Sale of rare Wolfburn whisky raises over £1000 for Thurso lifeboat

A group of whisky shareholders agreed to donate the proceeds from the sale of a bottle of rare Wolfburn from Thurso as a thank-you to the town's RNLI lifeboat station.

Supported by the auction platform www.whiskyauction.com, a bottle of a privately owned Wolfburn quarter cask was put up for auction on February 6. The 120-litre refill bourbon quarter cask, with the number 176, was filled in 2013 and was bottled at the end of 2020.

It is therefore one of the oldest Wolfburn expressions currently available.

The group of eight whisky enthusiasts who bought a cask from Wolfburn in 2013 decided to donate the outcome of the auction to an organisation local to Thurso. In consultation with the founders and staff of Wolfburn, the lifeboat station was chosen.

Before the auction Michael Martin, one of the shareholders, said: "We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Wolfburn staff and hope that we will achieve a high price at the auction."

Another shareholder, Markus Knigge, added: "Whiskyauction.com also supports the campaign with an additional donation. It is a good opportunity for Wolfburn fans to get a rare bottle of single-cask/cask-strength Wolfburn and support the brave people from RNLI who risk their lives at sea."

The bottle achieved €220 (£190) and when Whiskyauction.com heard about the RNLI donation it added €1000, making the total sum £1053.

Thurso RNLI press officer Ron Gunn said: "We are always extremely grateful for donations and they can come from a variety of contributors. I think this is the first time we have received a donation via the sale of a bottle of rare whisky from our local Wolfburn distillery.

"The crew would like to thank everyone concerned for this kind donation."

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.