Charity sale of rare whiskies raises over £350,000

A sale of whisky featuring iconic Scottish distilleries has helped raised over £350,000 for ocean charities.

An online auction of the greatest ever collection of one-off bottles of whisky and rum has raised more than £350,000 for non-profit organisations around the world dedicated to battling the impact of single-use plastic waste.

The auction was hosted by online spirits auctioneer, Whisky.Auction late last month, and featured 21 exceptional bottles, more than half of which were one-off bottles created especially for the auction, never to be repeated.

All profits, including commission, from the auction will be donated to chosen charities to actively combat the ongoing plight of the world’s oceans.

A 50 year old Japanese whisky from the closed Karuizawa distillery was the highlight of the auction with the lucky bidder getting their hands on this incredibly rare bottle for £115,115 (including commission to be donated).

One of the world’s most collected distilleries, Macallan, saw £37,375 paid for a 50 year old Millennium Decanter. American whisky also made waves in this auction with Michter’s achieving the highest price ever paid for a bottle – a one-off bottle of their 22 year old bourbon sold for £13,340.

Sukhinder Singh of The Whisky Exchange who bottled and donated the Karuizawa 50 Year Old, said: ‘I’m thrilled that the Karuizawa has raised so much for such a good cause, but it really was just the icing on a very large cake. This was an exquisite line up of bottles, the likes of which will never be seen again in one auction, and there will be some pleased collectors out there whose passion and generosity is going to really help a group of charities fight a very big fight.’

The final prices paid (all prices include 15% buyer’s commission, to be included in donation) were:

Karuizawa 50 Year Old, Bottle 1 of 2 (Donated by The Whisky Exchange), £115,115.

The Macallan 50 Years Old Millennium Decanter (Donated by Edrington), £37,375.

Ardbeg 37 Year Old, Bottle 1 of 1 (Donated by LVMH), £34,615.

Port Ellen 38 Year Old, Bottle 1 of 1 (Donated by Diageo), £27,140.

The Dalmore Rare 45 Year Old, Bottle 1 of 1 (Donated by Whyte & Mackay), £25,185.

Bowmore 43 Year Old, Bottle 1 of 1 (Donated by Beam Suntory), £21,045.

Tamdhu 1963 55 Year Old, Bottle 1 of 1 (Donated by Ian Macleod Distillers), £19,780.

Brora 35 Year Old, Bottle 1 of 1 (Donated by Diageo), £14,030.

Michter’s 22 Year Old, Bottle 1 of 1 (Donated by Michter’s Distillery), £13,340.

The Balvenie 1973 Vintage Cask, Bottle 1 of 1 (Donated by William Grant & Sons), £9,200.

Glenfarclas 1967 42 Year Old, Bottle 1 of 1 (Donated by Glenfarclas), £8,050.

Foursquare 15 Year Old Rum, Bottle 1 of 1 (Donated by Foursquare), £6,440.

Caroni Guyana 1994 Rum Magnum, Bottle 1 of 3 (Donated by Velier), £6,440.

Yoichi 1998 (Donated by Nikka), £5,520.

Glenlivet 1948 50 Year Old (Donated by Gordon & MacPhail), £5,175.

O.F.C 1990 (Donated by Sazerac), £4,485.

Glen Scotia 1973, Bottle 1 of 1 (Donated by Loch Lomond Group), £3,565.

Springbank 14 Year Old Fresh Sherry Butt, Bottle 1 of 1 (Donated by Springbank), £3,450.

Craigellachie 31 Year Old (Donated by Dewars), £2,530.

Tomatin Centenary 1897-1997 (Donated by Tomatin Distillery), £1,207.50.

Old Pulteney 30 Year Old (Donated by Inver House Distillers), £575.

Isabel Graham-Yooll, auction director for Whisky.Auction, added: ‘This auction has been a huge success thanks to the tremendous generosity of the 21 distilleries and bottlers who donated such exceptional bottles. We’ve all seen the impact that single-use plastic is having on our oceans and I am sure every donor will be delighted to hear just how much has been raised for the charities battling the issue.’