Distillers One Of One extends partnership with Sotheby’s
The Distillers’ Charity has extended its partnership with Sotheby’s for the biennial Distillers One Of One Auction until 2033, it was announced this morning.
The auction house has collaborated with the charity, the philanthropic wing of The Worshipful Company of Distillers, and hosted the sale since its inauguration in 2021. This auction raised a whopping £3.1 million ($4.1 million) for The Distillers’ Charity newly created Youth Action Fund which works with young people in deprived areas to provide employment, training or further education that will enable them to reach their full potential. To date, more than 3,100 young people have received funding to ensure their employability, with 1,007 helped during 2025 alone.
The success of the inaugural sale also established the biennial event as a highly-anticipated fixture in the auction calendar. It has attracted some of the biggest names in whisky to donate ultra-rare releases from their distilleries and drawn bidders from more than 20 countries worldwide. 49 companies have donated 120 lots over the last few years, with no two bottles the same, and no lot ever going to be recreated.
Jonny Fowle, global head of whisky & spirits at Sotheby’s, said the continuation of the partnership reflected “the strength of a collaboration built on shared values”.
“Since 2021, the auction has brought together extraordinary whiskies, visionary distillers and an international community of collectors, united by a commitment to excellence and philanthropy,” he said. “It has firmly established itself as a landmark event in the global whisky calendar, celebrating the creativity and innovation of the Scotch whisky industry while delivering meaningful, lasting impact through The Distillers’ Charity.”
Together, the three auctions have established 72 brand auction records.
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Some of the highlights of recent sales include a four-bottle set of Glenfiddich from the 1950s, which achieved £1 million (US$1.4 million) and established a new record for the whisky house. Two years later Bowmore’s STAC 55 Years Old, the oldest whisky ever released by the distillery, achieved £562,500 (US$679.3k), while The Glenlivet took the top spot in 2025 with its oldest expression, a SPIRA 60 Year Old 1965 presented in a 1.5 litre spiral decanter, which sold for £650,000 (US$871.4k).
Jonathan Driver, chairman of Distillers One Of One & trustee of The Distillers’ Charity said Sotheby’s had been an “incredible partner – sharing the challenges of bringing the best of the Scotch whisky industry together for the best of causes.”
He also commended the “generosity, skill and craftmanship” of the companies who have donated lots as well as the sale’s valued sponsors, noting that everyone involved was “united in [a] common cause to drive life-changing results.”
Fowler added that staging a sale that is “not only showcases the very best of the whisky world but also makes such a tangible difference to young people and their communities across Scotland” has been a personal career highlight.
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