When I first moved to Germany, the fabulous Malt Maniac – Krishna Nakula – requested to use my address to ship a couple bottles from whisky auctions. This is how we had an opportunity to try a remarkable Hedges & Butler 21 year!
I am a total neophyte when it comes to Whisky Online Auctions… however, being based in Germany has a massive advantage over other parts of the world with a couple accessible options that readily deliver to Germany.
So one fine weekend, I decided to take the plunge! My approach was a bit random:
- Target one possible “big” purchase – from a favourite distillery and my birth year
- Then put bids in for a few different bottles that were within what I considered a reasonable range
- And then stopped… you could call it a call it “spray & pray” approach! After making my original bid, I committed to myself to simply let others outbid me and see what remained at the end
Are you as curious as I am about the results? Well, I can’t believe it! I bid for 18 bottles expecting to get maybe 2 or 3… instead, it was ZERO. Despite my having the highest bid on two at the time of the auction closing – both of which were terrific deals. Hmm…. This doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the process.
However, I decided to try again… this time had slightly better success however again missed out on the ones I REALLY was keen on. My conclusion? Perhaps a “spray and pray” approach isn’t the way to go if attempting such an activity again!
What did I snag instead?
Ardnamurchan AD / 4.21:03 46.8% 700ml O.B.
When they launched, there was a huge spike in interest and demand. One of my regrets from the Whisky Show 2023 was not spending time exploring the Ardnamurchan range on offer. So I decided to rectify it by acquiring a bottle – if possible.
All I knew was that it was matured in 65% bourbon and 35% sherry casks, this 50.50 mix of peated and unpeated spirit is the third release in Ardnamurchan`s AD series. Presumably, the 4.21 means it was bottled in April 2021 and “:03” means the 3rd release.
Tasting notes were limited to: A saline and candied citrus peel profile on the nose is followed by honeyed crisp fruit on the palate.
I purchased from WhiskyAuction.com in January 2024 for Eur 38 plus fees & shipping for approx Eur 48. This expression can still be tracked down with a range of prices from Eur 65 to GBP 100.
Aultmore 9 year (Autumn 2000 / Spring 2010) Provenance Cask No 6211 46.8% (700ml Douglas McGibbon & Co. Ltd)
Next up was an Aultmore… Here, I have to be completely honest, I was swayed by memories of a much earlier young cask strength Aultmore.
I purchased it for Eur 46 plus fees & shipping for approx Eur 57. As with all my bids, I knew I wasn’t getting a brilliant deal, but it was within a comfortable range.
Glenkinchie 10 year 43% 200ml O.B.
The last was a Lowland malt – more of an impulse bid, not really thinking I would be successful. I will admit to knowing little about this expression beyond it originally being released in 1987 as a standard expression through the 1990s, since replaced by the 12 year.
I purchased it Eur 21 plus fees & shipping for approx Eur 27. In hindsight, this was probably a bit steep for a 200 ml bottle.
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