Unique whisky at charity auction
Two distilleries - Bowmore and Brora - have just announced the donation of two remarkable whiskies to The Distillers' One of One Charity Auction. The auction will take place on October 5 in Edinburgh and will be held in partnership with auction house Sotheby's.
The offerings of one distillery and the other are the oldest whiskies ever bottled by their owners. However, their value is determined not only by their age, but also by the uniqueness of both editions and the absolutely extraordinary presentation of the.
Bowmore STAC 55yo, the whisky donated by the oldest operating distillery on the island of Islay is a 55-year-old single malt whisky, distilled in 1962. It matured in the legendary magazine No. 1 Vaults in second-fill hogsheads American bourbon barrels. Its value is estimated at 300-500 thousand. pounds, and it was offered in an unusual, hand-shaped 1.5-liter bottle, which refers in its shape to the rock columns found in several places off the coast of Islay.
Brora Iris 50yo, in turn, is a 50-year-old single malt whisky, distilled at the legendary distillery in the northern Highlands in 1972. Like its "colleague" from Islay, it too was offered in a 1.5-liter bottle. This time, however, it is a crystal decanter incorporated into a stone sculpture inspired by the shape of an eye. Hence the name of this edition. It is estimated that it will be auctioned for a sum of 250-500 thousand. pounds.
Distillers' One to One Auction, to be held on October 5, is the second edition of this type of auction. It offers absolutely unique editions, bottles prepared only in one copy, which will never be repeated. Thus, regardless of the value of the whisky itself due to its age and aroma and flavor qualities, we are talking about true works of art that have no counterparts anywhere else.
The first such auction took place on December 3, 2021. At the time, just over 40 bottles were auctioned, with proceeds from the sale exceeding £2.4 million. It has donated to foundations working on behalf of young people in Scotland in difficult circumstances.
Proceeds from this year's auction will also go primarily to the Youth Action Fund, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of young people in Scotland.
Bowmore STAC 55yo and Brora Iris 50yo are the first two whiskies slated for auction this year. We are left to watch with bated breath the next. There are many indications that it is slowly becoming a matter of prestige for whisky producers in Scotland to pass on the most exceptional liquor possible. So we can expect many more unusual whiskies to go under the hammer on October 5.
[01.09.2023 / photo: Bowmore]