Rare whisky worth £50,000 stolen in West Sussex

Sussex Police has appealed for information after a collection of rare whisky and other spirits, worth around £50,000, was stolen from a lockup near Chichester this month.

Authorities said the incident occurred at some time between 12pm on Saturday 16 May and 3:09pm the following day.

The collection, comprised of over 1,000 bottles, was taken from a storage container in the area. During the break-in, an estimated £3,000 worth of damage was caused to the site.

The victim, 35, who has not been named, told Sky News, he had spent 10 years building up the collection, with bottles hailing from Japan, India and Taiwan.

“My initial reaction was shock. But then there was this overwhelming sense of panic and loss, I felt sick to my stomach,” the victim told the news site.

He also revealed that many bottles were very rare and no longer in production, while the most expensive was said to be worth more than £1,000 at auction.

In addition, some of the whiskies that were taken had “significant sentimental value”, including a 1973 Bowmore Single Malt, given to the victim by his father.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident or who has seen items offered for sale to submit a report online, or call 101, quoting serial 798 of 17/05.