One of the world’s most exclusive malts

Aged for 70 years, the Private Collection Glenlivet 1943 is one of the rarest Scotch whiskies ever to be bottled.  

The unique spirit, which has an auction estimate of between £30,000 and £40,000, was distilled at the height of the Second World War in 1943, at a time when only a handful of distilleries in Scotland were producing whisky.  For the next 70 years, the whisky was carefully matured, first at the Glenlivet distillery and then at Gordon & MacPhail’s warehouses in Elgin. 

We have seen some exceptional bottles come through the doors at McTear’s over the years and there is no doubt this sits as one of the most magnificent whiskies we have had the privilege to auction.

The Private Collection Glenlivet 1943 is revered amongst whisky connoisseurs and we expect the bottle to attract considerable interest in the lead into our Rare & Collectable Whisky Auction on Friday 17 August.

On 14 January 1943 a sherry cask made of European Oak was filled with spirit by Gordon and MacPhail’s senior partner, John Urquhart. In 2013, following a careful 70-year maturation process, Stephen Rankin, a current director and great-grandson to John Urquhart, started the long-awaited task of releasing the spirit from Cask 121 into 42 specially created hand blown decanters. 

The creation of this stunning single malt has been a true family affair, with generations of the Urquhart family ensuring that the finished product takes its rightful place as one of the finest single malt whiskies on the planet.

The Private Collection Glenlivet 1943 is not the only memorable whisky to feature in McTear’s Rare & Collectable Whisky Auction. The 235-lot sale will feature rare examples of Macallan, Springbank, Dalmore, Bowmore and Highland Park, amongst others.

View the full catalogue here >>

Graeme Maxwell 

McTear’s sells more whisky than any other traditional auction house in dedicated whisky auctions,  run concurrently live online on a platform that attracts six million visitors annually from over 120 countries worldwide.