Rare “Whisky Galore!” bottles to go under auction

Whisky enthusiasts and collectors have a chance to own a piece of history, when a bottle from one of Scotland’s most famous shipwrecks goes to auction. One of the bottles recovered from the wreck of the SS Politician - which ran aground off the shores of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides - is to go under the hammer with The Grand Whisky Auction. There were 28,000 cases of whisky on board the SS Politician when it ran aground in bad weather in 1941. The salvage operation by islanders, and the efforts of custom and excise officials to frustrate this, inspired the novel Whisky Galore. This was adapted for cinema in 1949 and again in 2016. While hundreds of bottles from the SS Politician were recovered by islanders at the time, it is now incredibly rare to recover a bottle from the wreck that has not been destroyed by the tides and the passage of time. The bottle that will be going under the hammer was recovered by diver George Currie, from Kirkwall, Orkney, director of Currie Brothers Ltd. While working on a subsea cable repair the team located the wreck. After the dive, George - to the left of the picture - said: “As you can see from our faces it was a dram good day of diving.” At auction in 2013, a pair of bottles from the SS Politician went for £12,050 This bottle is expected to fetch at least £10,000. Beau Wallace, Director at the Grand Whisky Auction said: “This is an incredible opportunity to own a piece of whisky history. This is an exciting time for everyone at the Grand Whisky Auction and we are expecting interest from bidders worldwide seeking to add this rare bottle to their collection.” The online auction begins at 6PM UK time on Friday 3th July at www.thegrandwhiskyauction.com. It will run until 9PM on Monday 13th July, when the winner will gain a treasure. FURTHER INFORMATION The Grand Whisky Auction was established in 2018. Based in the Highlands of Scotland, the Grand Whisky Auction specialises in rare, old and collectible whiskies. Previous auctions have attracted buyers from all over the world. The Grand Whisky Auction was a finalist in the “Most Promising New Business” category at the Highland Business Awards 2019. For further information, contact Beau Wallace at the Grand Whisky Auction on 01463 210 427 or info@thegrandwhiskyauction.com