Independent Bottler Auction Celebrating Europe's Love for Scotch

Single malt Scotch whisky has long been sipped and savoured across the globe, and although uniquely Scottish by definition, its audience extends far beyond its homeland. Since the 1980s, importers-turned-bottlers in Europe have planted the seeds of what has become a flourishing and ever-growing independent bottler scene across the continent. 

Now, in a special sale dedicated to one Collector’s passion for whisky, close to 800 bottles from independent European bottlers will go under the hammer in an exclusive auction from 10-14 December 2020. The auction will present the unique opportunity for Scotch lovers and collectors to bid on some of the most complete series’ of whiskies released by iconic German, Italian and Dutch bottlers. 

Each expression included in the exclusive European auction is part of Pat’s Whisk(e)y Collection - a  treasure trove of decades of incredible whisky in colourful and unusual forms, and the largest private collection of whisk(e)y ever to grace the secondary market.

Auction highlights include over 150 bottles from the Italian distributor and bottler, Moon Import, known as an early pioneer of the independent European bottler category thanks to its intricate label designs and exceptional cask selections. Pat’s collection of Moon Import represents a special time within the category that paved the way for independent bottlers that were to follow. With labels famously designed by founder Pepi Mongiardino, highlights include notable series’, The Animals, The Sea, The Costumes and The Birds - all decorated with artwork discovered in the 18th century encyclopaedia, Brockhaus Enzyklopädie. Other highlights include complete archives of the 30th anniversary bottlings and series’ including Menses, Le Fanciulle dell’800 and The Last Fetish. 

Other special expressions to be included in the sale include the legendary Silvano Samaroli’s Coilltean series, and the largest collection of whisky from German independent bottler, Jack Wieber, to reach the secondary market. This will include 84 bottles from the Old Train Line series, featuring rare expressions from ‘lost’ Scottish distilleries including Port Ellen, Glenury Royal and Lochside.

The auction will also feature complete collections from Juul’s Vin & Spiritus in Copenhagen, Denmark, and over 60 rare expressions from Dutch independent bottler, The Ultimate. 

The collection’s anonymous owner, Pat, spent decades amassing his library of 9,000 bottles of whisky fuelled solely by a raw passion to explore, learn about and enjoy examples from around the world.

Joe Wilson, Head of Auction Content at Whisky Auctioneer, said:

“There’s an incredibly rich story to be told when it comes to the history and significance of Europe’s independent whisky bottlers, whose expressions have been growing significantly in popularity in recent years. Part of what makes these whiskies so special is that they have been borne solely out of a passion for exploring whisky - much like Pat’s approach to whisky drinking and collecting.

“Our upcoming exclusive European bottler auction will give whisky lovers and collectors an incredible opportunity to discover some amazingly complete series’ of releases that paved the way for the growth of the independent bottler category,  and the opportunity to bolster or even begin the collections of the future.”