Rare Port Ellen whisky collection worth £25k up for sale

A rare, complete set of 39-year-old whiskies produced by a now silent distillery is set to go under the hammer at Bonhams with an estimated value of £25,000.

Part of the auction houses whisky sale on 4 October, the collection includes 16 bottles from the Port Ellen distillery, on the Isle of Islay, which ceased production in 1983. Maturing stocks from the silent distillery have been released by Diageo, which owns the brand, since 2001, with this collection featuring all 16 releases.

The bottles, which are all in their original cartons and date from either 1978 or 1979, are estimated to be worth between £23,000 and £25,000.

Bonhams whisky specialist Martin Green said: “The Port Ellen distillery on Islay ceased production in 1983, and bottles from the programme of annual releases rarely come to auction. Being able to offer all 16 releases is very unusual, and I anticipate a great deal of interest from collectors.”

The auction also features a crystal bottle of Port Ellen 36-year-old 1981 bottled in 2017. The 1981 bottle was drawn from a single cask as part of Diageo’s Casks of Distinction programme and is estimated to be worth between £4,500-5,000.

The collection will be sold at auctioneer Bonhams’ Whisky Sale in Edinburgh on October 4.