Rare Coleraine Whisky tops £1,000 price

Whisky lovers from across the globe converged on Glasgow last week to snap up a selection of some of the world’s rarest examples of the amber nectar.McTear’s February sale of rare and collectable whisky raised over £90,000 from 500 lots, with classic examples of the Macallan, Highland Park and Laphroaig attracting huge interest and big prices.

The bottle of Coleraine Single Malt Old Irish - distilled in 1959 - had a price tag of between £800 and £1,000, but it was eventually snapped up by a collector for £1,200.

Coleraine Distillery was established in 1820 when it was converted from an old mill in Newmarket Street. It quickly built up a high repution, for in 1845 it was delivered to the London House of Commons and therefore put “HC” on its labels.

At the time, Coleraine Distillery produced 100,000 gallons of triple-distilled Malt Whisky (always spelled without the “e”).

After proprietor Robert A. Taylor had died in 1902, the distillery fell into decline and was silent for most of the 1920s. It was bought by the Boyds of Bushmills Distillery in 1933 and distilling continued in 1938 for a short period before World War II and the shortages of barley stopped production again.

Sadly, last distilling took place in 1964, and the Coleraine brands disappeared.

A rare 1951 Macallan was sold for £2,800 at the auction. A collection of five Cadenhead miniatures was sold for a whopping £900.

“It was a great sale with some fantastic bottles going under the hammer,” said McTear’s Managing Director, Brian Clements.