As we wave goodbye to a particularly dreich “summer” here in Glasgow let us offer you the heartiest of welcomes to our now live 159th auction! The nights will grow longer from here on out and what better way to stave off the impending cold than with a bottle of something special. We have a fantastic selection to choose from this month, here are but a few of the tremendous drams now available.
American Single Cask First Releases
For our first highlight we have two lots from the first two maiden releases from new US-based indie bottler, American Single Cask. First up is the Blinking Owl 2018 5 Year Old, drawn from a Toasted New Oak Barrel this rather hefty 66.3% dram comes from the now silent distillery in Santa Ana, California. Next up is the Copperworks Distilling Co. 2017 6 Year Old, another meaty offering at 62.45% ABV, this one comes from downtown Seattle. Both of these beauties are bottle number 1 in the run and have recently been reviewed by the respected Serge Valentin of whiskyfun.com fame and received hugely impressive scores of 90 points and 89 points respectively.
Auchentoshan 1974 37 Year Old Single Cask #5613
Next up is a single cask from far closer to home, well for us at least, this is the Auchentoshan 1974 37 Year Old Single Cask #5613. Auchentoshan is close to our hearts here at SWA given its proximity, and we have enjoyed their famed hospitality on many a distillery visit. We have also enjoyed their single cask whiskies, and this amazing dram looks as good as any they have released. Drawn from a single bourbon hogshead and aged for a staggering 37 years this is a bottle of rare quality. This is bottle 110 of 110 so when they say “the last bottle really is the last”, they really mean it.
Karuizawa 34 Year Old Ruby Geisha Cask #3668
Next up is an incredibly rare release from a renowned silent Japanese distillery, this is the Karuizawa 34 Year Old Ruby Geisha Cask #3668. The rarity of official expressions, and the now finite supply makes for an explosive combination in the world of rare whisky, with die-hard collectors clamouring to get hold of any releases, and we don’t expect this one to be any different. Drawn from a single Sherry Butt after ageing for a long 34 years, this is one of only 247 bottles produced and is a must-have for any serious collector of Japanese whisky.
Banff 1964 15 Year Old Cadenhead’s 26 2/3 Fl Oz
And now onto an old bottle from a Scottish silent distillery, this is the Banff 1964 15 Year Old Cadenhead’s 26 2/3 Fl Oz. With a history of explosions, fires and bombings, Banff distillery has one of the more unfortunate back stories of any distillery. Founded in 1824, the distillery was closed as part of the 1983 cull and was destroyed by yet another fire in 1991. Banff is now most notably seen as part of Diageo’s discontinued Rare Malts range. This a bottling released by one of the heavyweights of Scottish indie bottlers, Cadenhead’s, and offers the chance to taste a whisky the likes of which will never be seen again.
Macallan 1928 50 Year Old Anniversary Malt 75cl
We end on a peerless bottle of unmatched quality, the Macallan 1928 50 Year Old Anniversary Malt 75cl. Distilled way back in 1928 when George V was on the throne this dram spent an incredible five decades slumbering in oak before finally being bottled in 1983. This particular bottle was for the French market and is one of only 500 produced and represents the pinnacle of rarity in Scotch whisky. Very rarely seen at auction this one is highly sought after by Macallan collectors throughout the world.
Don’t fret if these gems are outside your price range because we also have a wide range of high-quality drams available across the price spectrum, so now is the time to delve into this month’s offerings and start building that watchlist. Best of luck to everyone in the auction, and as always………..don’t lose your bottle.
