Vendor Finds Rarest Whisky in Father’s Possesion
Six bottles of rare whisky that were discovered in North Yorkshire will be up for bid at Tennants Auctioneers’ Fine Wine and Whisky Sale on September 1. Reports are that a vendor from Skipton found the bottles amongst his late father’s possessions.
The rare collection includes
- One bottle of Bowmore 18 Year Old Pure Scotch Malt Whisky, Sherriff’s Bottling
- A bottle of Laphroaig Pure Islay Malt, Over 12 Years Old, bottled by Wm. Cadenhead
- A Strathisla 1937 Finest Highland Malt Whisky
- A George & J.G. Smith’s 1938 Glenlivet Whisky
- A Pride of Strathspey 1937 Old Highland Scotch Whisky
The rare Bowmore 18 Year Old Pure Scotch Malt Whisky, Sherriff’s Bottling, is on offer with an estimate of £8,000-12,000 (all figures exclude buyer’s premium).
Bowmore was established in 1779 and became the first licensed distillery on Islay, and the second in Scotland. In 1925 Bowmore was sold to James Bell Sheriff, whose family had previously owned the distillery from 1887-1892, at which point it was renamed Sherriff’s Bowmore Distillery.
The Sherriff’s sold the distillery in 1963, and bottles from their era of ownership rarely appear on the market. The collection also includes a bottle of Laphroaig Pure Islay Malt, Over 12 Years Old, bottled by Wm. Cadenhead in the 1960s on offer with an estimate of £6,000-8,000.
The other four bottles are single malts distilled in the 1930s, and bottled in the 1960s by Gordon & MacPhail, the leading independent bottlers who are still a thriving family business today. The bottles include Strathisla’s 1937 Finest Highland Malt Whisky (estimate: £1,500-2,500), George & J.G. Smith’s 1938 Glenlivet Whisky (estimate: £1,000-1,500), and Pride of Strathspey 1937 Old Highland Scotch Whisky (estimate: £1,000-1,500).
In the middle of the 20th century, Gordon & MacPhail became prominent distillers of single malt scotch whiskies, at a time long before single malts became stand-alone drinks for the popular mass.
Recently many auctions have been selling single malt whiskies at record-breaking prices, including a Suntory whisky with a bid sale price of $795,000′