December 2020's Whisky.Auction included bottle number 1 (of only 225) of a distillery exclusive single cask bottling of Arran Single Malt which raised £2,100 for the Waverley Paddle Steamer appeal.
Arran Distillery Tour Guide Campbell Laing was at the forefront of the campaign to raise money for the Waverley and is now auctioning his own bottle No. 1 to raise even more funds to keep the boat going.
Arran 12 Year Old Distillery Exclusive Single Malt Single Cask was distilled on 13 September 2007, aged in bourbon barrels and bottled at 59.6% ABV on 09 October 2019 to raise funds to continue to maintain the boiler of the historic Waverley, the last sea-going paddle-steamer in the world.
This one off charity lot comes complete with a hipflask, mini glass decanter and matching tot glasses.
The Waverley is the world's last seagoing paddle steamer and is listed as a 'vessel of pre-eminent national importance'. The Waverley was built in 1946 as a replacement for an earlier paddle-steamer of the same name which served in WWI and WWII. Until 1973 it reliably carried passengers from Craigendoran on the Firth of Clyde to Arrochar on Loch Long, becoming a familiar sight for generations of Scots. The Paddle Steamer Preservation Society operates excursions around the British coast and Arran Distillery originally bottled this whisky to raise money to help complete boiler repairs that were necessary to keep the paddle-steamer going throughout the 2020 season. Following a particularly hard year and some fresh damage to the Waverley, funds are desperately needed to ensure she can be kept and repaired through the winter to recommence the well-loved public trips from 2021.
Waverley Steam Navigation Co Ltd Charity registered in Scotland (SC005832) was established to own the ship and return it to service. Throughout her preservation career the Waverley has required support to remain operational. Since 2000 the ship has been restored to her original 1947 condition while incorporating modern safety equipment and standards.