Rare drams from Whisky Galore shipwreck to go under the hammer
It is a tale of derring do which remains par t of island folklore, but now deep pocketed whisky connoisseurs will have the chance to own a bottle from one of the most famous shipwrecks in Scottish history.
Six rare bottles of Scotch which were recovered from the wreck of the SS Politician off the shores of Er is kay in the Outer Hebrides are to go under the hammer.
They were among 28,000 cases of whisky on board the cargo ship when it ran a ground in bad weather in 1941. The subsequent salvage operation by islanders, much to the cha grin of customs and excise officials, inspired Compton Mackenzie’s 1947 novel, Whisky Galore, which was in turn adapted for the cinema.
As the ship broke up and fell beneath the waves, many of the remaining bottle son board went down with it, among them the lots being auctioned at Bonham sin Edinburgh.
The drams, which include a Ballantine’s, a VAT 69, and four bottles of Gibbey’s, were legally salvaged in 1990, and are accompanied by letters of declaration from Irvine Butter field, a customs official in Perth.
In the letter authenticating the Ballantine’s bottle, written shortly after its recovery, he said testing showed that nearly half a century in the Sound of Eriskay had not diluted its appeal.
“Given its lengthy sojourn beneath the waters of the Outer Hebrides, the whisky has stood up remarkably well and I would venture to suggest will be quite po table ,” he wrote. “Though Scotch whisky does not age in [the] bottle, it bears its age with dignity as befits an excellent beverage.”
The six bottles each carry an estimate of £6,000 to £8,000. They were bottled around 1940, and are stamped with “Federal Law Forbids Sale or Re Use of This Bottle” around the shoulder. The phrase appeared on all liquor bottles sold in the US between 1935 and 1964 in an attempt to limit the spread of illegal distilled or moonshine spirits.
Last year, a half bottle of Ballantine’s recovered from the SS Politician fetched £2,250 at auction.
The whisky auction at Bonhams on 5 June will also see the sale of a rare bottle of Suntory Rolling Stones whisky, one of just 150 released in 2012 to mark the 50 th anniversary of the rock group’ s formation. It is estimated at between £25,000 and £35,000.
Martin Green, a whisky specialist at Bonhams in Edin - burgh, said: “On the rare occasions they appear at auction there is always a great deal of excitement and interest.”