Derbyshire’s White Peak Distillery breaks record with inaugural whisky at auction for local charities
Derbyshire’s first ever whisky Distillery, White Peak, has sold its first 12 bottles of its inaugural Wire Works Whisky release for over £15,000 at auction for charity.
The individually-numbered bottles of Wire Works Whisky – Derbyshire’s first ever single malt whisky – have been auctioned via Whisky Auctioneer, with all of the proceeds going to local Derbyshire charities. Wire Works Whisky bottle no. 1 individually sold for an incredible hammer price of £9,900 – the highest price paid at public auction for a single bottle of English whisky*.
The auction ran from 26th August – 5th September and invited whisky lovers from the UK and beyond to place their bids individually for each of the 12 bottles of Wire Works Whisky. During the 10-day period, over 370 bids were received from bidders across the UK, as well as from Denmark, Singapore, China and Andorra.
White Peak released just over 5,000 numbered bottles of its long-awaited first release Wire Works Whisky single malt in February this year and the whisky received an extraordinary response from the Distillery’s loyal followers and supporters, selling out both in stores and online in just a few hours. Since then, the Distillery has released four more whiskies under the Wire Works label with each one receiving significant acclaim within the whisky community.
Since being founded in 2016 by husband-and-wife team Max & Claire Vaughan – both originally from Derbyshire – the Distillery continues to go from strength to strength, having won awards for its Distillery visitor experiences, white spirits and – of course its well-known and much sought after single malt whisky.
Claire Vaughan from White Peak said: “We are absolutely delighted and humbled by the response to this charity auction. To have raised over £15,000 for our charity partners alongside Whisky Auctioneer is very special…. not to mention a special moment for English whisky! We hope that the proceeds can help to support our local community and some fantastic environmental projects for both Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and The Peak District National Park Foundation.”
The charities will receive 100% of the auction proceeds, as well as the auctioneers fees waived by Whisky Auctioneer. The Distillery has previously worked with both charities on numerous fundraising bottlings and activities, including limited-edition spirit releases and local environmental initiatives.
Joe Wilson, Head Curator and Spirits Specialist at Whisky Auctioneer, said: “This is an exciting result for both Whisky Auctioneer and White Peak Distillery. To break the world record in such a fast-growing category with a distillery’s first release is momentous and we congratulate Max, Claire and their colleagues. This historic moment challenges the traditional dominance of established regions such as Scotland and Ireland in the single malt category, and we look forward to the future development of England’s vibrant whisky industry. We are proud to have supported the White Peak team in raising over £15,000 for charity with the inclusion of Whisky Auctioneer’s donation of £1,394.30.”
For those wanting to visit White Peak, the Distillery is open Monday – Saturday for shop visitors, with tours available every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For availability, timings and to book, please visit www.whitepeakdistillery.co.uk
*according to research from publicly available data.
About White Peak Distillery:
Provenance, heritage and flavour are at the heart of the Distillery ethos and whisky-making process, and its home at the dramatic former Johnson & Nephew Wire Works is celebrated within the whisky brand. The Distillery’s woodland home on the banks of the River Derwent has a long history of innovation and forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wire Works Whisky celebrates its rich homeland and the brewing heritage for which the region is so renowned. Every aspect of production and maturation is done onsite at the Distillery to ensure that the unique location and environment can play their part in the provenance of the final spirit.
The lightly-peated single malt whisky has been created using a combination of English un-peated and peated malted barley. A flavour-focused four-day fermentation uses a unique yeast Blend incorporating live yeast sourced from a local Peak District brewery.
The Distillery’s traditional, bespoke copper pot stills have been hand-built by McMillan and are run slowly to help produce the desired flavour profile. The final spirit is matured in a variety of carefully selected first fill oak casks, including ex-bourbon, virgin and STR (re-conditioned casks that have been shaved, toasted and re-charred), adding the final rich flavours to the whisky.
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, Whisky Auctioneer utilises its expertise and knowledge combined with its auction platform to increase interest and passion in the whisky and spirits community.
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. Whisky Auctioneer is passionate about connecting these bottles with those who share their passion and actively support their customers in their aims, whether consuming, collecting or investing.
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.
Whisky Auctioneer became the first online auction house to sell a million-pound bottle and outperformed the nearest traditional auction house by 200% in value from spirits sales in 2020, showcasing the move that whisky collectors, investors and drinkers have already made online and firmly establishing their leading position within the modern secondary whisky market.
The business currently sees over 100,000 bids per month and has conducted deliveries to 74 countries across the globe. It also opened its first European base in Germany in 2020.
The business’ Founder, Iain McClune, was listed as ‘One to Watch’ in The Telegraph’s Most Ambitious Business Leaders 2020 programme.
About Derbyshire Wildlife Trust:
They are a small charity with big ideas, uniquely positioned to lead change in Derbyshire. They are bold, grassroots-oriented and local whilst also being part of a strong, cohesive movement, the Wildlife Trusts.
Their goals by 2030 are as follows:
- 33% of Derbyshire will be managed for wildlife
- They will have at least 1 million wild connections each year
- 1 in 4 people will act for wildlife
- We will be carbon positive
For more information and to support The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust visit: www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/support
About The Peak District National Park Foundation:
An independent charity that helps to care for the Peak District National Park and to make it accessible for all.
Their vision is a National Park enjoyed and conserved by everyone, forever. It should be a vibrant, colourful, and safe home for the wildlife we all love. Their right to enjoy the National Park was hard won by ordinary folk. In that spirit, let’s fight to make it ever more accessible, for everyone to enjoy. But it is also unique and very fragile; we must always strive to keep it special. This is what they believe – and why they exist. With your support, they can start to make good things happen.
