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Our popular cigar auctions are back! This time it is a charity event at Boisdales as well as online. As well as the auction we are celebrating The Vina Carmen Cigar Smoker of the Year! This has become the world’s most prestigious Cigar Awards Dinner outside of Havana, celebrating iconic cigars, cigar producers, cigar communicators, and cigar sommeliers in the company of cigar connoisseurs from the world over.
Lots are online and the bidding will open on the 28th of November so be prepared. The highest online bidder may not necessarily win as people lucky enough to attend the event at Boisdale will be given a chance to increase the bids further and as this is for charity, no fees are payable!. Bidding will open 7 days before the sale concludes so keep an eye out and get ready to bid!
The Malbec barriques for this expression have been sourced from De Toren Private Cellar in Stellenbosch, South Africa. This is the youngest release in Longrow’s wine finished Red series yet. After 7 years in bourbon barrels, the peated spirit from Springbank distillery is transferred into South African wine barrels for an additional three years. Bottled 2020-12-01, this edition is still classed by the Campbeltown distillery as a 2021 release.
Founded in 1923, in the heart of the Caroni’s sugarcane plantations, this famed Trinidad distillery was renowned throughout the world for producing one of the very best Heavy Rums, receiving high praise from the British Navy. In 2003, with the closing of the nearby state-owned sugar refinery, Trinidad sugarcane production ceased, and the distillery was inevitably shut down shortly after. Caroni 21 years old contains rum from the 1996 vintage, distilled and matured for twenty-one years on the island.
A set of x6 individually numbered bottlings from a private cask release of Kilchoman, distilled 29th January 2007 and aged for 12 years in a bourbon cask. Bottled on the 1st February 2019 at the cask strength of 55.3% with only 244 bottles released, making this quite limited.
The distillery first filled casks on 14 December 2005, making this release quite an early one, and was the first to be built on Islay since 1908.
The distillery is situated on the western side of Islay, near the small settlement of Kilchoman. Founded by Anthony Wills, they still remain the last independent and family run distillery on the island.
The first legal single malt Scotch whisky from the Isle of Raasay, produced at the distillery which shares the island's name! The Inaugural Release of Isle of Raasay's single malt is a lightly peated expression, made with 100% Scottish barley and Highland peat, and it enjoys a long fermentation before being distilled, bringing forward some of the delicious fruity notes of the spirit. Post-distillation, the whisky is initially matured in first-fill Tennessee casks, before being moved over to first-fill Bordeaux red wine casks for a finishing period.
An older bottling of Gordon's special dry London gin, which we estimate, was bottled during the 1950s/60s at 70° Proof and comes with the original spring cap.
The gin was developed by Alexander Gordon in Southwark in 1769 and his first recipe was such a success that it hasn't changed to this day.
The exact make-up of botanicals is reported to be juniper berries, coriander seeds, angelica root, orris root, orange, and lemon peel but no official recipe has ever been declared. Kings and Queens all over the world have enjoyed this famous gin and one passenger on the Titanic (who survived) reportedly ordered a glass whilst the ship was sinking.
The label carries a royal warrant by appointment to Her Majesty the Queen.
A spectacular wheated whiskey distilled by Buffalo Trace, the Weller 12 year old straight bourbon whiskey has achieved cult status for a sweet and smooth profile that blends creamy vanilla, caramel and molasses with hints of corn, sweet fruit and cocoa. While the standard 12 year old is one of the most sought-after bottles in whiskey circles today, the older bottling distilled by BT is a level above, and represents one of the most coveted and exceptionally crafted 'wheat' whiskeys ever made.
Springbank is the only distillery in Scotland to malt, distil, mature and bottle on the same site. It manages to do this while operating a highly complex distillation regime, which creates three different styles.
This release of Springbank 10 year old Local Barley was produced using Belgravia barley grown in and around Campbeltown. This 2021 expression spent 10 years maturing entirely in bourbon barrels with only 15,000 bottles available.
Matured in Oloroso sherry casks with a final maturation in Pedro Ximénez casks, this 29 year old Single Malt is a masterful expression of exceptional complexity and depth, truly befitting a Kingsman.
This exceptional 1989 Vintage is inspired by the oldest bottle housed at The GlenDronach Distillery – a 29 year old whisky bottled in 1913, just before the outbreak of the first World War. Three friends had each purchased a bottle before leaving for war, vowing to open them together on their return. Tragically, only one of them returned home. Having never opened his bottle, his family later gifted it to the distillery, where it remains unopened and displayed in remembrance of fallen friends.
Only 3,052 bottles available worldwide from 1st September 2020. Each luxurious box is adorned with the iconic bespoke Kingsman insignia and bears the signatures of both Dr. Rachel Barrie and Matthew Vaughn.
This is a rare bottling presenting a spring cap closure, we estimate bottled in the 1950s / 60s. The Buchanan Blend was originated in the 19th century by James Buchanan and has been the most enduring thanks to its strong following in Latin America and the US where it’s claimed to be the fastest growing blended Scotch. James Buchanan established his own London-based blending business in 1884. The first whisky he created was The Buchanan Blend, which was soon snapped up by the London music halls. Only a year after he started in business, he won the contract to exclusively supply the House of Commons, and four years later the blend won a gold medal at the Paris Centennial Exhibition.
The Buchanan Blend became so popular with the MPs at Westminster the whisky became known to the public as ‘that House of Commons whisky’.
Macallan is an excellent example of the significance of size on whisky character. It is a large producer certainly, but its spirit stills are small (3,900 litres). This is a major contributing factor to the rich and oily nature of its new make.
