World’s ‘oldest’ bottle of Scotch returns to auction
A bottle of whisky believed to have been distilled almost 200 years ago is set to return to the market for the first time since its landmark sale in 2023.
In 2022, 24 bottles of whisky believed to have been crafted nearly two centuries ago were found behind a hidden cellar door at Blair Castle in Perthshire, Scotland.
Records discovered alongside the bottles indicated the whisky had been casked in 1833 and bottled in 1841, before being rebottled in 1932.
Should these dates be accurate, this would mean the bottles contain the oldest known (by vintage) Scotch whisky left in existence.
It is understood that the rebottling date of 1932 likely relates to a cellar inventory and consolidation that occurred following a change in ownership at the castle that same year.
Further carbon dating and research undertaken with scientific institutions support its early Victorian provenance, and it is thought to have been sipped by a young Queen Victoria during her visit to Blair Castle in 1844.
A sample was also submitted to the Scotch Whisky Research Institute (SWRI) where its ABV of 61.36% was confirmed, and an analysis of various volatile congeners provided evidence of ageing in an oak cask, a long period of time spent in bottle, and a good probability of the liquid being produced in accordance with malt whisky distilling practices of the time.
Further and ongoing testing by the University of Edinburgh has complemented this conclusion, finding the profile of the spirit to have features better associated to malt than grain.
A preliminary metal analysis also identified a concentration of copper indicative of production on a small-sized still.
The discovery attracted worldwide media attention when the bottles were auctioned in 2023, with collectors from around the globe competing to acquire one of the rare surviving examples from the Blair Castle cache.
Now, for the first time since that sale, one of the original 24 bottles is being offered back to the market by its private owner, Christopher Osborne, from Dunfermline, Fife.
“When the Blair Castle discovery was first announced, it immediately felt like a genuine piece of Scotch whisky history. Owning one of the bottles has been incredibly special, and I know collectors around the world will appreciate just how rare and significant it is,” Osborne said.
“Due to personal health circumstances, the time has come to part with the bottle, and I hope its next owner enjoys owning this remarkable piece of history as much as I have.”
Bottle number 13 will be auctioned via Perth-based Whisky Auctioneer from tomorrow (29 May) until 8 June.
The original auction achieved almost £400,000 (US$535,732) in total sales and established the Blair Castle whisky as one of the ‘most significant Scotch discoveries’ in recent years.
With only 24 bottles ever released from the discovery, many of which are now expected to remain in long-term private collections, the sale is expected to attract strong international interest from collectors, investors and whisky enthusiasts alike.
While the Blair Castle whiskies are considered to be the oldest bottles of Scotch by vintage, the oldest Scotch whisky by age title is currently held by an 85-year-old bottle of The Glenlivet, which was bottled by Gordon & MacPhail last year. The release surpassed The Macallan’s 84-year-old Time: Space, which previously held the title and was unveiled in September 2024.
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