LONDON – Christie’s Finest and Rarest Wines and Spirits auction on 2 and 3 December 2021 will present an extraordinary selection of leading spirits, highlighted by the legendary Springbank 1919, Macallan rarities and the finest releases from The Dalmore, Brora, Royal Salute and Ardross.

The leading lot of the sale is a bottle of Springbank 1919, 50 Year Old (estimate: £200,000 – 280,000), one of only 24 bottles of this legendary, historic bottling of Springbank. The bottle is offered from the collection of Le Clos (Dubai International Airport), who own one of the world’s greatest collections of whisky, and a further selection of auction highlights from the collection include Samaroli bottlings, a collection of The Macallan covering the years 1954 – 1986, rarities from The Dalmore Constellation range and a fantastic collection of Brora annual releases (illustrated right).

Noah May, Christie’s Head of Department, Wine & Spirits: “We are delighted to offer this superlative selection of whiskies in our upcoming sale of Finest and Rarest Wines & Spirits. The scope is varied and marked by the singular characteristics and quality of the bottles and casks on offer. We are honoured to collaborate with Le Clos (Dubai International Airport) to offer a bottle of Springbank 1919, 50 Year Old, one of the rarest whiskies ever to be bottled, into a buoyant market, where sophisticated collectors can be observed competing for the rarest items. It is a pleasure too, to work with the team at Ardross to present three extremely rare casks of whisky.”

Rare bottles of Japanese whisky also appear in the upcoming sale including the famous Hibiki 30 Year Old (estimate: £6,000 - 8,000 per 3), alongside Karuizawa whisky (estimate: £1,200 - 1,600). Located on the slopes of Mount Asama, an active volcano near the Nagano Prefacture in central Japan, Karuizawa began production in 1957 and was owned by The Mercian Corporation.  Only Golden Promise barley and sherry casks were used to make Karuizawa whisky, with wooden wash backs and water from the active volcano. The Karuizawa distillery closed in 2001, making it a ghost distillery, where bottles continue to be released from previously filled barrels even after production has closed. It is a very rare and collectible bottle.

Further highlights of the auction include a treasured bottle of Royal Salute 50 Year Old, Coronation Cask (estimate: £18,000 - 28,000). Decorated in silver and gold, this collectible flagon of whisky was bottled in 2003 to mark the 50^th Year of Elizabeth II’s reign.

Christie's is delighted to present a very rare opportunity to acquire three exceptional casks of Single Malt from the Ardross Distillery, Northern Highlands. This highly collectible lot (estimate: £80,000 - 130,000) showcases the three founding expressions of this future Scotch Whisky classic: The Ardross 1^st Fill Ex-Bourbon Cask (approximately 200 litres), The Ardross Sherry Cask (approximately 500 litres), and The Ardross Japanese Mizunara Oak Cask (approximately 450 litres). Each cask will be adorned with a copper plaque to be engraved with the buyer’s name and will be stored and insured in the Ardross’ Bonded warehouse at no cost for a period of up to 50 years.

The sale will also present a selection of whiskies on behalf of The Whisky Magazine. Proceeds raised from this offering of mixed lots will be donated to The Rare and Endangered Species Trust, Co’Lu’Bi Wildlife Sanctuary, The Drinks Trust and Project Rhino.