A rare bottle of whisky from the shipwreck that inspired Whisky Galore! could fetch thousands of pounds at auction – three decades after it was won by a Dundee man in a competition.
The bottle of blended Scotch was recovered in 1987 and offered as the first prize in a poem contest.
It was won by Donald McLaren, a former DC Thomson journalist who died aged 78 in 2016.
Mr McLaren’s daughter, Nicola Hastie, is now selling the rare bottle in the hope it will go to a collector or a museum, where it might be displayed along with his poem for others to enjoy.
Whisky bottle could fetch up to £10,000
The bottle is among the highlights of The Grand Whisky Auction’s online sale, which runs until 9pm on Monday.
The bottle has been given a conservative estimate of £5,000-6,000 but could fetch as much as £10,000.
Mrs Hastie, 57, said: “Dad loved writing poetry for his own enjoyment and often entered competitions… he was delighted that the judges enjoyed it, and to win a bottle of whisky from the SS Politician just made it even better.
“The bottle was sitting untouched in my darkest cupboard but it was a shame.
“It would be brilliant if it was bought by a maritime museum where people could go and see it.
“It would be lovely alongside my dad’s poem, which just makes everybody smile.”
The 8,000-ton SS Politician was bound for Kingston in Jamaica and New Orleans when it ran aground near the island of Eriskay, in the Outer Hebrides, in 1941.
The crew were rescued unharmed and much of the whisky on board was removed by islanders from under the noses of the authorities.
The story was told by Scots author Compton Mackenzie in his 1947 novel Whisky Galore! although he re-christened the ship the SS Cabinet Minister and renamed the islands of South Uist and Eriskay as Great and Little Todday.
The tale inspired a 1949 Ealing Comedy starring Gordon Jackson, Joan Greenwood and Basil Radford.
Whisky Galore! had 2016 remake
It was remade in 2016 with a cast including Gregor Fisher, Eddie Izzard and James Cosmo.
The bottle was found less than 30 feet below the surface in the remains of the ship’s No. 5 hold.
One of the bottles was opened after being brought to the surface. The verdict: “A slight smell of sulphur when first uncorked. But the contents are smooth, mellow and still a wonderful taste.”
A spokesperson for The Grand Whisky Auction said: “This is a rare opportunity to own a bottle from one of the most famous shipwrecks in Scottish history.
“This bottle from SS Politician has already sparked great interest from bidders worldwide.”
Donald McLaren’s winning poem
Pretty Polly, lights a-hooded,
Shed her ropes and slipped the quay
“Mum’s the word” they said in Whitehall,
“She’s away, so let her be.”
Came the storm, an awesome rage,
Poor Polly she had had her day,
Wrecked, she slipped down to the bottom
Of the Sound of Eriskay
What her cargo? What her mission?
Now the story can be told,
Never was a plot so complex,
Never such a venture bold.
Winnie sat in nights of winter
Wond’ring how to end this war,
Then it came thro ci-gar smoke-rings,
“Never in the field” he said,
“Was genius quite like this before!”
“100 bikes we’ll take to Calais,
Land at night, be quite unseen.
We’ll pedal off in search of Nazis,
By God, they’ll learn us Brits are mean!”
“But, prithee, Winnie, why the toothpaste?
Why the whisky? What the lavvy pipes as well?
And why on earth 10,000 fire-bricks!
Will we burn the Hun as well?”
Winnie twirled a neat machete,
Clanged a few enamel bowls,
His plan, when stated, seemed quite flawless,
Totally devoid of holes.
“On our bikes from off the Polly
The Bosch will never hear us come.
We’ll clobber them with our machetes
Through to Berlin, and we’re home.”
“The toothpaste we’ll apply like fury,
To each of us a dazzling smile.
We’ll light our faces up with torches
And blind all gerries for a mile.!”
The answers seemed so reassuring
To all those doubting cab’net types,
Even to bad German plumbing
Needing British lavvy pipes.
“But SCOTCH, PM – 10,000 cases!
Why so much on Polly’s list?”
Winnie smiled – “For such a mission,
We must all be truly pissed!”
“Should all things fail?
Run for Jamaica,
We’ve cash on board to see us through.
If Hitler gets his hands on England
I’d rather be where skies are blue.”