Two rare bottles of whisky signed by King Charles III go under the hammer

Two rare bottles of whisky signed by King Charles III could fetch up to £6,000 when they go under the hammer.

Bottled in 2000, the 15-year-old Laphroaig single malt were drawn from a cask presented to the then Prince of Wales to mark his 50th Birthday.

The Prince then donated the cask to the Erskine Hospital Appeal, with only 14 of the 270 bottles signed by Charles.

With an estimate of £3,000 to £6,000, the anonymous Scottish vendor is on track to realise a significant profit on the few hundred pounds he spent on the bottles at auction 20 years ago.

Auction house McTear’s is selling the whiskies on May 24.

McTear’s whisky specialist, Ewan Thomson, said: ‘These are extremely rare bottles, with no records existing of any of the other signed examples coming to auction. 

‘The Laphroaig 15 year old is a fabulous whisky in its own right however, there is no doubt the signatures elevate the lot to a different level.’

Three distinct labels were designed for the 270 bottles from the Prince’s cask, 105 with the ‘Craggs’ label, 105 with a ‘Barrels’ label and the remainder with a ‘Mansion house’ label.  

The pair of bottles going to auction at McTear’s have the Craggs and Barrels labels. 

And they are not the only whiskies with a royal connection going under the hammer at McTear’s. 

Macallan’s 2012 Diamond Jubilee release has an estimate of £5,000 to £7,000, while Bowmore’s 1980 vintage, celebrating the Queen’s visit to the distillery, could fetch £2,000.

Read more news and reviews on Scottish Field’s food and drink pages, in association with Cask & Still magazine.

Plus, don’t miss the June issue of Scottish Field magazine.