'I don't even like the stuff' admits collector who has amassed thousands of whisky miniatures - which could fetch up to £35,000 when they go under the hammer in Harborough

An incredible 4,000 whisky miniatures are set to fetch up to £35,000 when they go under the hammer in Market Harborough.

Successful bidders will be raising a glass and enjoying a drop of the hard stuff when the massive stash built up over almost 30 years is auctioned this November and December.

if you fancy a wee dram the extraordinary collection will be sold off without reserve in two timed online auctions by Gildings Auctioneers in Market Harborough.

The first sale, which closes at 6pm on Sunday November 14, can be viewed online now: https://timed.gildings.co.uk/auctions/7991/gildin10002The second auction will go live on Friday November 26 and close at 6pm on Sunday December 12.

The collection was amassed by keen Kettering collector Brian Marshall between the late 1980s and 2016 – and he doesn’t even like whisky.

“A friend from work at Kettering Crematorium who was collecting full-size bottles suggested I collect miniatures and it started from there.

“I don’t even like the stuff.

“But it took on a life of its own because I started planning my holidays in Scotland around it.

“It’s an era that’s gone, but there used to be so many great whisky shops up there,” said Brian.

“There was one in particular in Aviemore in the Cairngorms where I got to know the man who ran it and I would stay and chat for two or three hours at a time.”

He stored his 4,000 bottles in 130 boxes in his double garage, where a narrow pathway separated it from his model railway collection.

Brian has focused almost exclusively on Scotch whisky.

But he has sourced it from as far afield as America, Iraq, Uruguay and Australia.

Standout lots in the first sale feature presentation packs issued by Signatory Vintage of 1966 vintage whiskies, such as Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Macallan.

There is also an extensive collection of The Whisky Connoisseur series and specialist bottlings from Gordon & MacPhail and Cadenhead’s.

The second auction stars Brian’s unique collection of 120 bottles of Ballantine’s whisky – each with a different label from around the globe and across the decades.

There are also treasures from the great powerhouses in whisky.

They include a miniature bottle of Macallan 1961 marking Private Eye magazine’s 35th anniversary estimated at £200-£300 and a suite of bottlings from the Mini Bottle Club UK, of which

Brian was a long-standing member.

And no whisky auction this close to the festive season would be complete without a set of Bell’s Christmas decanters.

Gildings’ director and wine, whisky and spirits specialist Will Gilding said: “We are very much looking forward to auctioning Brian's incredible collection.

“With the fantastic gems on offer, connoisseurs and those looking for the perfect stocking filler for the whisky drinker in their life can be grateful that Brian’s passion lies in collecting rather than tasting whisky.

“Due to the sheer volume of the collection and the rare examples within it, we anticipate it will make between £25,000 and £35,000 over the course of the two auctions.”

Brian said he’s selling up because he desperately needs to clear out his garage.

“Most of the bottles are from the 1980s and 1990s because the distilleries stopped making as many miniatures after that.

“The last bottle I bought was at the Falkirk Wheel about five years ago,” he said.

“I never had any aim in mind.

“I thought it all might be worth about £8,000 at the most.

“So I was flabbergasted when I heard it might fetch up to £35,000.

“But when my mates asked why I collect whisky miniatures when I don’t even like the taste, I used to say, ‘Well you buy cigarettes and at the end of the week all you have is a pile of ash, but I have my beautiful bottles to look at’.”

The auctions include almost all of Brian’s whisky pride and joy.

“There were a few I struggled to part with, including my 120 bottles of Ballantine’s.

“I had to get one sent from Uruguay to complete that set so it would be nice if they stay in a cabinet for someone to enjoy looking at,” he added.

“But the only ones I’ve kept are a Rutherford’s Rolls Royce-themed one and a set with every player from the 1968 Manchester United European Cup winning team.”

Will said Brian’s prized wonderful whiskies will appeal to a wide range of buyers.

“As the most sought-after full-sized bottles of whisky regularly sell in the hundreds or even thousands at auction, this is an ideal opportunity for people to try something new without risk or to treat themselves to something special at a comparatively affordable price,” he said.

“As well as the whisky itself, there are plenty other items of interest for whisky devotees, including a paperweight containing a drop from Grant’s one millionth barrel.

“There is also a rare 1887 book by Alfred Barnard, ‘The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom’, which details every distillery in the land and describes techniques and methods of the late Victorian era and could exceed £300.”

To view the auction, please visit https://timed.gildings.co.uk/auctions/7991/gildin10002People with similar collections of whisky, wine or other spirits they would like to sell can arrange a valuation by visiting www.gildings.co.uk