PARIS.- For the first time in auction history, the entire contents of a cask of a Glendronach whisky will go under the hammer on October 23, 2023, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, outside Paris.

Aguttes Auction house will be selling the 630 bottles drawn from this unique cask, lovingly aged for 30 years. This whisky, called “The One And Only”, celebrates the bicentenary of the Excise Act passed in 1823 which marked the official birth of Scotch whisky as the Act legalized its production and established its taxation by the British government. Thus, this year marks the 200th anniversary of this milestone in the history of whisky.

Estimated at €300,000-€400,000 ($327,043-$436,000) and 30 years old, this will be the first time that the contents of such a cask are going up for auction and is the first whisky cask to go under the hammer since the Glendronach distillery was founded. The Glendronach 30YO “The One and Only” auction provides an opportunity for whisky lovers, collectors and the world to celebrate this historic twofold event.

Pierre-Luc Nourry, Aguttes specialist in the "Wines and Spirits" department comments: "We are offering you the unique opportunity to acquire the entire contents of an oloroso puncheon cask – namely, an exclusive lot of one of the most representative single malts in the style of whisky produced by The Glendronach, much prized by whisky lovers the world over. Glendronach is one of the five most sought-after brands at auction worldwide. In this instance, this 30-year-old whisky characteristic of the distillery's expertise offers high investment potential."

A Cask of Glendronach at Auction for the First Time since the Distillery’s Creation in 1826
On October 23, 2023, Aguttes will be celebrating one of Scotland's oldest distilleries, The Glendronach, founded by James Allardice in 1826. For almost two centuries, tradition has been perpetuated there in the production of Highland Single Malts, marked by the use of oak casks previously used for Spanish fortified wines, thanks to ancestral methods handed down through the generations.

A Once in a Lifetime Whisky Investment
The most expensive bottle in the world, wine and spirits combined, is a Scotch whisky: The Macallan 60 years old 1926, sold for €1.7 million ($1.8 million) in 2019 in London.

The whisky market is by far the largest spirits market in the world, representing more than €2 billion ($2.1 billion) in volume and global trade value in 2020. Vintage single malts represent the most popular investment products for investors, collectors and enthusiasts, for their rarity, to the point where producers sometimes find it difficult to keep up with demand. Whiskies produced in Scotland and Japan are the must-haves for the premium segment. Japanese whisky exports reached 56 billion yen (around €400 million/$436 million) in 2022, a 14-fold increase in ten years. For the first time in its history in 2022, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has announced that exports of Scotch whiskies have passed the €7 billion/$7.6 billion mark in a single year. And that's thanks to an increase of 37% on the previous year.

Flavor Notes
The wood of the cask impregnated by the oloroso reveals, after slow ageing, a whisky with a deep mahogany colour and a nose marked by notes of dried fruit, hawthorn, wild honey and dark chocolate-covered cherry.

The sweet aroma of nuts, grapes and spicy notes of nutmeg and cinnamon add to the complexity of this malt, which has infused for three decades. These aromas continue on the palate, with notes of baked apple, kirsch cherry and walnut.

The finish reveals a beautiful acidity, tannic, rounded by the grape notes and the sweetness of the cherry. A whisky to be savoured, with which every second is a pleasure for the senses.

Distilled in 1992, when stills were still heated with coal and traditional malting floors were still in use, The Glendronach 30YO “The One and Only” is a testament to this expertise, embodying the character of Highland single malts in the most authentic way possible. This unique cask provides an exceptional opportunity to discover part of the history of Glendronach, for this single malt has been matured for 30 years in a truly remarkable oloroso cask. The natural reduction of the spirit during maturation has given it an incomparable aromatic concentration that has been enhanced over the decades by the Spanish oak.

Highlights of the Glendronach 30-Year-Old “The One and Only” Whisky
●A very rare product of one cask. Distilleries usually mix up the contents of casks, but this is a unique, intact product.

● A single cask. This whisky has been matured in a single cask, whereas whisky often changes barrels.




●A single malt: The Glendronach 30YO “The One and Only” is not blended in any way.

●The uniqueness and consistency of this whisky: a rare opportunity to acquire the entire contents of this single cask – a unique whisky in a single historic lot.

●A vintage whisky: 1992

● A technique from another age. This is one of the last casks to have benefited from wood-heated stills. This makes for a more authentic alcohol.

●A whisky essential to any connoisseur’s cellar. Glendronach, meaning "blackberry valley" in Gaelic, is famous the world over for its consummate mastery of the use of sherry casks.

630 Bottles
Each cask produces a unique whisky, as the wood influences the maturing of the spirit, revealing different flavours and levels of intensity. Like the choice of wood, the dormancy of the cask is crucial, as Aguttes specialist Pierre-Luc Nourry points out: "After casking and all the distillers’ efforts, nature is left to do its work. This is a long-term process that involves handing on knowledge, and much patience. A cellar master often works for their successor, or even their successor's successor.”

An oloroso cask imported from Jerez (Andalusia) became home to The Glendronach 30YO “The One and Only”, distilled in November 1992, ensuring the finest possible maturation over three decades. Only a very small number of casks with exceptional character can be used for as long as 30 years... This rare bottling is thus an event in the almost two-hundred-year history of The Glendronach distillery.

The master blender, in this case Rachel Barrie, plays a crucial role in deciding when to bottle the whisky. Because once bottled, it no longer evolves. The buyer of a whisky like this gains a precious piece of history, for time is suspended in this elixir.

Selected by Rachel Barrie, the first woman to become Cellar Master in 2003 who Barrie joined The Glendronach distillery in 2015, this is the first single cask to go to auction since The Glendronach distillery was founded. Each bottle of this limited release has been individually numbered to reflect its rarity, and a highly distinctive certificate of authenticity features in the packaging. Bottling a whisky makes it possible to assess the angels' share – a proportion of varying levels that evaporates from the cask – and to sell the precise volume contained, while making it easier to transport, and arresting the ageing process.

It was decided that this whisky would reach its peak at 30 years of age, and so was bottled in June 2023, "Glendronach 'The One and Only' 'brut de fût', i.e. without reduction (dilution), but left at its natural alcohol content, offering a unique power and aromatic intensity.