Cuvée presentation
To be authorised to bid on this lot, bidders must contact Fine Spirits Auction in advance at [email protected] no later than Friday, 1 October 2026 at 12:00 noon, i.e. 24 hours before the close of the auction. Please refer here to the Special Conditions applicable to this lot.
The Cask
Cask No.: 1145
Cask Type: Refill American Oak Hogshead
Distilled: 15 February 1979
Estimated ABV: 51.4%
Estimated Number of Bottles: 73 (June 2026)
Current Age of the Whisky: 47 years
Option to continue maturation until the whisky reaches 50 years of age (16 February 2029).
Storage, Bottling and Delivery Conditions
A cask of Port Ellen distilled in 1979, offered as part of the Cask of Distinction programme in partnership with Diageo. Held In Bond at Royal Lochnagar in Scotland, the cask may, at the buyer’s discretion, either be bottled or continue to mature until 16 February 2029, when the whisky will reach 50 years of age. The offer includes storage of the cask and bottling by Diageo in the official Port Ellen Cask of Distinction presentation, in accordance with the terms applicable to the programme.
The cask and the bottles resulting from its bottling are offered exclusively In Bond.
The cask is currently held In Bond at Royal Lochnagar Distillery in Scotland. In accordance with the applicable Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) requirements, bottling will take place in Scotland.
The hammer price does not include any transport costs that may apply following bottling, nor any customs duties, taxes, import charges or other levies that may be payable in the country of destination. All such costs shall be borne by the buyer.
The buyer is also responsible for ensuring that they hold or obtain all authorisations, licences and complete all formalities required for the importation of alcoholic beverages into the country of destination. Any permits or licences required, together with any associated costs, shall remain the responsibility of the buyer.
The precise transport and delivery arrangements will be determined after the auction according to the chosen destination and the regulations applicable at the time of shipment.
The sale of this lot is subject to the Fine Spirits Auction General Terms and Conditions of Sale, as well as the Special Conditions applicable to this lot. Where applicable, the buyer will also be required to comply with any verification procedures required in connection with the transaction.
The distillery Port Ellen
Founded in 1825 by A. K. Mackay & Co. on the southern coast of the Isle of Islay, Port Ellen came under the control of John Ramsay in 1836, a period during which the site notably contributed to the development of whisky exports to North America. The distillery became part of the Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1925 and subsequently underwent a prolonged period of closure before returning to production in the late 1960s. Primarily operated to supply malt whisky for blends, Port Ellen ceased distillation in May 1983 as part of a broader rationalisation of Scotch whisky production capacity. Stocks distilled before the closure continued to mature and were subsequently bottled, notably through Diageo’s Special Releases, which included seventeen annual Port Ellen editions between 2001 and 2017. After more than forty years without production, Diageo officially restarted distillation at Port Ellen in March 2024. The rebuilt facility incorporates two pairs of stills: the “Phoenix Stills”, designed to replicate the stills used before the 1983 closure, and the “Experimental Stills”, combined with a spirit safe designed to allow more precise separation of the different fractions of the spirit run. Bottlings drawn from historical stocks therefore originate exclusively from spirit distilled up to 1983, while production resumed in 2024 represents a distinct new period in the chronology of Port Ellen.
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