70 Year Old Glenlivet sells for £43,800
McTear's was in the whisky spotlight today as a bottle of rare Glenlivet sold for £43,800.
Aged for 70 years, the Private Collection Glenlivet 1943 is a true legend in the world of single malts and one of the rarest Scotch whiskies ever to be bottled. The whisky was sold to a bidder from China who had travelled to the auction.
The unique spirit, which had an auction estimate of between £30,000 and £40,000, was distilled at the height of the Second World War in 1943, at a time when only a handful of distilleries in Scotland were producing whisky. For the next 70 years the whisky was carefully matured, first at the Glenlivet distillery and then at Gordon & MacPhail’s warehouses in Elgin.
We have seen some exceptional bottles come through the doors at McTear’s over the years and there is no doubt this sits as one of the most magnificent whiskies we have had the privilege to auction.
The Private Collection Glenlivet 1943 is revered amongst whisky connoisseurs and we were delighted to see it make such a good price at our Rare & Collectable Whisky Auction.
On 14 January 1943, a sherry cask made of European Oak was filled with spirit by Gordon and MacPhail’s senior partner, John Urquhart. In 2013, following a careful 70-year maturation process, Stephen Rankin, a current director and great-grandson to John Urquhart, started the long-awaited task of releasing the spirit from Cask 121 into 42 specially created hand blown decanters.
The Private Collection Glenlivet 1943 was not the only memorable whisky to feature in McTear’s Rare & Collectable Whisky Auction. The 235-lot sale also included a record £6,500 for a bottle of Macallan Nicol’s Nectar; £3,800 for an Ardbeg 1976 Single Cask 22 years old and £4,600 for a Caol Ila Manager’s Dram aged 15 years.
Prices quoted include buyer’s commission and VAT thereon.
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