One of the finest bottles of Glencadam single malt whisky – discovered behind a trap door in a house in Washington State, USA – is expected to fetch £3,000-5,000 at Bonhams first sale dedicated to the spirit. The auction will be held on 12 November in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Martin Green, Bonhams’ newly appointed Whisky Consultant, describes the bottle of Old Pot Still Scotch Viking (Glencadam) as “one of the rarest early 20th century malt whiskies to appear at auction in recent years.”
It was discovered in the 1950s behind a trap door by the US vendor after renovating his father’s new house. It is thought the whisky could have been hidden away during Prohibition – the period from 1920 to 1933, where the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol for consumption was made illegal throughout the country.
Since the whisky was discovered, it has been stored in Sweden, which is where the vendor now lives.
Founded in 1825, the Glencadam distillery is situated in the Eastern Highlands of Scotland. There are countless stories about the lengths to which distilleries go to obtain the perfect water supply, but none as determined as Glencadam. The tiny stone distillery ignores local supplies and insists on piping the pure soft hill water from The Moorans, 12 miles away.
Bonhams will hold four Whisky Sales per year in Edinburgh, beginning in November 2008. Other fine whiskies to be sold in the first sale include a bottle of Balvenie 1937 (estimate £3,000-5,000), Macallan Select Reserve 1948 (estimate £2,000-2,500) and a 50-year-old bottle of Springbank (estimate £2,000-2,500).
Auction info www.bonhams.com/edinburgh
