Islay whisky collection up for auction in aid of RNLI: A Group of seven malt whiskies from each of Islay’s coastal distilleries Goes Under The Hammer

The Islay Sea Collection, a group of seven malt whiskies from each of Islay’s coastal distilleries presented in a one of a kind display case is set to go under the hammer in this month’s Just Whisky auction with all proceeds going to the Portrush and Islay volunteer lifeboat crews. The bottles and cask staves, which form the display case, were collected by a group of keen sailors who rowed 110 miles from Northern Ireland to Islay earlier this year. 

The crew of seven, all passionate supporters of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the Scottish islands, wanted to recreate the journey made over the generations using only manpower to raise money for the volunteer lifeboat crews based in Portrush and Islay. 

Setting off from Ballintoy on the north coast of Northern Ireland, the group rowed in the ‘Home to Portrush’, a local boat famous for crossing the Atlantic in record time in February 2018. The expedition to Islay took nine and a half hours to complete and followed by three days rowing around the Hebridean Island, visiting each coastal distillery to gather the whisky. 

Following the return row to Northern Ireland, team member and architect Graeme Montgomery designed and created a unique display case to hold the bottles with each piece of wood marked with its origin. It’s a one of its kind piece and will attract attention from Islay whisky fans. 

The team created a short film documenting the adventure and how the display case was made. View it at https://youtu.be/77ZRWUO35D4.  

Commenting on the charity auction, Graham Crane, Director at Just Whisky said: “This is a really exciting collection and we are honoured to have been asked to auction it in support of the RNLI. We are in awe of the journey these men took and hope to fetch £XXXX for the charity. We look forward to seeing the bids rolling in.” 

Keith Gilmore Lifeboat Operations Manager at Portrush Station said: “This is a really exciting and novel way to raise funds for the two stations. We often have to work with Islay, and this is a great way to work with one of our neighbours and local supporters to raise funds for the RNLI.” 

There is no reserve on The Islay Sea Collection and all proceeds, including the registration fee, will go to the charity. The collection includes; 

• Bespoke cask created with wood from each distillery

• Bowmore 15 Years Old - Feis Ile 2018 52.5%

• Caol Ila 12 Years Old 43%

• Bruichladdich Scottish Barley - The Classic Laddie 50%

• Bunnahabhain 12 Years Old - Small Batch Distilled 46.3%

• Laphroaig 10 Years Old 40%

• Ardbeg An Oa 46.6%

• Lagavulin 16 Years Old 43%

 The auction will until 8pm Sunday 17th November and uses a proxy system which bids on the customers behalf up to their maximum bid. Visit www.just-whisky.co.uk to take part.