Whisky Auctioneer will hold a landmark sale this September featuring the largest collection of Johnnie Walker ever brought to auction. The sale, running from 11-21 September, offers more than 3,200 bottles, miniatures and pieces of original advertising and memorabilia assembled by one collector over two decades.
At the heart of the sale is the 20-year story of Frans Op den Kamp. His Johnnie Walker journey began in 1999 with a $130 bottle of Blue Label bought on his way home from a business trip to New York.
Over two decades, his fascination evolved into an in-depth knowledge of the brand. Fellow collectors and industry figures turned to him for help dating, valuing and authenticating bottles.
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“Johnnie Walker has been a constant companion throughout my collecting journey,” said Op den Kamp, collector and consignor. “What began with a bottle of Blue Label bought in 1999 grew into more than two decades of learning and travelling.”
He added: “Parting with the collection is certainly not easy, but I feel I have achieved what I set out to do.”
The collection spans more than a century of Johnnie Walker history. It runs from early 20th-century Old Highland Whisky bottlings through to modern limited editions and ultra-rare releases.
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READ THE STORYIn total, the archive comprises more than 1,600 full-size bottles, over 600 miniatures, and more than 1,000 pieces of advertising and memorabilia.
Highlights include pre-1968 corked Black, Red, and Swing bottlings. There are also rare single malt bottlings from Cardhu, Talisker, and Mortlach that reference John Walker on their original labels.
Modern rarities feature the 1805 Celebration Blend, limited to 200 bottles, and Jenson Button’s Signature Blend, limited to just 25 bottles.
Consigned from California, the collection has been brought to Scotland for cataloguing.
“What makes this collection so fascinating is the completeness of the story it tells,” said Joe Wilson, head curator and spirits specialist at Whisky Auctioneer. “The sheer breadth of the collection is a testament to Frans’ 20 years of dedication.”
Johnnie Walker remains the world’s number one Scotch whisky brand, owned by drinks giant Diageo.
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