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Actor Ewan McGregor launches charity whisky auction
Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor has returned to Lochranza Distillery after 26 years to auction 150 bottles of whisky from his personal 1998 cask to raise money for a children’s charity.
Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, who starred in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting in 1996, has partnered with Lochranza Distillery on the Isle of Arran for the auction. The sale will raise money for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS), a charity dedicated to supporting children with life-limiting conditions and their families.
Lochranza first hosted McGregor in 1998 when he toasted the first cask of Arran Single Malt, which was the first legal cask to be laid down on Arran for over 150 years.
The rare 26-year-old Arran Single Malt up for auction has been matured in an ex-Sherry Hogshead cask and bottled at 46% ABV. It is one of the oldest whiskies ever produced by the Lochranza Distillery, which is owned by Isle of Arran Distillers.
Each bottle features a label designed to read like a film script, and no two labels look alike. The first twenty-four of the whisky bottles have been personally signed by Ewan McGregor.
Whisky Auctioneer is running the sale of the 150 bottles from 27 September to 7 October. The auction is open to bidders globally. The auction house has waived the seller’s commission and will also donate its 12.5% buyer’s commission, ensuring that the maximum possible funds reach CHAS.
McGregor said of the charity: “I have been involved with CHAS and visited their hospices many times over the years, so I know the unwavering care that both Rachel House and Robin House provide children and their families during their hardest moments.
“My hope is that this auction can raise a significant amount to ensure that these wonderful places are able to continue providing the service they do.”
Three children a week die in Scotland from an incurable condition, according to CHAS CEO Rami Okasha, who said that demand for the charity’s services is growing. “Over the course of the last year CHAS directly supported 419 babies, children and young people across the country, and hundreds more in hospital palliative care teams funded by CHAS. We provide support for the whole family – parents and siblings – and have assisted nearly 2,000 family members of seriously ill children this year. Knowing your child may die young is the hardest thing imaginable. The funds raised through the Ewan’s Cut auction will make a real difference to those families,” he said.
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