James Martin’s Auctions their Oldest Whisky to support Portuguese Cooperage Museum

The launch of James Martin’s 44 Years Old Blended Malt Scotch whisky, its oldest whisky to date, is also supporting a charitable initiative in partnership with Portuguese family cooperage Josafer, from Esmoriz.

To mark World Whisky Day, James Martin’s will auction bottle number 1 of its limited edition James Martin’s 44 Years Old, a blended malt crafted by master distiller Bill Lumsden and created exclusively for the Portuguese market.

All proceeds from the auction will go directly to Josafer Cooperage, a century-old institution representing the artisanal craftsmanship of coopering in Portugal, critical to whisky production as part of the maturation process.

Josafer’s current facilities are now recognized as a true living museum of cooperage. James Martin’s expressed interest in donating funds to an organisation that preserves the artisanal craft of coopering, associated to this region of Portugal for many years.

“We introduced our story, shared the craft behind our work, and outlined our vision for the future: to create a dedicated Cooperage Museum within the grounds of our new facility.” Filipe Octavio, Josafer Cooperage

“The proposal was warmly received, and James Martin’s committed to directing their donation to Josafer — a meaningful contribution toward making that vision a reality.”

The auction will take place from 17 to 24 May, hosted by the auction house Palácio do Correio Velho, as a tribute to tradition, philanthropy, and authenticity — strengthening James Martin’s connection to Portugal.

A Rare Whisky

James Martin’s 44 Years Old is the oldest blend in the brand’s history, created from rare stocks dating back to the 1980s and aged in bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks.

With notes of apricot, orange, dates, toffee, and bold spices, this limited edition was released as the first in a series of four annual releases made exclusively for the Portuguese market.

Founded initially as a whisky merchant back in 1878 in Edinburgh, James Martin’s was once a supplier to the British Royal Household and a familiar presence on post-war ocean liners. In recent years, the brand has deepened its ties to Portugal with releases such as James Martin’s 32 (2020) and 35 Years Old (2022), positioning itself as a reference in the premium whisky segment.

Josafer at the Heart of the Tribute

The auction’s beneficiary is Josafer, a Portuguese cooperage based in Esmoriz that has been crafting and restoring casks for some of the world’s most renowned whisky producers for over 100 years.