A retired farmer who converted his farm’s pig sties into a private whisky museum is selling his 44-year collection through broker Mark Littler Ltd. The collection of almost 5,000 bottles carries a guide price of $982,000 (£750,000) and is being offered as a single lot.
Bill Garratt began collecting in 1982, when someone handed him a bottle of Jolly Runner that cost around £5.92 at the time.
Four decades later, he has close to 5,000 bottles. Roughly 1,800 of them are single malts.
Trending Content
The collection also includes some 1,800 pieces of memorabilia. All of it is housed in a 100ft converted outbuilding on his farm, which the family simply call The Whisky Museum.
The collection outgrew the farmhouse at about 1,000 bottles.
“When I got to 1,000 bottles my wife said it had to go. So I moved into the farm’s pig sties,” Garratt said. “Then it was two pig sties and an extension. My wife will tell you, it never really stopped.”
Signup now to make sure you don't miss out on the latest whiskey news and deals.
By Signing up, you accept and agree to our Terms of Services and you acknowledge our Privacy Statement. The Whiskey Wash is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Signup now to make sure you don't miss out on the latest whiskey news and deals.
By Signing up, you accept and agree to our Terms of Services and you acknowledge our Privacy Statement. The Whiskey Wash is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
The building was later fitted with display cabinets bought when the Bedford museum sold off its own.
Garratt’s collection is unusual for its breadth. It ranges from historic blends and Bell’s decanters to a Macallan from 1937.
There are shelves of Gordon & MacPhail and cabinets of Macallan running to around 260 bottles. One bottle he believes dates to 1894. An entire room is given over to the boxes.
“A lot of collectors won’t touch a Bell’s decanter,” Garratt said. “I’ve never understood that. There was one in every front room in the country once, and that counts for something.”
He bought his first Macallan in 1986, a ten-year-old, for around £9.40.
Garratt is selling because of his age. He has no intention of stopping collecting.
“I’ll still buy the odd bottle,” he said. “You don’t switch it off after 44 years.”
“I’m 81. I’ve had 44 years of enjoyment out of it. Somebody else should have a turn.”
Mark Littler, the broker managing the sale, said the collection stood apart from most he has valued.
“Most collections are assembled around value. This one is assembled around the subject of whisky itself,” Littler said. “Bill has collected the whole of scotch whisky rather than the fashionable part of it, which is a considerably harder thing to do and a much rarer thing to find.”
Littler pointed to the role of blended whisky in the collection.
“Blends occupy as much space here as single malts, which is as it should be. Without blended whisky the malt distilleries would not have survived the twentieth century,” he said.
“Close to 5,000 bottles spanning three centuries, from miniatures to decanters, distilled and bottled across the world, with thousands of pieces of memorabilia alongside them,” Littler added. “I have valued hundreds of collections in more than a decade as a broker. I have not seen another that attempts this.”
The Whisky Museum is offered through private treaty sale. Littler is a Spear’s 500 Top Recommended Whisky Adviser and a Forbes contributor.
