Name: Hine Napoleon Old Reserve Cognac
Brand: Other
SKU: 1550895
Price: 55.82 GBP
Availability: SoldOut

Hine Napoleon Old Reserve Cognac sold for £55.82 in Just Whisky's October 2026 auction. Napoleon Old Reserve comes from the best growths within the…

November 2026

October 2026

September 2026

August 2026

July 2026

June 2026

May 2026

Charity Auction

April 2026

March 2026

February 2026

January 2026

December 2025

November 2025

October 2025

September 2025

August 2025

July 2025

June 2025

May 2025

April 2025

March 2025

February 2025

January 2025

December 2024

November 2024

October 2024

September 2024

August 2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

April 2024

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

December 2023

November 2023

October 2023

September 2023

August 2023

July 2023

June 2023

May 2023

April 2023

March 2023

February 2023

January 2023

December 2022

November 2022

October 2022

September 2022

August 2022

July 2022

June 2022

May 2022

April 2022

March 2022

February 2022

January 2022

December 2021

November 2021

October 2021

September 2021

August 2021

July 2021

June 2021

May 2021

April 2021

March 2021

February 2021

January 2021

December 2020

November 2020

October 2020

September 2020

August 2020

July 2020

June 2020

May 2020

April 2020

March 2020

February 2020

January 2020

December 2019

November 2019

October 2019

September 2019

August 2019

July 2019

June 2019

May 2019

April 2019

March 2019

February 2019

January 2019

December 2018

November 2018

October 2018

September 2018

August 2018

December 2026

As you’re reading this blog and are possibly a customer of Just Whisky Auctions, it’s a fair assumption that you’ve visited more than a few distilleries and taken their tour.

That being the case, your guide almost certainly paused to point out the malt mill. More often than not, it’s a Porteus mill, though you might see the occasional Boby and even the odd Buhler mill.

But if it’s painted in a distinctive, unshowy shade of dark red then what you looked at was a Porteus mill (we’ll come back to the Boby mills shortly).  They’re sturdy little things, standing four-square in the mill room, ready to receive another load of malt, quiet occupants of an unobtrusive corner of the distillery that just get on with their job in a modest and understated way.

If the guide didn’t pause and point it out, a Porteus mill would never shout or draw attention to itself, you feel; happy to do an honest day’s work and then await the next consignment of malt to be turned to grist.

At this point, your guide quite probably explained that the mill was quite old and that the Porteus firm had gone out of business, outlived by the durability and simple excellence of a product so good and so enduring that it broke the company.

So well made that they required relatively little maintenance and with little or no demand for new machines both Porteus and Boby closed down many years ago.  They were outlived by their equipment and undone by the slump in whisky production of the 1970s and 80s and the ruthless consolidation of the brewing industry, meaning fewer and fewer small independent breweries.  Sadly, quite a few mills will have been scrapped which, until recently, hasn’t been a problem.

But it’s worth taking a closer look at these tough and functional looking machines and, if you do, there’s a good chance you’ll see a modest plaque somewhere on the side carrying a telephone number and the name Ronnie Lee.

Some years ago I noticed this on Jura and then, shortly afterwards, at Tobermory distillery and then again at a number of Speyside distilleries. So I began asking various guides ‘Who is this Ronnie Lee?’  No one knew – but as soon as I asked some real production people (as opposed to the friendly guides who for the most part are essentially a PR front and equipped with a marketing script) the pieces of a fascinating story fell quickly into place.

Well it turns out that, in a world of tattooed, bearded Brand Ambassadors with their hipster tweed caps, and rock-star Distillery Managers who jet from whisky show to whisky show, Ronnie Lee is a quiet hero. Yet he doesn’t give master classes, doesn’t blog and he’s definitely not part of the fashionable crowd that increasingly follow whisky these days.  But he – together, these days with son Gareth - are the men who mends the mills.  And, if you think about it, without their expertise there would be no whisky.

Working from their modest base near Chepstow, they run Euro Mechanical Engineering working as freelance millwrights.  As such, they spend most of their working days life in maintaining, servicing and, on occasion, restoring Porteus and Boby mills for the brewing and distilling industry.

