About The Auction

Having launched the first online auction platform dedicated to whole casks of Scottish whisky in 2019, Cask 88 is proud to announce their partnership with Spink & Son to bring their online whisky cask auctions to a new, wider audience, and offer new and improved services to vendors and buyers alike. The first of these collaborations is due to take flight just before Christmas 2021, titled ‘Going the Whole Hogshead’.

Cask 88 have been opening the door to private cask ownership for nearly a decade, but demand has soared recently, and the most rare and collectible casks are sold before the ink is dry on the cask list. ‘Going the Whole Hogshead’ will give bidders a fair opportunity to own one of these incredible casks of single malt whisky, and will introduce new audiences to the joyful and rewarding experience of cask ownership.

Founded in London in 1666, Spink & Son Ltd has forged a reputation by specialising in collectibles of great historical resonance, such as coins, banknotes, stock & bond certificates, medals and postage stamps. Given Scotch whisky’s reliance on the passage of time to develop a truly spectacular malt, we regard casks of spirit similarly as artefacts of history – ones that continue to evolve as the year’s pass.

The finely curated selection will range from relatively young casks that are set to grow in quality & value throughout their future maturation, to extremely rare & old expressions that are in high demand and held in high esteem. You may have a bottle or two of single malt on your shelf, but have you ever dreamed of owning the whole cask?

Speyside

Speyside is an idyllic region in Northeast Scotland that encompasses the valleys of the river Spey and its tributaries. The rain that falls on the Grampian mountains rushes down the glens and irrigates forests, farmlands and above all, distilleries.

Speyside has access to everything needed to make great whisky, which it does with enthusiasm. Over a third of all Scottish distilleries are here – most with histories that go back over a century. All styles of whisky can be found here, but Speyside is best known for sweet and luxurious drams, with fruity aromas and an easygoing style.

Glen Moray 2015
Auction Status
Ended
Age
6 years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
61.60%
Estimated Bottles
236
Cask Type
Bourbon Barrel
Region
Speyside
Tomintoul 2011
Auction Status
Ended
Age
10 years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
60.10%
Estimated Bottles
305
Cask Type
Bourbon Hogshead
Region
Speyside

Highlands

The Scottish Highlands are the largest region, with distilleries scattered over their length and breadth. The East coast, while beautiful, can be cold and severe. The West coast has lovely crinkly edges and is a little warmer and damper. The central Highlands are craggy and mountainous, but with forested glens to shelter in.

With such a range of landscapes, the variety of Highland whiskies is equally exciting. Often, a floral and honeyed style is associated with Highland malts, a little salty minerality near the sea and the addition of soft peat smoke becoming more likely the closer you get to the west coast. There are whiskies to satisfy every palate in this region.

Deanston 2012
Auction Status
Ended
Age
9 years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
60.20%
Estimated Bottles
299
Cask Type
Bourbon Hogshead
Region
Highlands
Glen Garioch 2012
Auction Status
Ended
Age
9 years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
63.50%
Estimated Bottles
278
Cask Type
Bourbon Barrel
Region
Highlands
Ben Nevis 2019
Auction Status
Ended
Age
2 years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
63.50%
Estimated Bottles
257
Cask Type
Bourbon Barrel
Region
Highlands

Islands

Sometimes the Islands are included as a part of the Highlands whisky region, but we prefer to describe them as a separate entity. Making whisky on remote Scottish islands has always had extra pressures – particularly the availability of space and transportation – but this hasn’t deterred anyone from making some of Scotland’s most distinct and beloved malts in these remote locations.

Island whiskies can be gentle and sweet, but their proximity to the sea often generates a little saltiness in the finish. With access to coal and lumber being limited on the islands, traditional communities would have warmed their homes with burning peat – a habit that also transferred to the drying of the barley for making whisky. Island whiskies thus often carry the distinctive smokiness that peat smoke provides.

Whitlaw 2014
Auction Status
Ended
Age
7 years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
60.40%
Estimated Bottles
333
Cask Type
Bourbon Hogshead
Region
Islands

Islay

Islay has special status within the regions. One of the larger Hebrides, Islay sits off the west coast of Scotland, basking in the gulf stream. Islay has become the de facto whisky island of the world – a population of just over 3,000 is served by 10 distilleries. Between them, they make more whisky than even the Ileachs can drink – and Islay whisky has exploded in popularity around the world.

Islay’s whisky is synonymous with the heavy levels of peat that are used here. It’s not compulsory, but the majority of Islay’s whiskies are peated, often to a heavy degree. Be prepared for whiskies that have a sweet and honeyed core, surrounded by swirling clouds of smoke and the iodine tang of oceanic seaweed.

Bowmore 1995
Auction Status
Ended
Age
26 years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
50.75%
Estimated Bottles
191
Cask Type
Sherry Hogshead
Region
Islay

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