VERY RARE VINTAGE FULL BOTTLE RED HACKLE SCOTCH WHISKY Start Price GBP 29.99 Current Price GBP 43.00 Time Left - Bid Count 4 Buy It Now Price GBP 149.99 Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, November 30, 2008 End Time Wednesday, December 10, 2008 Location Bury St. Edmunds See more about 'VERY RARE VINTAGE FULL BOTTLE RED HACKLE SCOTCH WHISKY' Description VERY RARE VINTAGE FULL BOTTLE RED HACKLE SCOTCH WHISKY SEALED AND WITH ORIGINAL WIRE SURROUND WHICH IS BROKEN IN PLACES THE LABEL IS A BIT GRUBBY IN PLACES AT LEAST PRE c1959 FULL BOTTLE SIZE 70cl NOT A MINIATURE Red Hackle Whisky In 1920 Charles Hepburn established ‘Hepburn and Ross’. Owned jointly with Herbert Ross, a fellow soldier who had fought with the Scottish Horse Regiment in Palestine, Hepburn and Ross had a policy of employing ex-servicemen and produced ‘Red Hackle’ whisky which was aimed primarily at the export market. From uncertain beginnings, the business proved highly successful after the brand was requested in a Vienna night club by the then Prince of Wales, (later briefly Edward VIII), and the company supplied many RAF bases during World War Two.  The name ‘Red Hackle’ is taken from the distinctive red feather worn on the left of the headdress by the Black Watch Regiment with whom Hepburn had served in the Great War. The Black Watch were raised in the wake of the 1715 Jacobite uprisings from clans who had remained loyal to King George 1st and are so named because of their dark kilt and first command of watching over the Highlands. Although no longer in production, Red Hackle is well remembered, with bottles fetching large sums at auction, discussed and traded by specialist whisky collectors. Reminiscing about Glasgow’s West End, one local man remembers, ‘my childhood was spent playing around Otago Street and down the back of the mansions [...] there used to be an old railway line which ran under there and a station which closed in the late '40s I think. On the opposite corner is the Trustee Savings Bank Building where I opened my first savings account in 1949. Just next door in Otago Street there used to be a School of Piping and the Red Hackle whisky bond was across the street. It was owned by Charles Hepburn and he had a Rolls Royce converted into a delivery van, black with red coachwork stripes’. Hepburn was also a supporter of traditional Scottish pipe bands and, in the 1940s, donated premises opposite the Red Hacke building to the fledgling College of Piping. The Red Hackle Pipe Band which he financed was for many years one of the finest in the world and several Red Hackle pipe bands continue today.  Hepburn’s partner Herbert Ross died in 1957. Two years later, shortly after the death of his wife, Hepburn sold the business for a reputed £2m, commenting, ‘When my wife died … I realised that you never do anything for yourself, only for someone else. You come home in the evening and she asks - “Well, what have you done today?” When that’s gone, a lot of the meaning has gone out of the game.’ PLEASE SEE PICTURES PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A FULL BOTTLE NOT A MINIATURE THIS IS A VERY RARE BOTTLE AS THE DISTILLERY IS NO LONGER OPEN (PLEASE SEE ABOVE) THIS IS A MUST FOR THOSE WHISKY LOVERS 1. The value of the auctioned item is in the collectible container, not its contents.<BR>  2. The container has not been opened, but any incidental contents are not intended for consumption.<BR>  3. This item is not available at any retail outlet, and the container has a value that substantially exceeds the current retail price of the alcohol in the container.<BR>  4. As the seller, I will take steps to ensure that the buyer of this collectible container is of lawful age in the buyer and seller's jurisdiction (generally 21 years old) and that I am in compliance with any and all applicable laws and shipping regulations in carrying out the transaction.<BR>   MY METHODS OF PAYMENT ACCEPTED. PayPal, UK Cheque, Postal Order, Bank Transfer Euro, At a rate of €1.60 to £1.00 USA Checks, USA Money Orders, At a rate of $2.00 to £1.00A small fee applies of $3.00 per USA Check / Money Order MY EBAY RULES PLEASE READ BEFORE BIDDING. If you choose to pay for multiple auctions through PayPal, please note that you must pay with a single payment in order to receive discounted shipping We will combine any number of auctions for a saving on postage / shipping cost,Only within a SEVEN day period.All measurements and weights are approximate.All payments MUST be received within 7 DAYS of auction end, No exceptions.Ebay will be notified of all non-paying bidders WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ITEMS NOT INSURED.PLEASE ASK FOR ADVICE IF YOU ARE UNSURE. Winning bidder / Buyer to pay all Postage / Shipping costs. Place a Bid!