Vom Port Ellen 12 Year Old Queen’s Visit 1980 existieren weltweit wahrscheinlich nur mehr weniger als 50 Flaschen (wer eine besaß und sie geöffnet hat, durfte sich über einen der bestbewerteten Port Ellen überhaupt freuen) – eine davon kommt nun bei Whisky Auctioneer unter den Hammer. Bis Montag kann man, wohl die entsprechenden finanzielle Ausstattung vorausgesetzt, um die Flasche noch mitbieten – was es über sie und die Auktion zu sagen gibt, hat Ihnen das Auktionshaus in der untenstehenden Pressemitteilung zusammengestellt:
| Presseartikel | Für den Inhalt ist das Unternehmen verantwortlich |
GLOBAL BIDDING INTENSIFIES FOR RECORD-BREAKING PORT ELLEN WHISKY
Could one of the rarest bottles from the iconic Islay distillery set a new benchmark?
One of the rarest and most valuable whiskies ever produced by Port Ellen has returned to the auction stage, with collectors across three continents competing for a bottle that has already rewritten auction history once before.
The Port Ellen 12 Year Old Queen’s Visit 1980, widely regarded as one of the most elusive releases from the Islay distillery, is currently live at auction with WhiskyAuctioneer. Active bidders across Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom are already vying for this extraordinary release. With fewer than 50 bottles believed to exist, it remains one of the most sought-after Port Ellen whiskies ever to come to market.
In 2022, this same bottling achieved a record-breaking £100,000 hammer price at Whisky Auctioneer, setting a new record and reinforcing Port Ellen’s status among collectors. With the auction closing on Monday 9th February, attention is once again turning to whether that record could be challenged.
Produced in 1980 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Islay, the Queen’s Visit bottling is believed to be the only distillery bottling from Port Ellen prior to its closure in 1983. Never intended for commercial sale, it was distributed only to a small number of individuals present at the time – a key reason for its extreme scarcity today.
The whisky’s reputation extends beyond rarity alone. It remains the only whisky to have received a near-perfect 99/100 score from Whiskyfun, the highest rating ever awarded by critic Serge Valentin, one of the most well-respected people in the fine spirits world.
Handling this bottling more often than any other auction house, Whisky Auctioneer has established itself as the leading global platform for this historic release and a trusted destination for rare Port Ellen whiskies.
Joe Wilson, Head Curator and Spirits Specialist at Whisky Auctioneer added,
“Bottles like this don’t come along often, and when they do, they tend to spark immediate global interest. We’re always honoured at Whisky Auctioneer to be trusted with such history. With the auction closing on Monday, it will be fascinating to see where it lands.
Its appearance follows the long-anticipated reopening of the distillery in 2024 and their year-long celebrations of its 200th anniversary. Against this backdrop of celebration, heritage and renewed attention, we’ve seen global interest increase for Port Ellen’s historic releases, and this is the defining example.”
With international bidding already well underway and the auction ending on Monday 9th February 2026, anticipation is building around the final result.
This bottle appears alongside a host of other rare treasures in the auction. Highlights include the Laphroaig 1927 Samaroli (current hammer price: £35,000), Bowmore 1971 51 Year Old (current hammer price: £10,000), almost 500 lots from The Macallan Distillery and even a 60 Year Old Royal Brackla with a vintage dating back to 1924.
To take part in the auction, click HERE.
