Charity auction offers ‘ultra-rare’ whiskies

The Distillers’ Charity and Sotheby’s have revealed the initial line-up of ‘ultra-rare’ whiskies that will go under the hammer at The Distillers One of One auction in October.

This will be the second Distillers One of One auction to be held by the charity and auction house, and the will consist of ultra-rare and unique Scotch whiskies and experiences. It will take place on 5 October at Hopetoun House near Edinburgh.

The auction is set to be the largest charity auction of Scotch whisky to date, and all proceeds will be donated to Distillers’ Charity, principally to the Youth Action Fund, which is dedicated to transforming the lives of young people in Scotland.

The inaugural auction, hosted in 2021, raised £2.4 million (US$3.14m) for The Distillers’ Charity.

Beanie Geraedts-Espey, managing director of Distillers’ Charity, said: “The remarkable results of the inaugural One of One auction were a testament to what can be achieved when an industry truly comes together both to celebrate and  forge positive impact.

“The success of the 2021 auction, together with the enduring commitment of so many incredible donor brands, as well as sponsors, is driving us to create an even more memorable event this coming October.

“Judging by the exceptional quality and creativity of our donors’ lots, we hope to once again achieve record-breaking hammer prices in support of our charity.”

For this year’s Distillers One of One auction, 35 companies from across the Scotch whisky industry have confirmed their participation with 40 lots, all of which are one-off, never-to-be-repeated bottles.

These lots currently hold values ranging in estimates from £5,000 (US$6,535) to upwards of £500,000 (US$653,502).

Jonny Fowle, global head of spirits at Sotheby’s, added: “The second Distillers One of One auction is already generating a buzz among collectors who have been eagerly awaiting news of this year’s lots, so it is exciting to finally unveil a selection of highlights.

“Featuring the oldest whisky ever released from Bowmore, Glenglassaugh, Old Pulteney, MacDuff and Kilchoman, the highly anticipated event will further cement the significance of what has established itself as the biggest charity spirits auction of  its kind.

“This is clearly an occasion for which the creativity and generosity of the Scotch whisky industry comes to the fore.”

Auction highlights

The auction will include Bowmore STAC, which is set to be one of the most contended-for lots at the event, with an estimate price of £300,000-£500,000 (US$392,101-$653,502).

At 55 years old, Bowmore STAC is the oldest whisky ever released by the Islay distillery.

It is presented in a ‘striking and ground-breaking’ vessel that pays homage to the island home where its ‘inspiring sea stacks’ became the starting point for Bowmore STAC.

Other lots include The Glenturret Enduring Spirit: a set of four bespoke Lalique decanters filled with four unique whiskies made by whisky maker Bob Dalgarno, and representing key moments in The Glenturret’s 260-year-old history.

To house these unique whiskies, Lalique has provided four beautiful crystal decanters using archived moulds from the 1980s – which are no longer for sale – each featuring an image depicting a key moment in The Glenturret’s history.

The images will be sandblasted onto the crystal bottles. The lot, estimated at £40,000-£80,000 (US$52,280-$104,560), also includes an invite to visit The Glenturret distillery and to enjoy a gastronomic experience, led by head chef Mark Donald at the Michelin-starred Glenturret Lalique Restaurant.

Highlands distillery Glenglassaugh has offered its one-of-a-kind Coalescence of the Coast – Aged 55 Years for the auction. The whisky has been created from a blend of rare individual casks filled in 1963, 1965 and 1967, crafted by master blender Rachel Barrie to express the ‘extraordinary character’ of Glenglassaugh after decades of coastal maturation.

The lot is expected to achieve a sale of £15,000-£24,000 (US$19,605-$31,368).

Meanwhile Scotland’s oldest working distillery, Bladnoch, is offering The Samhla, which combines the three whiskies of the producer’s recently launched Samhla Collection: The McClelland, The Prior, and The Sage.

This is the only whisky in existence that combines Bladnoch Distillery’s past, present and future together, and carries an estimate of £28,000-£42,000 (US$35,596-$58,894).

Pernod Ricard is offering a unique and never-to-be-repeated special reserve that is not commercially available: Royal Salute The Coronation of King Charles III Edition – The Distillers One of One Special Reserve, which comes with an estimate of £14,000-£24,000 (US$18,298-$31,368).

The blend is a combination of more than 53 Scotch whiskies and features rare liquid from the Royal Salute 1962 Reserve Cask.

Holyrood Distillery, established in Edinburgh in 2019, is using the opportunity to launch its inaugural bottle of whisky, called Arrival. The distillery is expected to debut its whisky to consumers this autumn.

The auction will also see lots from The Last Drop, which is offering a bespoke blending experience with its master blender Colin Scott, which boasts as estimate of £14,000-£24,000 (US$18,298-$31,368), and ‘reawakened’ distillery Brora will donate a never-to-be-repeated release in the form of a handcrafted sculpture.

Last month, former Berry Bros & Rudd fine wine boss Nick Pegna joined Sotheby’s as the new global head of wine and spirits.