Their surroundings are as far removed from whisky’s new image of sophistication, glamour and luxury as you might conceivably imagine, yet they carry out vital work as one of an elite group of engineers who keep these vintage machines in working order. Unsung and unheralded, they are essential to the smooth and effective operation of much of the distilling industry, here and internationally.

In fact, they work for Diageo, Chivas Brothers, Glenmorangie, Highland Distillers and Ian MacLeod Distillers, as well as a number of independent breweries and distilleries as far flung as Sweden, Italy and even the USA. If you want a vintage malt mill, or need one restored, Ronnie Lee is the man you call.

And that brings us to a fascinating twist in the story.  Some years ago, Ronnie acquired all the plans for the Boby mill when that firm closed down. With access to that unique archive, it was Euro Mechanical Engineering’s proud boast that, in theory, they could build a brand new Boby-style mill from scratch based on the original blueprints but updated for greater efficiency and cleaner running.

But why would you, when the originals have a working life of a century or more? Well, basically, they are desperately hard to find and with new distilleries and small breweries being built at an unprecedented pace, there’s a need for equipment of established high quality with a proven heritage.  Even the shiniest of new state-of-the-art distilleries may be discreetly supplied by a 50 or 60 year old machine which, come to think of it, is something quite amazingly heart-warming. But there just aren’t enough to go around.

And so it has come to pass that a new Boby mill has indeed been built and is now heading off to its eventual home in a soon-to-be-opened whisky distillery (which is another story, which we’ll come to in a moment).

The mill, of 4-5 tons capacity, is the product of 12 month’s work by Ronnie and Gareth Lee. The original design has been improved, Gareth telling me that while the exterior closely resembles an old-style Boby, the gears have been done away with, the roller bearings switched to a spherical shape and a double-edged synchronized belt fitted. If, like me, that’s double Dutch to you, I’m assured it means cleaner running (no oil), greater energy efficiency and potentially faster running speeds if desired by the operator. Everything has been built from the ground up with a local foundry providing custom-made castings for the bearings, which were then hand finished by Gareth.

But who has commissioned this work and where is this marvel of skillfully modernized vintage engineering to be found? Let’s hear it for the new owners, the family-owned and independent Ian Macleod Distillers, well-known for their Glengoyne and Tamdhu single malts, the imaginative reopening of Rosebank and their Edinburgh Gin brand.  They are also partners in the proposed Laggan Bay project which, if everything goes to plan, will be Islay’s twelfth distillery.

So the Boby is destined for a Hebridean home? Well, no. In fact, it is travelling around 4,000 miles to Una, a town in the southwestern Himachal Pradesh state in northern India where Macleod Distillers are currently building on a greenfield site.  The distillery, expected to be operational later this year, is designed to produce around 1.0m litres of spirit annually of Indian whisky.

Beyond that, Ian Macleod were tight-lipped though my own lengthy on-line research turned up an Environmental Impact report from the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board.  From that very comprehensive document we learn that “The project proposes to produce Malt Spirit, part of it matured for at least 2 years and above years for supplies to IMFL [that’s Indian-Made Foreign Liquor] industry for blending in various proportions and part of the matured malt spirit will be matured for more than 3 years to be called as Whisky under International norms and bottled as Indian Single Malt whisky for the Indian and export market”.   Indian Single Malt Whisky from Ian Macleod Distillers – that’s something not yet widely reported and quite a feather in the cap of relatively small independent Scottish distillers.

According to the report, the total cost is approximately £5m – quite the bargain by UK standards. 
Naturally I enquired as to the price of the mill and naturally, and quite correctly, Gareth Lee would not be drawn into the specifics. But he did hint that if you wanted one for your project you could expect to wait some 12 months or so (they’re busy) and expect to write a cheque for rather more than  £100,000.

So this is a mill that grinds slowly but is exceeding fine; evidently a labour of love and a source of great pride – and why not, because as Gareth assured me, “it will be working long after I’m in the ground.”  I wonder if in fifty or more years curious visitors will be regaled with the story – I certainly hope so.

Their surroundings are as far removed from whisky’s new image of sophistication, glamour and luxury as you might conceivably imagine

In our inaugural Blog entry, Guest writer Ian Buxton explores the seemingly unglamorous distillery mill. The unsung hero of whisky distilleries.

