A collection of 3,000 whisky bottles said to be the largest and most varied yet to appear at auction is due to appear at Bonham's in Edinburgh on November 18.

Californian collector Willard Folsom spent 18 years gathering Scotch malts after reading a 1988 USA Today article which inspired him to try his first single malt.

Whisky from Orkney to Speyside to the Lowlands is represented in the collection, along with many rare commemorative bottles which will never be released again by distillers.

"In over 20 years of conducting whisky auctions, this is the most exciting collection I have ever handled," Martin Green, whisky specialist for Bonhams auctioneers, told the BBC.

"Many of the bottles included in the collection will never be released again or repeated by the whisky industry."

"So the sale of the collection provides the opportunity to buy many collectibles of the future."

Mr Folsom, a former United Airlines worker, toured Scotland with his family to build up his collection. He died last year at the age of 64.

The whisky will be auctioned by Bonhams in Edinburgh on November 18. Any remaining stock will be sold in New York and Hong Kong next year.


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