch Whisky Association, rwillmot@swa.org.uk  0131 222 9225

About Beatson Cancer Charity

Beatson Cancer Charity supports people and families affected by cancer. From providing wellbeing and patient care services to funding pioneering research and specialist clinical posts, the Glasgow based charity reaches out to cancer patients across the West of Scotland and beyond. Working alongside the NHS and university partners, Beatson Cancer Charity strives to support The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.

About The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre is an internationally renowned institution, one of the most innovative and modern cancer centres in the world and one of the busiest in terms of clinical activity and patient numbers. Each year The Beatson sees more than 8000 new patients and delivers more than 35,000 courses of chemotherapy and 6,800 courses of radiotherapy.

The Beatson has a catchment area of 2.5 million people, around 50% of the Scottish population. It is the primary centre for all radiotherapy and chemotherapy delivery to the population of the West of Scotland.

The Beatson is staffed by some 650 highly skilled and dedicated healthcare professionals across a range of disciplines.

About Whisky Auctioneer

Whisky Auctioneer is dedicated to the valuation and auctioning of fine and rare whiskies. We deal in whisky for the love of whisky, using our passion to support customers in valuing their collection, showcasing their whiskies to a wider audience and connecting it to those for whom whisky is also a passion – whether they be collectors, investors or connoisseurs.

 Whisky Auctioneer also looks for opportunities to support those undertaking charitable fundraising through our auctions and this has led to more than £7,000 being generated through auctions for causes including Islay Defibrillators, Street Soccer UK, Logan’s Fund, Leuchie House, the Feis Ile Committee and the Islay Pollinator Project.

Since 2013, Whisky Auctioneer has held regular monthly auctions. Each month our auctions feature over 5,000 whiskies and spirits. With a customer base of more than 30,000 registered users from 125 countries, sellers’ lots are shown to a truly global audience.

 Our easy-to-use and responsive site sees 60,000 bids each month.

 Our passion for whisky has gained us respect and authority from our customers, leading to world record hammer prices each month.

About Scotch Whisky Association

The Scotch Whisky Association is the trade body for the Scotch Whisky industry. With over 70 member companies, and more than a century’s experience of looking after the interests of this iconic industry, the SWA is recognised as one of the leading trade associations in the UK and is a respected and recognised voice in markets around the world.

The SWA strives to deliver the best possible global business environment for Scotch Whisky, in order to ensure Scotch Whisky continues to be the world’s premier whisky and consumers’ spirit of choice.

To achieve this, the Association works closely with members, with the UK and Scottish governments, international governments, and other partners to shape the future in favour of Scotch.