RENOWNED actor Ewan McGregor is auctioning off bottles of whisky from his own personal cask gifted to him by a Scottish island distillery to help raise money for charity.
Lochranza Distillery, on the Isle of Arran, gifted McGregor a cask of Arran Single Malt in 1998, marking the first legal cask to be laid down on the island for more than 150 years.
The ex-sherry hogshead cask matured for almost three decades in the distillery warehouse and is now going to be split between 150 bottles and sold off to raise money for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) this month.
The charity is dedicated to supporting children with life-limiting conditions and their families and is a cause McGregor has helped throughout his acting career.
He said: “I have been involved with CHAS and visited their hospices many times over the years, so I know the unwavering care that both Rachel House and Robin House provide children and their families during their hardest moments.
“My hope is that this auction can raise a significant amount to ensure that these wonderful places are able to continue providing the service they do.”
The world-leading online whisky auction platform, Whisky Auctioneer, is in charge of the sale of the bottles and have waived their seller’s commission so all proceeds go to CHAS.
Auctions of the bottles, named Ewan’s Cut, will run from Friday, September 27 to Monday, October 7 with the first 24 for sale signed by the Scottish actor.
The whisky is one of the oldest produced by the distillery and is bottled at 46% ABV, with each one featuring a specially designed label featuring references from some of the actor's best known films like Trainspotting and Star Wars.
Rami Okasha, CEO at CHAS, said the funds raised by McGregor and Lochranza Distillery will make a real difference to the lives of those who are dependent on the charity's support.
He said: “We are delighted that Ewan, who is a long-standing supporter and friend of CHAS, has kindly chosen to donate all proceeds from this exciting auction to our charity.
"We are grateful too to Isle of Arran Distillers for arranging this special event and to Whisky Auctioneer for waiving the seller’s commission to ensure that CHAS will benefit from the maximum funds.
“Three children a week die in Scotland from an incurable condition and demand for our services is growing. Our ambition is that no-one should face the death of their child alone.
“Over the course of the last year CHAS directly supported 419 babies, children and young people across the country, and hundreds more in hospital palliative care teams funded by CHAS. We provide support for the whole family – parents and siblings – and have assisted nearly 2000 family members of seriously ill children this year.
"Knowing your child may die young is the hardest thing imaginable. The funds raised through the Ewan’s Cut auction will make a real difference to those families.”
Stewart Bowman, distillery manager at Isle of Arran Distillers, added: “We are thrilled to invite Ewan back to the distillery, where our story began almost 30 years ago, to present him with the finished bottles of Ewan's Cut.
“Like Ewan, we remain close to our roots and are passionate about giving back to the community. We have looked after Ewan's cask for the last 26 years and we are delighted to work with him, Whisky Auctioneer and Leith to raise money for CHAS.”
You can register to take part in the auction here.
