Rolling Stones whisky features in Bonhams auction

A rare bottle of Suntory Rolling Stones 50^th Anniversary whisky will be auctioned at the Bonhams Fine Whisky sale in Edinburgh next month, where it is forecast to sell for up to £35,000 (US$44,447).

Only 150 bottles of Suntory Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary whisky were released

The whisky is a blend of malts distilled in “milestone” years during the Rolling Stones’ history, including a mizunara oak-aged malt from 1962, which was the year the band was formed.

The blend also includes whisky from 1971, which was when the band’s iconic ‘tongue and lips’ logo was released. The original artwork is on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Set to go under the hammer on 5 June, the lower end of the whisky’s auction estimate is £25,000 (US$31,748).

Martin Green, Bonhams whisky specialist in Edinburgh, said: “This remarkable whisky is a fitting tribute to a brand that has been at the top of its game for decades.

“Only 150 bottles of Suntory Rolling Stones 50^th Anniversary whisky were ever released, and on the rare occasions they appear at auction there is always a great deal of excitement and interest.”

The auction will also includes six bottles recovered from the wreck of the SS Politician, which sank in the Sound of Eriskay, in the Outer Hebrides, in 1941.

The bottles were legally salvaged in 1990 and are accompanied by copies of the letter of declaration from HM Customs.

After the ship foundered, islanders illegally salvaged goods from the wreck, an act that was later depicted in Compton MacKenzie’s 1947 novel Whisky Galore.

The six bottles include a Ballantine’s whisky, VAT 69 and four from Gilbey’s, each expected to sell for between £6,000 (US$7,620) and £8,000 (US$10,160).