Diageo and Sotheby’s recently partnered to bring about a sale of two of the rarest casks of single malt Scotch in the world.
The whisky comes directly from the dwindling original ‘ghost’ stocks of the iconic distilleries Brora and Port Ellen.
Each cask comes with the opportunity to collaborate on a commission with an internationally acclaimed artist, creating one-off pieces that reflect the distilleries and their whisky.
The auction, which runs until June 14th, is said to be part of the celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee Season with relevance to British craft and heritage with Sotheby’s. The casks were hand-picked from Diageo’s VIP program Casks of Distinction.
Jonny Fowle, head of whisky at Sotheby’s, said, “This partnership between Sotheby’s and Diageo showcases an unrivaled offering of rare whisky casks at auction. On trying the 1982 Brora, I was astounded by its quality – the rich cooked fruit flavors elevating its signature lightly peated character. The Port Ellen is a masterclass in 1970s Islay smoke with significant cask influence, which, especially when from a closed distillery, is precisely the style that the world’s top whisky collectors seek out.”
Located on the western edge of the Isle of Islay, Port Ellen is noted as being a jewel in Diageo’s crown with thousands of miles of ocean and sunlight stretching out in front of it.
A statement from the company said that Port Ellen’s whisky gains more and more status during its closed years, and this cask is one of the most precious in existence from Port Ellen’s dwindling stocks of ghost casks. With its doors shuttered in 1983, the current plan is for the distillery to start making whisky again in 2023.
The Port Ellen 1979 will be auctioned with a one-off artifact, crafted following the sale, in collaboration with the designer and artist Ini Archibong.
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Archibong will create a unique piece of art capturing the light of Port Ellen and its spirit in colored glass. The one-off sculpture will be a so-called physical expression of the “Dram and the Water” – representing both the precious nature of the liquid inside the cask and the distillery’s most precious resource.
Crafted from Murano Glass and finished in the colors of Islay, the sculptural piece will be presented to the cask owner in Port Ellen once the distillery has reopened. Archibong will also develop and create a bespoke color gradient that will be used to design a set of labels for the bottles drawn from the cask.
Archibong said this art piece will represent the precious nature of the liquid inside the cask.
“Unified and juxtaposed with our most precious resource, water, they represent the heart and soul of Islay and her people. Like a precious magic gem precariously holding a finite resource that offers endless memories; this piece is a reminder to its owner of the moment that they captured Islay in a cask, and her spirit reflected on the surface of colored glass. This artifact is a unique piece. There is only one,” he said.
Nestled in the Highlands on the Northeast coast of Scotland, Brora reportedly became renowned for the quality and character of whisky maturing in its shuttered warehouses. Now 202-years-old, Brora distillery was reawakened in May of 2021 following a three-year restoration.
While the distillery has reopened, there is a finite amount of whisky that remains from before its closure, with this cask being the oldest in existence for sale from Brora.
The Brora 1982 cask will be offered alongside a print by New Zealand-based photographer Trey Ratcliff. Known for what’s described as his mesmerizing photography capturing the beauty of distant landscapes, the master photographer will travel to Scotland for the very first time, accompanied by the new cask owner.
Together they will capture images that bring to life the landscape that helped shape this whisky. The cask owner’s selected photograph will become a large format edition print, as well as being used to create a set of bespoke labels for the bottles to be drawn from the cask.
Ratcliff said that his photographs capture moments in time and give those who view them an opportunity to reflect and transport to another place in the world.
“I’ve dedicated my life to capturing the beauty that exists at the very edge of the world, places where the sky meets the sea, Brora is one such place. I have been longing to travel to Scotland and take in its beautiful landscapes and to do this for the first time, accompanied by someone who appreciates an exceptional whisky like this, will be an epic adventure,” he said.
The successful bidder of the auction for these rare casks will have the option to work together with Diageo’s experts to further age their Scotch for up to five years.
The casks are being auctioned in partnership with Sotheby’s as part of their “Jubilee Season” on June 14th in London. Diageo will donate five percent of the hammer price from both casks to Care International to support their work in Ukraine.
For more information on the sale, you can check out www.sothebys.com/PortEllenBroraCasks.
Port Ellen 1979 Cask of Distinction:
- Distillery: Port Ellen
- Cask No: 1145
- Filled on: February 15th, 1979
- Est. ABV: 52.9%
- Est Bottles: 102
- Estimated Value: £700,000 to £1,200,000
Brora 1982 Cask of Distinction:
- Distillery: Brora
- Cask No: 480
- Filled on: March 25th, 1982
- Est. ABV: 52.8%
- Est. Bottles: 145
- Estimated Value: £700,000 to £1,200,000
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