EWAN MCGREGOR RETURNS TO ARRAN DISTILLERY TO AUCTION EXCLUSIVE 26-YEAR-OLD SINGLE MALT FOR CHARITY – Scotch Whisky News
EWAN MCGREGOR RETURNS TO ARRAN DISTILLERY TO AUCTION EXCLUSIVE 26-YEAR-OLD SINGLE MALT FOR CHARITY
Renowned Scottish actor Ewan McGregor has returned to Lochranza Distillery, where he first toasted the inaugural cask of Arran Single Malt in 1998, to mark a special occasion. McGregor has partnered with the distillery to bottle and auction 150 exclusive bottles from his own personal 1998 cask gifted to him by the distillery. All proceeds will go to Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS), a charity dedicated to supporting children with life-limiting conditions and their families.
The limited-edition bottles will be auctioned by Whisky Auctioneer, the world’s leading online whisky auction platform, from September 27th to October 7th. The auction is open to bidders globally. Whisky Auctioneer has generously waived the seller’s commission and will also donate its 12.5% buyer’s commission, ensuring that the maximum possible funds reach CHAS.
This rare 26 year old Arran Single Malt, matured in an ex-Sherry Hogshead cask, is one of the oldest whiskies ever produced by the Lochranza Distillery. Bottled at 46% ABV, each bottle features a unique, specially designed label. The first twenty-four of the bottles have been personally signed by Ewan McGregor.
The Leith Agency worked in partnership with Ewan and his brother Colin McGregor to bring “Ewan’s Cut” to life on a pro-bono basis. The bottle design and name were inspired by Ewan’s illustrious career, featuring references to his iconic roles in films like Trainspotting and Star Wars, as well as his memorable Long Way Round adventure. Each of the 150 bottle labels reads like a mini film script, with no two labels alike.
Ewan McGregor said:
“I have been involved with CHAS and visited their hospices many times over the years, so I know the unwavering care that both Rachel House and Robin House provide children and their families during their hardest moments.
“My hope is that this auction can raise a significant amount to ensure that these wonderful places are able to continue providing the service they do.”
In 2020, Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd celebrated 25 years of whisky-making at their Lochranza Distillery, maintaining its independent status while building a global brand with their Arran Single Malt. This auction offers whisky enthusiasts and fans of Ewan McGregor a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of whisky history and contribute to a worthy cause.
Rami Okasha, CEO at CHAS said:
“We are delighted that Ewan, who is a long-standing supporter and friend of CHAS, has kindly chosen to donate all proceeds from this exciting auction to our charity. We are grateful too to Isle of Arran Distillers for arranging this special event and to Whisky Auctioneer for waiving the seller’s commission to ensure that CHAS will benefit from the maximum funds.
“Three children a week die in Scotland from an incurable condition and demand for our services is growing. Our ambition is that no-one should face the death of their child alone.
“Over the course of the last year CHAS directly supported 419 babies, children and young people across the country, and hundreds more in hospital palliative care teams funded by CHAS. We provide support for the whole family – parents and siblings – and have assisted nearly 2,000 family members of seriously ill children this year. Knowing your child may die young is the hardest thing imaginable. The funds raised through the Ewan’s Cut auction will make a real difference to those families.”
Stewart Bowman, Distillery Manager at Isle of Arran Distillers said:
“In 1998 Ewan McGregor joined us at Lochranza Distillery to toast the first cask of Arran Single Malt, which was the first legal cask to be laid down on Arran for over 150 years. We presented him with his own ex-sherry hogshead that day and it has matured in our Warehouse until now.
“Since then Ewan has gone on to have an amazing career and we have built a global whisky brand whilst proudly maintaining our independent status.
“We are thrilled to invite Ewan back to the distillery, where our story began almost 30 years ago, to present him with the finished bottles of Ewan’s Cut.
“Like Ewan, we remain close to our roots and are passionate about giving back to the community. We have looked after Ewan’s cask for the last 26 years and we are delighted to work with him, Whisky Auctioneer and Leith to raise money for CHAS.”
Joe Wilson, Head Curator and Spirits Specialist at Whisky Auctioneer said:
“At Whisky Auctioneer, we take great pride in supporting charitable causes, and we were honoured to be approached to bring Ewan’s Cut to auction.
