Macallan’s The Reach

In Whisky Auctioneer’s selection of the Macallan bottlings in last month’s auction, the star had to be The Reach, an 81 Years Old Macallan clutched in three bronze hands, representing the people behind this impressive release. Distilled in the 1940s and originally released in 2022, this listing had a winning bid of £150,000.

Hoffman and Old Commonwealth

In his July column, Joe Wilson shared some history behind the Hoffman and Old Commonwealth bottles included in the Whisky Auctioneer’s June auction. The brands, which preceded the iconic Pappy Van Winkle, made “artefactual American whiskeys that show there is much more to the Van Winkle family story than just one man,” says Wilson.

Italian indies

Whisky Auctioneer has championed vintage Italian independent bottlers for a long time, making it an ever-rarer occasion for the auction house to be previewing such bottles for the first time. That is, however, the case with this Royal Brackla 17 Year Old Intertrade Cask Strength. Typically known for Italian-influenced labels, this Intertrade bottle is instead adorned with a label living up to all the Scottish clichés — whisky, soldiers in tartan, and Highland landscapes — while still managing an Italian flair of design. Alongside is is a rare example of one of Samaroli’s first releases, the Bruichladdich 1965 Cask Strength 10 Years Old Samaroli Import. This bottle is a true testament to Samaroli’s journey towards the independent bottlings that then went on to be so important in the whisky world. One of those greats, the Silver Cap bottlings, the Tormore 1966 Samaroli Sherry Wood Silver Cap, also appears in the auction.

Dalmore

This month, Whisky Auctioneer’s auction includes a selection of bottles from Highland distillery Dalmore. This includes some uncommon independent bottlings, such as the Dalmore 1980 Moon Import / Dovr-Toutes-Mares. The highlight of the selection is the Dalmore Aurora 1964 Oloroso Cask 45 Years Old, one of only 200 bottles in a decanter inspired by the aurora borealis, which is visible from the Dalmore Distillery in the winter.

Tobermory 1972 Oloroso Sherry Finish 32 Years Old

The 1970s was a tumultuous decade in the history of Tobermory Distillery, or Ledaig as it was known at the time. Active for only three years beginning in 1972, the distillery nevertheless produced some fabulous whisky, with the 1972 vintage particularly sought after. At the time, a lightly peated spirit was produced, which was usually later bottled under the Ledaig brand by current owners Burn Stewart, but in this case Tobermory has been chosen. Three different labels were created for this release, with this one being known as the red label.