Two unique single malt scotches will battle it out this month in a bid to command the very best hammer value of the month. Each luxurious editions are being bought at totally different auctions on totally different continents by Sotheby’s, and each are the ultimate releases of their respective sequence.
First up is The Dalmore 52 12 months outdated Luminary No. 3 The Uncommon (estimated $102,500–$205,000), the ultimate and oldest expression within the design-led sequence, with proceeds going to assist Dalmore’s partnership with V&A Dundee, Scotland’s Design Museum. The Luminary No. 1 The Uncommon bought for $112,933 in November 2022, and No.2 fetched $95,523 in Might 2024 after a single bid under the low estimate, although this was the second-highest hammer value of the month. The primary two editions had been bought in London, however this time, Dalmore chosen Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, for the sale. Bidding has been sluggish of late in Hong Kong, nonetheless, in contrast to the sooner editions, this bottle was supplied with no reserve and attracted scores of bids. The profitable hammer value realized lower than half the sum of Luminary No. 1 with a bid of HK$400,000 (approx. $51,242), putting it sixth within the provisional 20-highest hammer costs of the month.
Then on Might 29th, Sotheby’s, London, will public sale a one-of-one expression known as Bowmore ARC-54 The Iridos Version, a novel whisky separate from the latest launch of Bowmore ARC-54. It’s a 54 12 months outdated Islay single malt created by Calum Fraser, Bowmore’s chief blender, utilizing three totally different casks of Bowmore; a 1967 European oak butt, a 1968 sherry butt, and a 1968 American oak hogshead. It’s the ultimate launch within the long-running partnership between the Islay distillery and luxurious automobile producer Aston Martin, with the design impressed by the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Proceeds from this sale will go to communities that assist Suntory’s distilleries in Scotland. This can be a companion expression to Bowmore ARC-52 The Mokume Version, a one-of-one version bought at Sotheby’s, London, for a hammer value of $185,087, the very best hammer value of Might 2023. In the meantime, Dalmore and Bowmore have loads of competitors from up to date Macallan releases to cope with, as bottlings from The Crimson Assortment at Whisky Auctioneer made the very best hammer costs initially of the month. So, test again on June 6th after we reveal Might’s 20-highest hammer costs and see which rarity comes out on prime.
Whisky Auctioneer April 2025 Public sale
Public sale ended Might fifth
Zachy’s, New York – Spirits Solely
Public sale ended Might fifth
- Rye: Michter’s 25 12 months outdated Single Barrel Rye 2014 Launch, $7,500. This appears to be like like an absolute cut price, however the wax seal was closely cracked and disintegrating, so it was bought “as is.”
- Bourbon: E.H. Taylor Previous Normal Bitter Mash Bourbon, $6,000. Whereas E.H. Taylor is becoming a member of the Buffalo Hint Vintage Assortment this 12 months, the primary launch from 2011 continues to be traded frequently.
- Scotch: Macallan Anniversary Malt 1975 25 12 months outdated, $1,900. Bottled within the 12 months 2000, this labored out to be inexpensive than a up to date bottle of Macallan 25 12 months outdated Sherry Oak.
Sotheby’s, New York – Most interesting Whiskey & Whisky
Public sale ended Might 9th 
- Bourbon: Previous Rip Van Winkle 23 12 months outdated Decanter, $16,000. One in every of 1,200 bottles launched in 2009, this fell outdoors the projected prime 20 hammer costs of the month for Might.
- Scotch: Macallan The Crimson Assortment 78 12 months outdated, $48,000. The second bottle of this version to promote in Might, this bought for a single bid, coming in decrease than the $53,128 profitable bid at Whisky Auctioneer.
- Mix: The Final Drop 50 12 months outdated Double Matured, $1,600. This 93-point whisky was the sixth launch from The Final Drop Distillers and was bottled in a launch of 898 bottles.
Lot of the Week
This rarity from Islay was bottled in 1983 to mark the centenary of the Bunnahabhain Distillery. It was launched in a batch of 600 handblown decanters carrying the Westering Dwelling brand of the bearded Scottish sailor etched on glass and was bottled by The Highland Distillers Firm, which later turned a part of The Edrington Group. On the time of launch, the distillery had been mothballed since 1982 throughout a wave of distillery closures within the early Eighties.
Bunnahabhain Distillery was established in 1881, making a 1983 launch a bit of over the 100-year mark, however as a 20 12 months outdated, it suggests this was made in 1963, a big 12 months for Bunnahabhain. The distillery expanded to 4 pear-shaped stills, stopped ground malting, and adjusted its distillery type to deal with being an unpeated malt. The final seven hogsheads of 1963 inventory had been vatted collectively and bottled for a Bunnahabhain 40 12 months outdated launched in 2003. Whisky Auctioneer has supplied the Bunnahabhain 20 12 months outdated Centenary Decanter earlier than, but it surely’s by no means beforehand met its reserve, making this bottle the primary time it’s ever bought at this public sale home.
Bunnahabhain 20 12 months outdated Centenary Decanter
Offered at: Whisky Auctioneer, Might 5th 2025
Hammer Value: $1,032
Upcoming Auctions:
Might 27th, Bonhams, Hong Kong: Fantastic & Uncommon Spirits On-line with bidding opening on Might 16th.
Might 29th, Sotheby’s, London: Most interesting Whisky. This sale contains the Bowmore ARC-54 The Iridos Version, a one-of-one bottling in collaboration with Aston Martin.
June 9th, Whisky Auctioneer: Might 2025 Public sale. Search for Fèis Ìle 2025 exclusives on this sale, which opens for bidding on Might 30th because the competition attracts to a detailed.
