The 473 bottles of whisky that went to auction between 9-13 September came from a single cask of Royal Lochnagar spirit which had been laid to rest in 1994 as part of Scottish Ballet’s 25th anniversary celebrations (read more about that here). The cask was reawakened in order to raise money for the Scottish Ballet Endowment Fund; an investment in the future of Scotland’s national dance company.
'The Sleeping Beauty' whisky raises more than £210,000 at auction
We are delighted to announce that ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ Royal Lochnagar single malt whisky, which was auctioned last month, achieved a fairytale ending with a total hammer price of £210,296.
Bottle number one, which was auctioned alongside a cask end painted by Scottish artist Norman Edgar (pictured above), achieved an impressive hammer price of £22,500.
Diageo generously supported us by bottling ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ as part of their prestigious Casks of Distinction range. The bottles were then auctioned by Whisky Auctioneer who, as charitable partners, also kindly donated the full buyers’ premium of £21,030 to Scottish Ballet.
We are incredibly grateful to both Diageo and Whisky Auctioneer for enabling this incredible dream to become a reality, and to everyone who helped to secure the future of Scottish Ballet by supporting and participating in the auction.
Surpassing all our expectations, the values achieved at auction from the sale of The Sleeping Beauty form both a historic donation and a special moment in Scottish Ballet’s history. We are incredibly grateful to Diageo for bottling this as part of their prestigious Casks of Distinction range and to Whisky Auctioneer for not only managing the world-wide auction but also for generously donating their fees to Scottish Ballet. On behalf of the Scottish Ballet Endowment Fund and the future audiences of Scottish Ballet, I would like to say thank you to everyone involved for turning our dream donation into a fairytale ending.
Fiona Wollocombe, Chair, Scottish Ballet Endowment Fund
The tremendous interest this auction attracted is a testament to the increasing appeal of top quality Scotch whisky as a collectable object of desire, and we’re delighted with the contribution this has made to Scottish Ballet. With our Casks of Distinction programme, Diageo is proud to join Scottish Ballet in showcasing Scotland as a source of globally-admired products, culture and arts.
James Mackay, Head of Rare and Exceptional Spirits, Diageo
We’re extremely proud to have hosted the sale of the exceptional Royal Lochnagar bottling, working closely with Scottish Ballet and Diageo to bring this auction to life. The very active bidders and buyers taking part resulted in a staggering £210,296 hammer price and we are pleased to donate the entirety of our buyers’ premium on top of this, adding an additional £21,030. This takes the total raised to over £230k. Also remarkable is the £22,500 hammer price achieved for the lot with Bottle #001 and the beautiful cask end artwork by Norman Edgar – a momentous price achieved for a lot featuring a bottle of spirit distilled at Royal Lochnagar. The auction has captured world-wide interest with a generous contribution now going to support the future of Scotland’s national dance company.
Iain McClune, Founder and Managing Director of Whisky Auctioneer
