As we step into a second year of auction highlights articles with The Whiskey Wash, I’ve chosen some historic gems to bring to your attention in the October Whisky & Spirits auction.
The auction is now live, ending from 19:30 BST Tuesday 21 October.
Talisker 8 Year Old Bottled 1980s
By the time this Talisker 8 Year Old was bottled in the 1980s, the distillery had been on a rocky journey. Founded in 1830 and staffed by a workforce forcibly moved from their farms by founders Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, the distillery had already failed multiple times, stumbling through a series of owners over the course of the 19th century. It was in 1916 that the future of Talisker as part of DCL, now Diageo, was set when a consortium of companies, including John Walker & Sons, took over the distillery. Despite being a single malt from Talisker, this 1980s bottling depicts the Johnnie Walker ‘Striding Man’ as the group was still taking its first steps into the world of single malts. They saw the cross-branding as a way to target a different audience, one looking for something a little different to the classic blends that still dominated whisky production.
What Will Whisky Look Like in 2027? Voices from Whisky Live Paris
READ THE STORYThe Whisky.Auction valuation team expects this bottle to reach a hammer price of £300-£400. You can place your bids here.
Longrow 1974 18 Year Old Bottled 1992 – Cadenhead’s 150th Anniversary
A special bottling for a number of reasons, this Longrow 1974 from independent bottler Cadenhead’s was released to mark their 150th anniversary in 1992. One of the early adopters of the trend for bottling single malt whisky, the Cadenhead’s company was purchased in 1972 by J&A Mitchell, the owner of Springbank. Shortly after the purchase, J&A Mitchell began making Longrow to provide a peaty, oily and robust component for the blends which were still the backbone of Scotch whisky production, but with the rise in popularity of single malts, casks were kept back to be released as single malt expressions. This bottling is an early Longrow and marks the coming together of the two brands which still work in partnership today.
The Whisky.Auction valuation team expects this bottle to reach a hammer price of £1500-£2000. You can place your bids here.
Trending Content
Tobermory 1972 32 Year Old Bottled 2005
Another distillery with a chequered history, we’re lucky to have single malt whisky from 1972 from Tobermory. Just a few months beforehand the distillery was still abandoned, having sat quietly for four decades until a Liverpool shipping company and Spanish Pedro Domecq began distilling on the site under the name Ledaig Distillery Ltd. Whether bottled under the names Tobermory or Ledaig and despite its hardships, 1972 vintages are thought to be particularly good from this distillery. Sadly the distillery in this guise only lasted another 3 years before it was shut down once more, but old stocks lingered in the distillery ready to be bottled after 1993 when the doors opened once more. This particular bottle is called Tobermory, rather than Ledaig, as the distillery had returned to its original name at the point of bottling.
The Whisky.Auction valuation team expects this bottle to reach a hammer price of £700-£900. You can place your bids here.
White Horse Bottled 1960s
For anyone who’s read our 10th anniversary report, released earlier this month at the Whisky Show and available from account dashboards for Whisky.Auction customers, the choice of an old White Horse in this roundup won’t be a surprise. It’s a brand we’ve seen keep its value in the last 10 years, continuing to maintain a special place in the hearts of whisky lovers. The label is a work of design and storytelling genius which gives whisky historians the opportunity to geek out on the subtle changes over the years. It’s also still a relative bargain for a piece of whisky history.
The Whisky.Auction valuation team expects this bottle to reach a hammer price of £120 – £180. You can place your bids here.
Glen Grant 1953 58 Year Old – Bottled 2012 – Book Of Kells – La Maison Du Whisky
Glen Grant was a favourite distillery of George Urquhart, which suggests why Gordon & MacPhail had access to so many long aged casks from this old distillery. It was one of the core distilleries bottled in the Book of Kells series which began in the 1980s and continued until 2018. By the end of the series it tended to be released exclusively for close partners of Gordon & MacPhail and this bottling was created especially for La Maison du Whisky, released in 2012.
The Whisky.Auction valuation team expects this bottle to reach a hammer price of £2000 – £2500 in our online auction. You can place your bids here.
