A retired farmer from Ravensden, Bedfordshire, is putting one of Britain’s largest whisky collections on the market for £750,000. Bill Garratt, 81, has spent more than 40 years assembling a diverse assortment of over 5,000 whisky bottles, including rare examples dating back to the 19th century, alongside thousands of pieces of Scotch-related memorabilia.

The extensive collection includes approximately 1,800 single malts, 1,800 miniature bottles, and around 500 blended whiskies. Some individual bottles are valued at over £6,000, with notable highlights such as a Macallan Magnifico and Macallan 26 fluid ounce bottles from 1937 and 1938. The oldest bottle in the collection is a Choice Old Scotch Whisky produced by R Thorne and Sons Limited in 1894. Other prized items include a Hanyu The Joker single malt worth about £5,000, a Macallan Diamond Jubilee special edition, and a teardrop-shaped Mortlach 70 by Gordon and MacPhail.

The collection grew so large that Garratt converted a 100-foot-long pigsty on his property into a secure storage space after his wife expressed frustration with the whisky bottles cluttering their home. Alongside the bottles, the collection contains about 1,800 items of whisky memorabilia, such as Johnnie Walker figures, ashtrays, paintings, boxes, and glasses.

Garratt began collecting in 1982 after a friend gave him a bottle of Jolly Runner whisky. He said his favourite dram is an 18-year-old Macallan, and he enjoys whisky three times a week. He also pointed to other distilleries he respects, including The Lakes Distillery, The English Distillery in Norfolk, and Highland Park.

Mark Littler, a whisky broker handling the sale, described the collection as unique, noting that while many collections focus solely on single malts, Garratt’s assemblage captures the broader history of Scotch whisky. Littler suggested the assortment tells the story of the whisky industry rather than just concentrating on current popular brands.

Garratt indicated his reason for selling is primarily due to his age, expressing a desire to pass the collection on to someone who will appreciate it as much as he has. He said he would have kept collecting if he were younger but believes it is time for the collection to find a new home.