Willard Folsom found out about single malt whiskies by reading about them in a newspaper: USA Today. This was enough to set him on a path to leave sunny California for long trips, scouring the cooler climes of Scotland, for the best, with wife and son in tow.
"Some say the glass is half empty, others say it's half full. I say, pour the water out and put some Scotch in that glass." Folsom used to say.
The auctioneers believe this to be their most exciting whisky sale, based around Folsom's collection, in 20 years. By the time of his death in 2008 aged 64, he had spent almost that long collecting whisky.
The collection has representatives for many of the famous names in whisky, including: Glenfiddich, Laphroaig and of course The Macallan. A number of commemorative editions are included, which will never be repeated, so this is likely to be the only opportunity for whisky lovers to pick them up.
Anything which isn't sold in Edinburgh will travel to New York, and then Hong Kong for auction. One reason why this is a good time to invest in whisky is growing interest from Asia. An auction earlier this month saw 30% of the lots bought by Asian bidders.
The auction will take place at 11am, November 18 2009 at 22 Queen St, Edinburgh. ____________________________________________________________
