Money galore as vintage whisky goes to auction

THE sale room in an area of Glasgow still waiting to become fashionable is an Aladdin’s cave of whisky, its walls aglow with the warmth of the distiller’s art.

There may be a finer sight in Scotland, but it would difficult to locate.

In the unremarkable interior of a Finnieston tower block office, row upon row of bottles contain amber nectar which would be a considered a bargain at 250 per "hauf".

The highlights include a 50-year-old Macallan, a Dalmore of a similar age, a "black" Bowmore and the finest Bushmills circa 1882.

The latter may be Irish, but the affinity between Hibernian and Caledonian applies.

The bottles await quiet Japanese businessmen, expansive Italian lovers of the cratur, bullish Australians and Scots with a love of permanence and their past.

McTear’s in Glasgow, the only auction house in the world which holds dedicated sales of fine and rare whiskies, is preparing for today’s summer auction, a red letter day in the connoisseur calendar.

Alas, it is unlikely that Martin Green, a whisky consultant to the world, will experience the elation of watching a spectacular Dalmore go for 22,000, as he did at a recent sale.

"That was a world record, a wonderful moment, but it’s not on the cards this time," said Mr Green.

He added: "However, we have some very fine whisky and interest has been high."

The auction is split over two days with one of the biggest collections of memorabilia and whisky water jars being disposed of yesterday.

But it was a mere prelude to today’s sale of the hard stuff, which has attracted interest from around the world, particularly from Japan, Italy and Australia.

The telephones are in place to accept bids and the sealed advance bids are in the keeping of Mr Green.

He said: "The Japanese have a great fondness for Scotland and its unique product. They make their own whisky, of course, and I understand they renamed one of their towns so they could legitimately put ‘Made in Scotland’ on the bottle."

He added: "The Italians also love whisky and there is interest from Australia and all over the UK."

In recent years, whisky has increasingly become a desirable collectible. Very few of today’s buyers will actually drink what they take home.

"Whisky is very collectible because so little of it survives. It’s liquid and cased in fragile glass," said Mr Green.

But when it does survive, it is a touchstone for permanence in a world where possessions are transient and disposable.

Mr Green added: "That’s certainly part of the appeal. When you lift one of these bottles, it is not something which has been about for a few days. It’s a part of the past that has survived until the present."

The consultant spends his days replying to e-mails, faxes and phone calls from abroad.

"Given our reputation, we attract a lot of attention," he added.

Bidding is expected to be fierce today and individual bottles could sell for up to 5,000.

Mr Green expects the sale to clear in excess of 100,000 for McTear’s.

A highlight of the auction is lot 558, a 50-year-old Macallan malt.

Mr Green said: "We also have an extremely good Dalmore in a hand-made box, individually numbered from a batch of only 100 bottled in the 1990s from whiskies distilled from the 1890s to the 1920s."

He added: "In addition, there is a 50-year-old Dalmore in a crystal decanter, which we expect could go as high as 5,000 depending on demand.

Two other "gems" include the 1882 Bushmills Irish whisky in a hand-blown bottle with a driven cork, similar to that found in wine bottles. It is expected to change hands for about 1,100.

One of the most unusual bottles on offer is lot 601, a "black" Bowmore from Islay, a rich, jet-black whisky with infinite character.

Mr Green said: "The colour occurs during the maturation period because of the nature of the casks in which it is stored. It has a different feel. Unfortunately, I am unable to taste it to establish how different."

Traditionally, McTear’s hold three such auctions each year, the other two being in late summer and December.

There is no shortage of interest in the product.

Mr Green added: "I spend most of my days fielding inquiries. It’s a big industry.

"Our greatest moment, of course, was setting the world record in 2002 for a bottle of whisky, when the hammer went down on the Dalmore at 22,000.