Distillers One of One: The Glenlivet and Port Ellen bottles smash records
The third edition of The Distillers One of One® Charity Auction smashed all expectations last week, raising nearly £3m for charity.
Overall, the One of One auction raised £2.9m, setting a total of 30 auction records in the process.
Record price tags were achieved for The Glenlivet, Port Ellen, Ladyburn, Glenfarclas, The Glendronach, Laphroaig, KANDOBLANC, and The Glen Grant releases.
Experts had expected the lots to fetch as much as £1.4m prior to the auction. Around 90 per cent of lots exceeded their high estimates (including buyer’s premium), and the tally means that in the past three years, 66 price records have been broken at the annual auction.
Distillers One of One records
Held at the historic Hopetoun House near Edinburgh on Friday 10th October, 39 ultra-rare Scotch whiskies, from 35 companies and distilleries across Scotland, went under the hammer. Held in partnership with Sotheby’s, the auction was attended by 200 guests from across the globe.
All proceeds from the event will be donated to charity, primarily the Youth Action Fund, which supports disadvantaged young people in Scotland.
The auction was led by The Glenlivet SPIRA 60 Year Old 1965, which smashed its pre-sale estimate with the hammer falling at £650,000 (compared to an estimate of £60,000-110,000), a new auction record for a bottle of The Glenlivet.
Meanwhile, the Port Ellen Prism 46 Year Old 1978, the oldest whisky ever released by the distillery, achieved a sale price of £375,000 (compared to the estimate of £150,000-300,000), a new auction record for a bottle of Port Ellen.
Elsewhere, the Laphroaig Capsule 40 Year Old, the joint oldest release from the distillery, sold for a record £125,000, more than tripling the estimate of £40,000 to £80,000.
Old Pulteney Polaris, a rare 47-year-old whisky and Old Pulteney’s oldest release to date, far exceeded its estimate of £26,000 to £40,000, reaching a total of £62,500.
The full list of lots and auction results can be viewed here
Beanie Espey-Geraedts, MD of Distillers One of One, said: “We’re so humbled to see such generosity in action for this third Distillers One of One Auction. The resounding success is the result of an incredible collective endeavour across the Scotch whisky industry to create meaningful and lasting change, with much work behind the scenes from passionate individuals who care deeply about their communities.”
Jonny Fowle, Global Head of Spirits, Sotheby’s, said: “The third Distillers One of One charity whisky sale has once again surpassed all expectations, delivering an exceptional result that truly reflects the passion and innovation at the heart of the Scotch Whisky community. Our deepest thanks to every bidder who participated and to the distillers who contributed their rare and imaginative creations to this unique auction.
Grant Gordon OBE, Chairman Distillers’ Charity, said: “What pride for me to see that the Scotch Whisky industry continues to come together to raise incredible amounts in support of young people, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping them achieve their ambitions and strengthen our communities.”