Whisky from 1900s could fetch £3,000 at auction

Two bottles of “extremely rare” whisky from The Welsh Whisky Distillery Company, which operated between 1889 and the early 20th century, could fetch up to £3,000 each at auction.

The Welsh Whisky Distillery Company bottles are being auctioned online by Peter Francis Auctioneers in Carmarthen.

The current vendor’s father, who was a partner in a wine merchants in Fishguard, saw an advert detailing the bottles and purchased them for £5 each in the 1960s.

The bottles were previously owned by a gentleman whose family acquired them from the distillery when it closed in 1914. They retailed in the late 19th century at 3/6.

Auctioneer, Charles Hampshire, said: “There is an example of these bottles at St Fagans Museum and one at Penderyn Distillery. They are extremely rare and I wouldn’t be surprised if I never saw another one.

“We have estimated the bottles and paperwork at £1500-2000 each. What they will end up making is difficult to predict although I would hope somewhere between £2000-£3000.”

The Welsh Whisky Distillery Company was founded in Frongoch, Bala, Gwynedd. After the company’s liquidation in 1910, the site became a World War One prison camp, and then an internment camp after the Easter Rising in the Republic of Ireland.

Hampshire added: “Very serious whisky collectors would be interested in these due to the rarity and value, but also they have such a strong Welsh interest that you may even see someone willing to invest in part of what is Welsh history.”

The sale finishes on December 5.