The Macallan Sherry Oak 25 years old forms part of Macallan’s Sherry Oak range which features a series of single malt whiskies matured exclusively in hand-picked sherry seasoned oak casks from Jerez for richness and complexity. This special single malt delivers an intensely rich and full flavour character, citrus, dried fruits and wood smoke. This particular bottling was released in 2021.
Probably the most sought-after American Whiskey in the world, currently owned by the Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Van Winkle Special Reserve is the perfect combination of age and proof. This sweet, full-bodied whiskey has been described by some as “nectar.” The 12 years of aging and medium proof seem to be just right in creating a very pleasant drink of whiskey. This fine bourbon can compete with any excellent cognac as an after-dinner drink. The overall impression is rich and deep.
This bottling is the 12th release in Foursquare’s Exceptional Cask Series. A fruity, funky rum from Foursquare distillery in Barbados, Nobiliary was matured for 14 years in ex-bourbon casks. The result is an intensely fruity character, with aromas of pineapple, stewed apples, fruit cake and vanilla on the nose. The palate offers notes of brown sugar, spiced sponge cake, rich fruit cake, oranges and liquorice.
The image of Mary Queen of Scots on a prancing horse after landing at the port of Leith in 1561 became the constant design motif for Highland Queen blended Scotch. It has appeared on every label since its launch in the late 19th century, even after a change in ownership.
The brand encompasses a range of standard blends (NAS, Sherry Finished, 8 Years Old, 12 Years Old); premium blends (Highland Queen 1561, 30 Years Old, 50 Years Old); and single malts under the Highland Queen Majesty brand extension (Classic, 12 Years Old, 16 Years Old, 1986 Limited Edition, 40 Years Old and 52 Years Old). Today this historic Scotch brand created by Macdonald & Muir covers both blends and single malts.
Imperial was dogged by poor timing. Its chequered history meant that it never had a chance to become established as a single malt brand. Too late for the very earliest wave, by the time the category was becoming popular in the 1970s it was already committed to supplying fillings. When the single malt market came of age in the early 1990s, Imperial was closed.
Bar one half-hearted Allied Distillers bottling, it has only ever been seen under independent bottlers and, for many years, was also somewhat ignored. Then, slowly, Imperial’s gentle, floral, American cream soda style began to win friends. While it has not reached the cult status of Brora or Port Ellen, its reputation continues to grow. Sadly, there isn’t much stock left, making this release a great opportunity for any collectors and enthusiasts!
The 2018 release of Macallan 25 Year Old. This sublime spirit enjoys a cult following in some of the finest hotels and bars in the world where demand for the precious malt continually outstrips supply.
Macallan is an excellent example of the significance of size on whisky character. It is a large producer certainly, but its spirit stills are small (3,900 litres). This is a major contributing factor to the rich and oily nature of its new make.
Distilled November 2002, matured in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-rum casks, then finished for three years in fresh Madeira casks, and bottled in October 2020. Limited to 9200 bottles.
Springbank is the only distillery in Scotland to malt, distil, mature and bottle on the same site. It manages to do this while operating a highly complex distillation regime, which creates three different styles.
Springbank is partially triple-distilled. The wash still (which is direct fired) works as normal producing low wines, the strongest portion of which are directed to the spirit still charger. The remainder is redistilled in the intermediate still (which has a worm tub) and put into the feints receiver along with the heads and tails from the spirit still distillation.
This mix makes up 80% of the final charge, with the strong portion of low wines from the wash still making up the remaining 20%.
Unsurprisingly, the result is a highly complex new make that is collected at an average strength of 71-72% – lightly smoky, oily, fruity, delicately fragrant yet powerful.
One of two expressions that launched Arran's Rare Batch series is the latter half of 2021, both of which show off the brilliance of French oak. This expression was matured in casks sourced from France's Argonne Forest and had previously been used for still wine. From France to the Isle of Arran those casks went, and for 15 years they aged Arran's single malt, imparting big ol' helpings of ripe orchard fruit, alongside touches of aromatic wood fragrance. Limited edition of 3,060 bottles.
The story of David C Stewart and the creation of two extraordinary red roses. Inspired by the history of Balvenie castle, this story celebrates the story of the rose, the desire of our visitors for a distillery exclusive and the romance in creating a new whisky.
Its story, and the one of its successor, The Second Red Rose, began many centuries ago in a castle high on a Speyside hill.
Margaret Douglas, widow of the 8th Earl of Douglas, lived for many years in Balvenie Castle, on the edge of the land that would eventually become the home of The Balvenie Distillery. Her rent for living there, payable to King James II, took the form of one exquisite red rose. The flower, so the story goes, had a vibrant magenta hue, and was considered not only to be extremely beautiful, but extremely valuable too.
As decades, and then centuries passed, the castle fell into disrepair, its original inhabitants now long gone. But the tale of the rare red flower lived on. “Oh, the rose!” David C Stewart, The Balvenie’s Malt Master, remembers the story well. “It was,” he smiles gently, “the inspiration for the first Balvenie Rose. The aim was to create a deeply vibrant whisky, to evoke the flower in question. That’s where it all began."
A single cask 2009 Daftmill, aged in an Oloroso sherry butt. One of 700 bottles, being a release only available for the UK market.
The Cuthbert brothers who own the site have long grown malting barley. These days a small percentage of the crop (around 100 tons) is diverted for their own use. The process water comes from their own artesian well, and the draff produced after mashing is then fed to their prize beef herd.
Only 20,000 litres is produced during two, three month seasons, one starting after the end of the busy spring period on the farm and stopping before harvest, the other during the fallow winter period between November and February.
This is one of the very few (conceivably the only) truly self-sufficient distilleries in Scotland.
