THE first whisky to be distilled and bottled in St Andrews for nearly 160 years has been sold at auction for a world record price.

Bottle number one of 300 from the limited release first bottling of single malt whisky from Eden Mill distillery in St Andrews achieved a record-breaking price of £7,100 through Whisky Auctioneer. It is the world record for the first release from a distillery.

With a number of bottles gifted to long-standing Eden Mill employees and auctioned, there are now only 100 of the limited release remaining which go on general sale today, each priced at £500. Those interested in purchasing a bottle are invited to register their interest by emailing casks@edenmill.com.

In 2012, Eden Mill resurrected the brewing and spirits tradition with their own take on Scottish craft. They were Scotland’s first brewery and distillery on a single site.

Eden Mill announced earlier this year that it has plans to build a new £4m distillery and brewery on the Eden Estuary site of what was the Seggie Distillery and Brewery, founded by the Haig family in 1810. Until 1860, this site produced gin, whisky and beer.

Paul Miller, co-founder of Eden Mill, said: “This auction has given whisky enthusiasts the chance to own a piece of history. For our first ever single malt whisky to be rewarded with the prestige of a world record sale is the pinnacle of what has been a journey filled with experimentation and passion, fuelled by the entire Eden Mill team’s tireless pursuit of bringing whisky distilling back to the region.

“The limited release offers whisky connoisseurs the chance to secure historic bottles containing the first drops of spirit distilled in St Andrews since the Seggie Distillery closed in 1860.

“The whisky is a marriage of spirit matured in American and French Virgin Oak quarter casks and an ex Pedro Ximénez sherry hogshead since 2014, and we’re hugely proud of it. The liquid has been captured in bespoke bottles designed in Italy and blown in Croatia, and oak boxes handcrafted and engraved in Scotland with each bottle and box individually numbered.”

Sean McGlone, managing director of Whisky Auctioneer, said: “We were absolutely delighted here at Whisky Auctioneer to have been involved in the sale of the first bottling of Eden Mill Single Malt whisky. As an auctioneer, the only thing that excites us as much as old whisky, is a brand new one.

“It’s great to see new distilleries not just opening up across Scotland and contributing to our great industry, but also to see them doing such a great job. Eden Mill is a distillery with an already strong reputation and connection to a distilling heritage that we feel made their first bottles a perfect inclusion in our auctions.

“Whisky Auctioneer is dedicated to the provision of a first class service and expertise to our buyers and sellers, and we feel that this, coupled with the fantastic product Eden Mill have bottled, helped us achieve a record breaking sale for their first ten bottles of Single Malt.”