A rare opportunity for whisky collectors has emerged at Sotheby’s in London. Where bidding is now open on The Balvenies 50 Year Old Private Cask #16560 Trunk. Specifically, this extraordinary offering marks the first time bottles. The Balvenie’s rare cask programme have appeared at auction.

The trunk, containing 10 bottles of single cask 50-year-old whisky, is one of only 22 wooden trunks housing the 220 bottles produced from this exceptional cask. Carrying an estimate of £240,000-£450,000, the collection is available to bidders until May 29th, 2025.

Proceeds from the hammer price will benefit two charitable organizations: WWF and The King’s Trust.

The Balvenie 50 Year Old Private Cask #16560 Trunk 

Cask #16560 is one of the rarest of The Balvenie‘s offerings, selected for the William Grant & Sons Private Client cask offer “event sale.” This annual programme offers just one exceptional Balvenie cask to a single private buyer each year.

“This unusual trunk represents not only ten fantastically old and rare bottles of whisky with exceptional presentation, but more importantly, it is a glimpse into the secret world within the upper echelons of whisky collecting,” said Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Global Head of Whisky & Spirits. “The rarest offering from Balvenie has finally become public and all for the benefit of two very worthy charities.”

The Sherry Butt was personally selected by The Balvenie Malt Master, David C. Stewart MBE, for its extraordinary richness of character and depth of color. After nearly 51 years maturing at the distillery, the cask was finally bottled in 2021.

The Presentation 

What makes this offering particularly unique is the artistic approach to its presentation. The cask itself became both inspiration and tool for the label design.

The Balvenie team collaborated with award-winning Scottish artist Paul Furneaux to create an original artwork using the oak staves from Sherry Butt #16560. Employing a traditional lithography technique, Furneaux created a collage of paint imprints on canvas using colors that evoke the Speyside landscape surrounding the distillery.

The completed artwork was then divided into 220 individual equal portions, creating unique labels for each bottle. Every label is individually numbered, with each bottle packed in a matching wooden presentation case bearing a corresponding etched number.

The ten bottles in the auction trunk are each housed in hand-finished carved wooden presentation cases with brass tube hinges. These cases fit perfectly within the solid oak trunk, which features laser engraving and gold gilding of the cask number and The Balvenie logo.

Place Your Bids At Sotheby’s 

The entire collection represents a rare glimpse into an exclusive world of ultra-premium whisky collecting, allowing one fortunate bidder to acquire a piece of scotch whisky history while supporting important charitable causes.

You can place your bids on The Balvenie 50 Year Old Private Cask #16560 Trunk here. 

Read the full article at One of The Balvenie’s Rarest Offerings Debuts At Sotheby’s