£100,000 bottle of Scotch whisky

One of the world's most expensive Scotch whiskies failed to make its reserve price at auction in Edinburgh

The 54-year-old single malt Scotch whisky had a £100,000 reserve price set against it - the highest reserve price ever set for a single malt whisky.  All net proceeds from the sale will still be donated to five Scottish charities chosen by workers from the distillery.

The distillers, Morrison Bowmore said in a statement, "In response to the Bonhams auction of the Bowmore 1957 Single Malt Whisky in Edinburgh today (10th October 2012): Whilst we came close to reaching the minimum reserve today, we couldn't accept anything less, especially with all proceeds going to our chosen charities. The Bowmore 1957 is an exceptionally rare and unique bottling. With only 12 bottles in existence worldwide, it is the oldest whisky the distillery has ever released as well as the oldest Single Malt to have come out of Islay. It is a testament and a celebration of the craft and care that we, as a distillery, put into our whiskies.

"We've always appreciated that with auctions it's down to the luck of the draw on the day, however we still feel optimistic with the second auction in New York on 28th October 2012 that a buyer will be found and at the same time a significant donation to our charities made. The auction for the first bottle remains open in Edinburgh for another week."

The best whisky, from the Bowmore distillery, is the oldest ever released by the brand. It is also the oldest single malt ever released from Islay, a rugged island off the west coast of Scotland.

Bottle 1, which was due to be auctioned in Edinburgh, was distilled in 1957 and bottled in 2011 and was aged for 54 years in Bowmore's No 1 Vaults, the oldest maturation warehouse in Scotland.

Bottle 2 is due to be auctioned in New York on 28 October, with the same minimum reserve ($155,000).

Bonhams' whisky specialist, Martin Green, says: "This iconic bottling, the most mature spirit ever to come from Islay, has been watched over for 54 years and is in impeccable condition."

There are just a further 10 bottles remaining from the 1957 cask, two of which will be kept for the Bowmore archives, while the remaining eight will be sold solely at the Bowmore distillery on Islay. Each will be handmade to order.

Mike Keiller, Morrison Bowmore Distillers CEO, said of the charitable donation: "[Given] the fact that we can take some of the precious cargo from this cask to help the lives of so many across many different communities through our charitable contribution, we thought we should help Scottish charities with this rare piece of Scotch whisky history."

So what do potential buyers get for their money?

Each of the 12 bottles has been hand-blown and scultped by two Scottish glass artists, Brodie Nairn and Nichola Burns, into the shape of waves reminiscent of those constantly crashing against the Bowmore vaults' sea-facing walls, while the glass itself is inlaid with shimmering flecks of platinum.

Each bottle is hand-engraved with the bottle number and spirit strength, with the platinum stopper hand-crafted by Hamilton & Inches. Bowmore is even throwing in an accompanying glass and water-pitcher (both also hand-blown). The set comes in a presentation box made by furniture-maker Peter Toaig, using hand-selected pieces of Scottish oak and only wood to create the joints.

What does the whisky actually taste like?

Sadly Bowmore couldn't spare any for MSN Food to taste, though we did of course ask, but the Bowmore style is typically smokey with a balanced sweetness. Of the 1957, Bowmore says that after distillation, the whisky was placed in a second-fill sherry cask (where it spent 43 years) before being moved into a second-fill bourbon cask in 2000.

Bowmore's description of the the 57's flavour is as follows: "At first breath, an elixir of blueberries and wild figs with mellow almonds, tropical fruit and rich oaky overtones hits the nose. The palate reveals layer upon layer of sweet and refined ocean tastes with soft blueberries, cassis and figs, sea salt and fresh eucalyptus.

"Next, a wisp of teasing smoke and traces of dark chocolate fuse with notes of grapefruit and juicy oak, carried along by a warming marine breeze. This sensory journey ends with a long and whispering finish of cassis, bergamot and star anise."

What do you think? Would you spend that amount of money on a whisky? Or is it good news because some of the proceeds will benefit charities? Let us know in the commments below.

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