For sale: one £8m whisky collection
● Nearly 4,000 bottles up for grabs ● Valued at £8m
Some of the rarest bottles of whisky in the world are to be offered for sale to the public next year.
The auction of the world’s largest private collection contains nearly 4,000 bottles from Scotland’s top distilleries, including some valued at more than £1 million. Many have never been seen at auction.
The hoard is expected to fetch £8m.
“Its sheer scale and rarity makes it one of the most exciting discoveries in the whisky world”
IAIN MCCLUNE
Founder of Whisky Auctioneer
Whisky aficionados will have the chance to get their hands on some of the rarest and most sought-after bottles of Scotch in the world as the largest private collection to be offered for sale to the public goes under the hammer next year.
But they will need to have deep pockets to get hold of the most prized drams as some bottles are valued at more than £1 million each.
The entire hoard, which contains nearly 4,000 bottles, is expected to sell for £8 million.
It is made up of some of the most coveted, valuable and rare bottles from Scotland’s top distilleries – including The Macallan, Bowmore and Springbank.
It also contains bottlings from lost distilleries such as Old Orkney from Stromness Distillery and Dallas Dhu.
Some have never before been seen at auction.
Dubbed the Perfect Collection, the eclectic library of whiskies belonged to American businessman Richard Gooding, a former Pepsi bottling magnate.
It includes a 1926 Fine and Rare 60 Year Old Macallan, which recently became the most expensive whisky on the planet when a bottle went for £1.5m.
Mr Gooding, who died in 2014, accumulated the whiskies over more than two decades. He regularly flew to Scotland to buy up special bottles, which he kept in his own “pub” – a room specially designed to showcase each whisky – in his Colorado home.
Collecting Scotch was one of his “greatest passions”, according to wife Nancy.
“He loved every aspect of it; from researching the many single malt distilleries to visiting them and tasting their whiskies,” she said.
“He was always so pleased to acquire the bottles that he was searching for over the years – his mission was to collect a bottle that represented every single distillery – but his favourite was always Bow more, with his preferred whisky being Black Bow more.
“Richard truly loved and was proud of his collection and enjoyed sharing it with friends and fellow Scotch lovers in his ‘pub’ at home.”
The collection is being sold by Perth-based online seller Whisky Auctioneer.
Iain Mcclune, founder of Whisky Auctioneer, describes the collection as “truly one of a kind” and a testament to Mr Gooding’s dedication.
He said: “Its sheer scale and rarity makes it one of the most exciting discoveries in the whisky world, and we’re thrilled to unveil it to the public ahead of it going live on our online auction site next year.”
Whisky writer and consultant Angus Macraild is impressed by the “sheer breadth and diversity of bottles” in the collection.
“Looking through it, you can tell it was put together by someone who loved whisky – and loved to drink it,” he said.
“So many of the bottles in this collection are special because they represent such outstanding quality; from wonderful independent rarities, to ancient bottlings of legendary single malts from before the Second World War, to some classic official bottlings.
“There are so many wonderful facets of Scotch Whisky represented here.”
Also up for grabs are a 1926 Valerio Adami 60 Year Old from The Macallan, forecast to go for up to £800,000; a 1919 Springbank 50 Year Old, which could fetch £220,000; plus a 1937 Rare Collection 64 Year Old Glenfiddich, with a guide price of around £60,000.