Distillers One of One Charity Auction Preview

After a year away, the Distillers One of One is back.

 

The world’s leading charity auction for rare and old Scotch whiskies returns on October 10. This will be the third edition.

Since launching in 2021, Distillers One of One has raised a staggering £4.3 million (US$5.25 million) for charity and supporting the Youth Action Fund, which provides long-term opportunities to disadvantaged young people across Scotland.

With the auction on the horizon, some distillers have revealed details of their special bottlings for the event. As the name suggests, each is a single, unique and stand-alone bottle. This makes them very rare and desirable to whisky collectors around the globe.

The auction will take place in partnership with Sotherby’s at Hopetoun House near Edinburgh. There will be 36 Scotch whisky distilleries and brands taking part with 100% of the hammer price going to charity. All whiskies are donated free of charge by the brands.

Here is a sneak peak of some highlight bottlings announced to date.

Glendronach | Arias in Time

This one-of-a-kind collection from the esteemed Highland distillery of Glendronach charts its history from the 1960s to 1990s. Four bottlings have been drawn from four different ex-Oloroso and ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks by Dr. Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender at Glendronach. The four take you on a journey through time. The presentation features a bespoke bronze sculpture by renowned Milan-based artist Osanna Visconti, who created it by hand and using the lost wax casting technique.

Estimated hammer price | £60-100k

The Glen Grant | Eternal 77 Years Old

This very rare Scotch whisky from The Glen Grant is the oldest in this year’s auction. Bottled at 43% ABV and drawn from a single ex-sherry European oak butt that was distilled and filled in 1948, this masterpiece captures a rich fruity character shaped over nearly eight decades. Eternal is presented in a handblown crystal decanter that represents a seed pod. This is a direct reference to the Speyside distillery’s Garden of Splendours, which was planted during the Victorian era and remains today.

Estimated hammer price | £120-150k

Laphroaig | Capsule 40 Years Old

An old Islay single malt from a different era. Capsule features two pockets of stock that were distilled and filled to ex-Oloroso sherry and ex-bourbon hogsheads in 1980 and 1981. These rare stocks were married in a single American oak hogshead in 2022 and a single bottle drawn from the cask to create Capsule. The packaging is extraordinary and visually stunning. It features a hand-blown green crystal decanter from Glencairn Crystal, and platinum-plated capsule precision engineered to partner the decanter.

Estimated hammer price | £40-80k

Old Pulteney | Polaris 47 Years Old

The oldest ever bottling from the distillery in the far north Highland town of Wick. This luxurious single malt began its journey in American oak ex-bourbon casks for four decades, before a lengthy seven-year secondary maturation in a single first-fill Spanish oak ex-sherry butt. Polaris is presented in a hand-blown blue glass bottle, created by Highland studio Glasstorm, evoking the waves of the North Sea. The outer casket is made using local Caithness slate. Copper from the stills is also woven into the design.

Estimated hammer price | £26-40k

 

by Matt Chambers
Master of Whisky at Whisky 1901
19/08/2025

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