Rare Corti Brothers Scotch collection goes under hammer

The world’s largest known collection of rare Scotch whiskies imported into the US by the Corti Brothers has been put up for auction.

This is said to be the most comprehensive set of Corti Brothers bottlings ever assembled in one sale

Perth-based Whisky Auctioneer is selling the 26-strong collection of bottles, which has been built up by a UK whisky enthusiast.

Within the collection are 21 one-of-a-kind bottlings, including a Highland Park 1963, the only such vintage from the Orkney distillery. Also available is a Jura 1966, Springbank 1958, Bowmore 1964 and Clynelish 1965.

The bottles are being sold individually and are expected to fetch a collective total of £50,000 (US$70,700).

The collection, known as the ‘Duthie for Corti’ since they were bottled by Aberdeen-based R.W. Duthie Co, were all selected and imported into the US by the Corti Brothers throughout the 1980s.

The Corti Brothers, a food and wine specialist, acted as an independent whisky bottler, purchasing casks during the industry’s downturn in the 1980s.

“These bottlings represent an important turning point in the recent history of Scotch whisky and are one of the most highly prized series in terms of quality and variety,” said Sean McGlone, director of Whisky Auctioneer.

“No one has ever sold such a large collection of Duthie for Corti bottles, so this is a one-off. We are already seeing a great deal of interest in the collection from some of our regular customers across the world and we anticipate demand for the bottles to be high.”

The auction is now live and will close on Monday 5 February.

Whisky Auctioneer recently teamed up with consultancy Rare Whisky 101 to conduct research into private whisky collections, and discovered that UK connoisseurs own collections worth an average of £50,000 (US$67,000).