A haggle over whiskey price tags three decades ago will soon net one lucky Irishman more money than he could ever have bargained for.
Dubliner Eamonn Walsh purchased a bottle of "Very Rare 1990 Midleton" Irish whiskey after noticing different prices for the same bottle.
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Walsh told the Irish Independent that one bottle was advertised for $85 and another labeled at $34.
Cheers: 'I found €30 whiskey in the back of the wardrobe - now it's to sell for €1,100'
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Embracing the “customer is always right” philosophy, Walsh, a musician, argued his case for the lower price to the store manager – and won.
“I bought the Very Rare Midleton whiskey in Roches Stores, Tallaght, in 1990,” Walsh said.
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“It was the World Cup and I was queuing when I saw a bottle of Midleton in a glass case, then I saw another one. The two bottles had different prices on them.
“I was told it was a mistake, so I said the customer is entitled to buy it at the [lower] advertised price.
"Midleton Very Rare" is a premium Irish whiskey, produced by Irish Distillers at the New Midleton Distillery, in the East Cork town of Midleton, from which it gets its name. A non-age statement whiskey, containing a mix of pot still and grain whiskeys. Image: Getty
After admitting their initial mistake, they graciously offered the bottle to Walsh for $34.
However, he didn’t have enough cash on him and tested the waters a second time asking if he could return the following day to complete the purchase and they agreed.
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“I walked away with the whiskey that day thinking I’d save it for a special occasion, an anniversary, a big birthday.
“But there it has been, lying in the wardrobe for 30 years. I was doing a clear-out and I found it on the shelf.
The Jameson Heritage Centre in Midleton Co. Cork, 12 miles east of Cork City. The Old Midleton Distillery is a museum of Irish whiskey. Image: Getty
“I started Googling it and then I found a place to auction it and I couldn’t believe how much it’s worth.”
The bottle is now in the UK and it is expected to be auctioned online within weeks on whiskyauctioneer.com.
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Ross Fraser, from the auction website said that the highest priced Midleton whiskey the website had sold was a “1989 Very Rare” bottle, auctioned for more than $9,000 (€8,000) last May.
The most expensive whiskey auctioned on the site was sold for more than $126,000 (€112,000).
A worker sampling the alcohol produced from the copper distillery boiler. Image: Getty
“The bottle Mr Walsh is auctioning has sold in the past for anything over $670 (€600) to $1,200 (€1,100),” he said.
“Midleton is a very famous Irish whiskey and those bottles aren’t produced anymore, so it has a lot of interest. People are fighting to get this bottle.”
Walsh said he was hopeful that the auction would raise enough cash for a holiday.
"Midleton Very Rare" is a premium Irish whiskey, produced by Irish Distillers at the New Midleton Distillery, in the East Cork town of Midleton, from which it gets its name. A non-age statement whiskey, containing a mix of pot still and grain whiskeys.
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