“The launch of Isle of Arran Distillers nearly three decades ago was a landmark moment in the whisky industry, ushering in a new era of independent Scottish distilleries. We are proud to play our part in this exciting chapter of their story and look forward to sharing this remarkable whisky with enthusiasts globally.”
To find out more and to register to take part in this auction please visit www.whiskyauctioneer.com
To find out more about Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS), please visit https://www.chas.org.uk/
To find out more about Isle of Arran Distillers, please visit https://www.arranwhisky.com/
To find out more about Leith Agency, please visit https://leith.co.uk/
About CHAS
Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) provides unwavering care to children who may die young and their families, at every step on this hardest of journeys.
- Our Unwavering Care 2024-2028 Strategy sets out how no family ever has to face the death of their child alone, with CHAS providing support at each critical stage of their palliative care journey – from the moment of a child’s diagnosis, to helping the child live well and by supporting the family after a child’s death.
- The Strategy was developed following in-depth consultation and feedback from families and stakeholders.
- CHAS is there to help every family member emotionally, clinically, and practically and provide integrated palliative and end of life care as well as respite care for the whole family in our two hospices, Rachel House in Kinross and Robin House in Balloch.
- Our outreach team operates in every local authority area – providing highly skilled nursing care for children in their own homes (often in partnership with local teams), as well as a full family support service. This includes social work, income maximisation, energy advice, spiritual and bereavement support, transition to adult services for 16 – 21s, and therapeutic play.
- There is a joint CHAS/ NHS specialist team in every children’s hospital in Scotland. The only specialist Paediatric Palliative Medicine posts in Scotland are funded by CHAS. Our Diana Children’s Nurses provide specialist support alongside the NHS in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
- We are there at the end of life, supporting children to die with dignity, in accordance with their and their parents’ wishes and we also help in the difficult days after a child dies with ongoing bereavement support.
- The wonderful letters which form our logo are created by the children and families that use our services.
- Follow CHAS on Twitter and Instagram: @supportCHAS, or like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/supportCHAS
About Leith Agency
The Leith Agency is an award-winning strategic and creative agency based in Edinburgh and Manchester with over 130 staff members. The agency was founded in 1984 and works with a number of global clients including The Macallan, Famous Grouse, AG Barr and The Scottish Government.
About Isle of Arran Distillers
Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd is an independently owned producer of Single Malt Whisky on the Isle of Arran, with two distilleries situated at either end of the island.
Arran Single Malt is produced at Lochranza Distillery which was established at the north-west tip of the Isle of Arran in the village of Lochranza in 1995. The site was carefully chosen for the quality of its water source, Loch na Davie, which is filtered through six waterfalls before it reaches the distillery in the foothills of the village. Lochranza will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2025.
Their second distillery opened at Lagg, at the south end of the island, in 2019 and produces the heavily peated Lagg Single Malt.
As one of the very first of a new wave of distilleries opening in the early 1990s, Lochranza Distillery has remained independent since day one, under the care of a dedicated small team of passionate whisky people. Arran Single Malt is a mark of quality that whisky lovers respect and trust. The pioneering spirit of this independent team has ensured that this small Scottish island and its whisky is an important and globally respected part of the whisky industry.
About Whisky Auctioneer
Whisky Auctioneer is the global market leader and trusted authority on the buying and selling of whisky and spirits at auction. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Perth, Scotland, Whisky Auctioneer utilises its expertise and knowledge combined with its auction platform to increase interest and passion in the whisky and spirits community. The business currently sees over 150,000 bids per month and has conducted deliveries to 74 countries across the globe.
The central Scotland headquarter’s success paved the way for international expansion with secondary offices now located in central London and the Netherlands.
Whisky Auctioneer endeavours to make the secondary market more accessible for buyers and sellers of any background and demographic, wherever in the world they are based. Its monthly global auctions feature the most comprehensive selection of old, rare and collectible whiskies and spirits online, and are unmatched in volume, variety of bottles offered and prices achieved. Alongside an unrivalled selection of rare Scotch whisky and Irish Whiskey, Whisky Auctioneer has also established the business as the market-leading specialist in presenting world whiskies for sale; from rare American whiskey and bourbon to iconic Japanese whiskies.
In February 2021, the online auction house made history during the iconic sale of The Perfect Collection, when a bottle of The Macallan 1926 Fine and Rare 60 Year Old sold for a hammer price of £1 million. This was the first time a single bottle of whisky has sold at an online-only auction for one million pounds.
