A 5cl bottle of Springbank single malt whisky has been sold for over £5,600
at auction, the BBC reports. The rare wee dram was from a collection of
over 400 bottles that came up for action via an online site, and which made
a total of £56,732.95, no doubt a handsome return on investment for the
seller.

The particular miniature in question was distilled at the Springbank
Distillery in Campbeltown in 1919. The town has a place at the historical
heart of the Scottish whisky industry. Way back in the 16th century, it was
known as a spirits smuggling centre and for the illegal production of
whisky, or ‘the water of life’ as it was aptly called.

Springbank Distillery was founded in 1828, on the site of a previously
illicit distillery, making it the 14th licenced distillery in the town. At
the peak of production in the early 1900’s, Campbeltown was thought to be
the richest town in Britain per capita.

In 1970, Springbank bottled a 50-year old whisky, distilled in 1919. Only
24 full-sized bottles were produced, and their rarity value made them the
most expensive whisky in the world for a while, with an entry in the
Guinness Book of Records. A further ten miniatures from the collection sold
for at least £1000.

Isabel Graham-Yooll, auction director at Whisky.Auction said: “We have seen
a wonderful renaissance in the appreciation of rare whisky miniatures.”

She added: “Bidders are willing to pay what seems like a lot of money for
tiny bottles of whisky but it is the opportunity to taste a piece of
history – particularly when standard 70cl or 75cl formats have become
inaccessible for many enthusiasts to buy.”

Other famous names at the action included a Macallan Spiral Label from the
1970s, an a rare 1940s boxed Glenfiddich Special which sold for £2,350.
This proves that making a whisky investment is a historically fascinating,
as well as *an extremely lucrative endeavour* in 2021.