Collector sells ‘extremely rare’ whisky miniature for £4,000

An ‘extremely rare’ miniature bottle of whisky bottled almost a century ago has sold for £4,000 at auction.

The Old Orkney ‘0.0.’ Real Liqueur Whisky from Stromness Distillery won £4,000 at auction (Photo: Whisky.Auction)

A whisky fan has made a bumper profit after selling one miniature from a collection he picked up at an action in Brighton 40 years ago.

The Scotch itself – a miniature bottle of Old Orkney ‘O.O.’ Real Liqueur Whisky – was bottled in the 1920s to 1930s, but the seller didn’t realise how valuable it was until he put it up for sale on Whisky.Auction.

It formed part of an 84 bottle-strong collection, which the seller originally bought at auction for just £100.

The Old Orkney whisky was sold as part of a larger miniatures auction on 23 October.

(Photo: Whisky.Auction)

A collection of early 20th century miniatures went under the hammer, featuring a selection of old blends and single malts. The next biggest-seller was a miniature of Tomatin 50 Year Old Highland single malt Scotch whisky, which went for £1,900, less than half of the Old Orkney.

This was distilled in 1967, matured in first fill Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 45.3% ABV.

A spokesperson said the auction went live for a total of 10 days, with “a tense bidding war in the lead up to the close which finished at £4000.”

“We have seen the bids gradually increase over the course of the auction as the collection is from the early 20th century and this particular bottle is extremely rare.

“Most of the miniatures that we receive are not available in full bottles anymore, making this highly sort after.”

Auction director Isabel Graham-Yool said: “This is the perfect illustration of the interest that exists in old and rare whisky.

“Much of the liquid we see coming to auction in miniatures is simply unavailable in full bottles, having been consumed many years before. Miniatures often outlive their full-size counterparts in ‘souvenir’ style.”