The 183rd Auction

 A very warm welcome everyone to our now live 183rd auction!  We have a truly tremendous selection of bottles available this month from every corner of the whisky-producing world, so no matter where your tastes lie we are sure to have something to pique your interest.  And with literally thousands upon thousands of bottles to choose from we thought it prudent to pick out a few that have caught our eye to help you build your watchlist.

This terrific bottling hails from Kentucky, the undisputed heartland of American distilling, and is described by the distiller as “a symphony decades in the making”, this is the Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash 2025 Release.  A marriage of seven barrels, four rye and three bourbon to be precise, the youngest whiskey being 12 years old and the oldest a staggering 30 years old this release is about as prestigious as American whiskey gets.  One of only 315 bottles released this delicious-looking dram weighs in at a hefty 57.6% ABV and will surely make one lucky bidder very happy indeed.

Launched in 2002, Macallan’s flagship Fine & Rare range showcases nearly eight decades of the distillery’s history. Comprised of expressions created using some of their oldest stocks, this particular bottling is the Macallan Fine & Rare 1949 52 Year Old.  Distilled in late spring 1949 this distinguished old dram has spent a remarkable five decades ageing in a single 1st fill Sherry hogshead before finally being bottled in 2002.  Despite its heavily sherried looks Macallan describe it as “peaty in character” making this the very embodiment of the sweet peat flavour profile so popular in today’s market.

From Suntory’s mountain distillery which is found deep within the forests of Mount Kaikomagatake, this is the Suntory Hakushu 1984 Distillery Treasured Pure Malt.  Distilled at Hakushu Higashi in 1984 and then aged exclusively in sherry casks in warehouse no.2 of the famed Yatsugatake Ageing Cellar, this is an example of Japanese whisky at its finest, sweet, smooth and luxurious.  A treasured malt indeed and surely of interest to the ever-swelling number of Japanese whisky collectors across the globe.

And finally, we have a pre-war gem from one of Scotland’s heavyweight distilleries, this is the Glenlivet 1938 Gordon & MacPhail 26 2/3 Fl Ozs.  Gordon & MacPhail have been bottling whisky for over 120 years and have garnered an enviable reputation for quality releases, and this is most certainly one of them.  There is something uniquely attractive about the understated branding on this one, harking back to time when the whisky did the talking, not the ever more ornately decorated packaging.  A time capsule of a whisky, given it’s been 88 years since it was initially distilled.

As always, we have an enormous selection of drams to suit every budget on offer this month, so now is the time to delve into this month’s offerings and start building that watchlist.  

Best of luck to everyone in the auction, and as always………..don’t lose your bottle.