Dundalk, Ireland: Irish whiskey continues its march to the highest levels of desirability among private collectors, with two rare bottles of Midleton Very Rare selling at auction for a combined €94,000.
The first – a 2020 bottling of Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection Chapter One, a 45-year-old Irish single malt from the Old Midleton Distillery which operated for 150 years from 1825-1975 – fetched a record hammer price of €48,000 (€50,952 including fees), the highest price paid for an Irish whiskey at public auction. One of just 48 bottles unveiled two years ago for sale in Ireland, UK, France and US, Chapter One commanded a selling price of €35,000 per bottle (750ml).
The second – a bottle of the 2021-released Chapter Two, a 46-year-old single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1973 in the signature style of Old Midleton – sold for €46,000 (€48,829 including fees). At launch, 70 bottles were made available for sale in Ireland, UK, Global Travel Retail, US, and France at a price per bottle (750ml) of €40,000.
“Irish Whiskey now has bottles that are comparable to the bottles of Scotch and Japanese whiskies that command ultra-premium prices on the world stage,” explains Anthony Sheehy, Founder & Owner of www.IrishWhiskeyAuctions.com. “It is something that we should be shouting from the rooftops to show the fantastic growth and interest that exists for premium Irish Whiskey.”
The new record sales come as the third chapter of Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection is expected to be released, in what will eventually be a six-chapter Collection.
Every month Irish Whiskey Auctions have charity lots, which are donated by members of the whiskey community of Ireland to help raise funds for local and national charities. Adding to the March auction, Irish Distillers donated Bottle Number 1 from its recent Midleton Very Rare 2022 vintage release for a special charity lot, raising €11,220 for The Capuchin Day Centre, Bow Street, Dublin.
Irish Whiskey Auctions was founded in 2018 by Dundalk couple Anthony & Katie Sheehy and since then has become one of Ireland’s premier Whiskey Auction Websites. They have had 38 online auctions including three dedicated memorabilia auctions. Their first charity item on the site was in 2018 to raise money for ‘The Zoe Murphy Appeal’, a local charity in Dundalk which raised €2,222.
