Distillers One of One smashes records with £2.9 million charity haul

The third edition of The Distillers One of One whisky auction raised an astonishing £2.9 million.

Soaring past its pre-sale estimate of £1.4 million, it set a new record for the biennial charity event.

Held in partnership with Sotheby’s on 10 October, The Distillers One of One sale gathered 39 one-off Scotch whiskies from 35 of Scotland’s finest distilleries and bottlers. Every lot was a one-time-only creation of the rarest of the rare.

Around 200 guests packed into Hopetoun House for the occasion, while fierce bidding battles unfolded both in the room and over the phones. In total, a staggering 30 auction records were broken, including for The Glenlivet, Port Ellen, Glenfarclas, The Glendronach, Laphroaig, and The Glen Grant.

The full list of lots and auction results can be viewed here.

Distillers One of One smashes expectations with £2.9 million haul

Launched in 2021, The Distillers One of One has now raised £6.6 million across its three editions, with every penny of hammer proceeds going directly to charitable causes.

Chief among them is the Youth Action Fund, established after the inaugural auction to help disadvantaged young people across Scotland find meaningful work, training, or education. So far, more than 2,600 young people have benefited from the fund’s support.

Jonny Fowle, global head of spirits at Sotheby’s, said the sale “surpassed all expectations”, highlighting how the event reflects the “passion and innovation” of the Scotch whisky community. The next Distillers One of One auction will take place in 2027.

The highest-selling lot was The Glenlivet Spira 60-year-old 1965. The oldest expression released by the distillery sold for £650,000 and set a new auction record. You can view it below. The image at the top of this article is of Old Pulteney Polaris, a one-of-a-kind 47-year-old single malt that achieved a value of £62,500.

Record-breaking sale of Port Ellen Prism

One notable sale was Port Ellen Prism. At 46 years old, it is the oldest ever release from the legendary Islay distillery.

Donated by Diageo to celebrate Port Ellen’s 200th anniversary, the 1.5-litre decanter is a shimmering glass sculpture by artist Wilfried Grootens, designed to capture the prism of smoke and light that defines Port Ellen’s character.

Bidding opened at £95,000 and quickly became a slugfest, ending at £375,000 (including buyer’s premium). That’s more than triple the previous record for a Port Ellen bottle. Not bad for a distillery that spent decades in hibernation.

Laphroaig makes a stormy debut

Another record-breaker came from Laphroaig. It made its debut appearance at Distillers One of One with the Laphroaig Capsule 40 Year Old.

The bottle fetched £125,000, the highest auction price ever achieved for the distillery. The entire hammer price (a cool £100,000) was donated to the Youth Action Fund.

Whisky that changes lives

Despite all the record-smashing bids, the show-stopping decanters, and the fierce competition for one-of-a-kind drams, the real triumph of Distillers One of One lies in its impact.

Every bottle sold directly funds opportunities for Scotland’s young people. That means training, apprenticeships, and careers that might otherwise be out of reach.

A reminder, then, that while whisky might be a luxury, generosity never goes out of style.