MS Society auctions rare whisky to raise vital funds for research

The MS Society is auctioning a rare bottle of 1980 Bowmore Single Malt Whisky from the Queen’s Cask to raise money for multiple sclerosis research. This is only the sixth bottle to ever be released from the cask; the five previous have all raised substantial sums for charities.

A cask of whisky was given to Her Majesty the Queen when she visited the Bowmore Distillery on the Isle of Islay in 1980. In 2002, the cask was bottled to mark the Queen’s Golden Jubilee – the bottles were specially designed and placed in commemorative boxes with individually numbered labels.

629 bottles were delivered to various Royal Palaces – but only six bottles have ever been released, with the permission of the Queen, to be auctioned to raise money for charities. One of those bottles made more than £60,000.

Michelle Mitchell is chief executive of the MS Society: “We’re incredibly grateful to have been given this bottle of whisky from the Queen’s Cask. We want to use this amazing opportunity to raise as much as we can to fund multiple sclerosis research.

“More than 100,000 people are living with MS in the UK and it’s an unpredictable and debilitating condition. We’ve already made important breakthroughs and we’re now at the start of a generation of MS research that holds incredible promise. The money raised from this auction could make a huge difference.”

The silent auction ends on 30 June at midday and there’s a reserve of £10,000. Anyone who wants to make a bid should email Fiona Foulkes, Special Events Manager at the MS Society on fiona.foulkes@mssociety.org.uk