The Distillery Mill

Historical

We've compiled a list of codes to make it easy to find out what whisky is inside each bottle from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. The first digits relate to the distillery, and the numbers after the dot (.) relate to the number of the release, from that distillery. Sometimes you'll see a letter preceding both -that relates to the type of liquid in the bottle, for example a "G" means it's a Grain whisky.

SMWS Bottle Codes

Useful Info

We're excited to partner with Rothes Sports Development Group this month to raise money for a great cause. The charity was formed in 2025 to enchance local health, welfare and sporting opportunities in and around Rothes, Moray.

Rothes Sports Development Charity Auction

In this intriguing piece, Gavin D. Smith delves into the relationship between taxes and the Scotch Whisky industry.

1823 EXCISE ACT

homepage_hero_lot_2819591_842407.webp

2019 Kingsman Edition

Glendronach 29 Years Old 1989

homepage_hero_lot_2819588_991310.webp

The Wall Collection 'Peat' by Laura Carlin

Laphroaig 36 Years Old

homepage_hero_lot_2819589_461360.webp

William & Catherine 2011

Macallan Royal Marriage

homepage_hero_lot_2819590_339970.webp

2026 Hedonism Wines | Cask No.5614

Chichibu 2016

homepage_hero_2819587_058285.webp

Napoleon Old Reserve comes from the best growths within the Cognac region. The various cognacs which make up this quality have aged separately in small Limousin Oak Casks allowing each of them to fully develop their own personality. Once they have reached full maturity, they are blended, thus obtaining the perfect marriage between the different Cognacs.

A fun lot that comes with a Hine delivery van model.

Hine Napoleon Old Reserve Cognac With Model Van

Official Bottling

Other

Multiple

Brandy

hine_napoleon_old_reserve_cognac_486130_989798.webp

70 cl

With Model Van

Hine Napoleon Old Reserve Cognac

hine_napoleon_old_reserve_cognac_with_model_van_2819502_194663.webp

hine_napoleon_old_reserve_cognac_with_model_van_2819503_542517.webp

hine_napoleon_old_reserve_cognac_with_model_van_2819504_567819.webp

hine_napoleon_old_reserve_cognac_with_model_van_2819505_142331.webp

hine_napoleon_old_reserve_cognac_with_model_van_2819506_144504.webp

 hine napoleon old reserve cognac with model van 

glenlivet_18_years_old_pre_2011_934939_257402_771566.webp

Glenlivet 18 Years Old

glenlivet_18_years_old_2817400_186930.webp

glenlivet_18_years_old_2817401_375736.webp

Minor mark to box.

yamazaki_18_years_old_suntory.jpg

Suntory

Yamazaki 18 Years Old

yamazaki_18_years_old_suntory_2817434_308450.webp

yamazaki_18_years_old_suntory_2817435_704391.webp

yamazaki_18_years_old_suntory_2817436_852448.webp

macallan_angels_share_water_dropper_2791921_991077.webp

Macallan Angel's Share Water Dropper

macallan_angels_share_water_dropper_2817477_658356.webp

macallan_angels_share_water_dropper_2817478_744850.webp

macallan_angels_share_water_dropper_2817479_935538.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_2017.jpg

Gran Reserva 2017

Macallan 15 Years Old

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_201779500a.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_201768d132.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_20176ee35b.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_2017fac08d.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_2017f2be4f.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_2017d9a038.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_2017db18e0.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_2017e7633e.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_2017c68576.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_20174c0f59.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_2017_with_spare_box.jpg

Gran Reserva 2017 With Spare Box

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_2017_with_spare_box973c9d.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_2017_with_spare_box82dc85.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_201748d8d4.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_2017dc5d12.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_2017d97bd3.webp

macallan_15_years_old_gran_reserva_20173f2abb.webp

Hine Napoleon Old Reserve Cognac

Specifications

Similar Other results

Camus Cognac

Camus Napoleon Bicentenary Cognac

La Guilde du Cognac Saint Preiul Extra

Bidders also considered

Glenlivet 18 Years Old

Yamazaki 18 Years Old

Macallan Angel's Share Water Dropper