In late 2022, the world’s oldest whisky was discovered in the cellar of a 200-year-old Scottish Castle. Bertie Troughton, Resident Trustee, made the discovery in the basement of Blair Castle, situated in the heart of Atholl Estates in Scotland. Now, nearly a year on, Whisky Auctioneer, the global authority on buying and selling whisky, will be auctioning 24 of the 40 bottles that were uncovered back in 2022.
Built in 1269 and set against 120,000 acres of rolling Perthshire farmland, Blair Castle is today not only recognised as the ancestral home of the Dukes of Atholl but also for its close ties with Queen Victoria.
In 1844, Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert, stayed at Blair Castle for 3 weeks. During their stay, it was noted (in the Blair Castle Household Book) that whisky had been consumed by Queen Victoria. Furthermore, the local newspapers had reported that Queen Victoria particularly enjoyed a tipple called Atholl Brose – a drink made from whisky and honey – during her stay.
All 40 bottles discovered in Blair Castle cellar are believed to have been distilled in 1833, bottled in 1841, and then rebottled in 1932. This timeline coincides with Queen Victoria’s visit and it is believed to be highly likely that she drank from the very same collection that remains today.
Blair Castle and Atholl Estates have a well-documented history and the production of whisky on the estate is well-known. A cellar inventory, known as ‘bin books’, dated July 23rd 1834 – one year after the whisky was initially casked – shows whisky recorded in the cellar safely in its cask. In particular, it specifically references ‘Bin 65 – Store Whiskey – 72 bottles = 40 Gallons in wood’. This is understood to be one of the earliest known references to whisky maturing in wood.
Bertie Troughton Blair Castle Resident Trustee, commented:
“Blair Castle is fortunate to have one of the best archives of any historic house in Scotland and it’s been wonderful to see the story of these fabulous bottles come to life in the archives. Whisky has always been a huge part of the history of Blair Castle and we will be building an exhibition around the bottles we keep after the auction so that all who visit Blair Castle can see it and hear the history of this incredible whisky”.
Angus MacRaild, Old and Rare Whisky specialist and co-founder of Kythe Distillery, added:
“This is a profoundly historic whisky and a remarkable artefact of Scottish distilling that is unlikely to ever be equalled in terms of provenance and preservation. That it has been carefully re-bottled and preserved at natural strength, maintaining the freshness and power of this spirit for nearly two centuries is frankly, astonishing.
“To taste it myself has been a great privilege. It is very much a distillate-driven malt whisky, with minimal wood influence and one of a style that could have been produced any time in Scotland up until the 1950s. What I find most interesting is that this profile existed already as far back as the 1830s. It possesses clear textural weight in the mouth, along with a flavour profile that strongly involves medicinal characteristics without any notable or pronounced peat smoke.”
Whisky Auctioneer will make 24 individual lots available from the 24th of November to the 4th of December. To register your interest, please visit: whiskylink.co/Blair-Castle
Sources
