Dram hunt could be toast of the castle

ROSS-SHIRE householders with rare drams stashed away in their cupboards are being urged to dust them off and have them valued at a Strathpeffer showcase — after a bottle of whisky fetched a world-record £848,750 at auction last week.

The antiques roadshow style event at Castle Leod on October 30 will see specialists from Bonhams donating their time and expertise for the day to help visitors learn the value of their collectables.

The suggested £5 per item donationgathered will go towards the restoration and maintenance of the iconic Ross-shire castle, seat of the Earl of Cromartie.

Bonhams’ whisky sale in Edinburgh last week hauled in a record £1,674,125 with a bottle of the extremely rare The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 60-year old sold for a new world record of £848,750.

A spokesman for Bonhams said: "The market for antiques has changed over the last couple of decades with different articles now more popular and nowhere is this more noticeable than the Chinese market.

"With the Scots being great travellers around the globe, many works of art were brought back home by our ancestors and the Chinese are prepared to bid large sums to buy them back or indeed buy our whisky. Have you looked for that rare or unusual item on the back of your cupboard?"

Visitors are asked to book ahead.

Appointments for valuations can be booked by contacting edinburgh@bonhams.com