Sir Tom Hunter Donates Painting Valued at £35,000 to STV Appeal 2013

Sir Tom Hunter, a Scottish philanthropist, has donated an original painting, 'Night-Time Rituals II', by Jack Vettriano to be auctioned at McTear’s Auctioneers in support of the STV Appeal 2013.


Kelvingrove Art Gallery

Sir Tom Hunter, a trustee of the STV Appeal, comments: "I'm delighted to donate this stunning piece of art in support of the STV Appeal. This is your chance to buy an original work by Jack Vettriano and to change the lives of children blighted by poverty, so dig deep and help the STV Appeal."

Artist Jack Vettriano supports this donation saying that he would “encourage any potential bidders to follow his example by bidding as generously as they can in the knowledge all funds will go to the STV Appeal, which was set up to address a hugely important issue for Scotland."

Vettriano adds, “Night-time Rituals, explores a theme to which I like to return from time to time – it’s about creating an atmosphere of anticipation and indulging in those rare moments where all your senses collide.”

Interested bidders can view the painting at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, where it is displayed until the 10th October 2013.

The sale of the painting is from McTear's Gallery 1842 online bidding auction. Bidding has started and will end during the live STV Appeal show, hosted by Lorraine Kelly, on Friday 11th October. So why not have a look and get involved? Get yourself a new fine piece of art for a fantastic cause!

The STV Appeal helps children and young people in Scotland who are affected by poverty, as there are still 220,000 children living in poverty today, and was launched by STV and The Hunter Foundation in 2011.

A Guide to Whisky... For the Non-Whisky Connoisseur

Whisky is Scotland's biggest export, and can possess a huge value for just one bottle, and a fine bottle at that... but do you understand the malt madness?

We are not trying to convert you to becoming a whisky connoisseur in a single blog, but just want to introduce you to some of the 'lingo', facts and history to help you appreciate the value of this fine Scottish produce.

Whisky distillation has been associated strongly with monks in Scotland from between 1100 to1300, as well as with our Irish friends making it difficult to determine the exact origin. However, although whisky is produced throughout the world today, it is strongly recognised that the Scots should be proud to be the best- of course!

 Whisky is from the Gaelic term 'uisge beatha', which means 'water of life!' It was originally used in the  medical field for the purpose of an internal anesthetic and an external antibiotic, and is still multipurpose today from curing toothache, to cooking or simply enjoying as a relaxing beverage hot or cold.

Scotch whisky, is one that has been wholly matured in oak casks in Scotland for a minimum of 3 years by a licensed distillery. Malt Scotch whisky is made from barley, water and yeast and follows 5 distinct stages:
1. Malting, to convert barley to malt.
2. Mashing, to produce wort from ground malt.
3. Fermentation, to produce a weak impure spirit walled wash, upon the introduction of yeast.
4. Distillation, to strengthen and purify the spirit in the wash and remove solids.
5. Maturation, to transform the raw spirit into whisky.

The main factors influencing the flavours and aromas of a Single Malt varying by distillery include; the barley, the water, the landscape (whisky allows you to detect particular heather, sea and mountains), the craft, and the oak cask.

The length of fermentation effects the overall flavour of the spirit; a short fermentation time (two days) tends to produce a nutty, spicy, flavour, but four days can help create a light spirit, and is one of the factors in delivering a smoother tasting whisky as well as its fruity flavours. Scotch whisky is typically distilled twice in copper stills. The size, shape and number of stills have a big influence on the taste, due to the spirit’s interaction with the copper. Generally, the more the spirit interacts with the copper in the still, the lighter the spirit. Maturation has a major impact on the final character of a Single Malt. The whisky is matured in oak casks to remove harsh tastes and to allow a variety of flavours and aromas from the wood to interact with the spirit. Sweeter and fruitier notes tend to be formed from European oak casks to produce a darker coloured spirit, whereas American oak tends to form sweet vanilla and coconut notes.

 It takes three years in the cask for the spirit to be legally titled as Scotch whisky, however classic malts need longer to develop the single malt whiskies that truly embody the locations from which they are come.
 There are four whisky-producing regions in Scotland. They are; Highlands, Islands, Lowlands and Speyside. They offer flavours that are hugely diverse:

The Scotch Whisky Regions

Highland malts, cover a variety within this region’s malt whiskies. Broadly speaking, these malts are warm and rounded with spicy notes.
Island malts, define whiskies from Scotland's islands. They use peat rather than wood as a fuel to malt barley. This smokiness is clear with a peaty nose and flavour to match.
Lowland malts, are fresh with floral and cereal aromas and have a lighter body and colour.
Speyside malts, are often complex, offering fruity and floral flavours with hints of green apples and citrus notes.

 On another 'note'... Irish whiskeys (notice the different spelling) differ from Scotch whisky because it is typically distilled three times and also it is uncommon for peat to be used in making Irish whiskey. This is thought to make a smoother, more approachable drink than many Scotch whiskies. The US whiskey industry has not got the same heritage as the Irish and Scottish industries. Approximately a third of American whiskeys are produced as bourbon. Bourbon must contain at least 51% American corn. The balance is made of a combination of malted barley, wheat or rye, and must be aged for at least two years in new charred America white oak barrels.

  McTear's is world famous for auctions of Fine & Rare Whisky, holding several world records in the sale of whisky. There is an international demand for the expertise of McTear’s specialist so the annual calendar has seen an increase from four auctions to ten. Our next Rare & Collectable Whisky, Wine & Port Auction is on Wednesday 9th October 2013- come along to show off your expertise!

 Keep up to date with us on Twitter and Facebook also... Cheers!

Pedal for Scotland 2013... We Did It!

Monday was a great day with achievements all round as we completed and survived the Pedal for Scotland (Official)! We may not have completed it in a record time, but we all completed it on the same day!
Thank you so much to everyone who donated. Now that we've completed it, can anyone donate more? We would love to get to £2000!! Visit http://www.justgiving.com/mctears. Almost £1400 has already been paid to the STV Appeal, lets make it more, please!

Exceedingly Good Auctions at McTear's

We are slipping in to September with a successful string of auctions to start the month. McTear's held a number of special auctions at the beginning of the month, which showed numerous Lots exceeding their estimated prices due to the keen interest of our eager bidders.

Below we have some particular highlights of Lots where bidders showed their keen interest in certain items;

This Lot 1717 canvas of 'Returning Home' in the Scottish Pictures Auction held on 5th September 2013 was painted by Tom Scott (1854-1927), a Scottish artist. Tom Scott is best known for his watercolours of Selkirk and the Scottish Borders, a few examples of his oil paintings have appeared at auction over the past 30 years and others are known to be in notable private collections. This early work is signed 'T Scott', a slight variation from his usual 'Tom Scott' and is housed in an outstanding Barbizon frame which reflects the style of the work. This beautiful canvas was estimated at £1000-£2000, however this was exceeded by £200, to £2200 by a keen bidder who now hosts the Scottish artwork in his home.


Lot 1717

Next up, we had Lot 1313. This lucky Lot exceeded it's estimate by £190. It is a continental judgendstil silver enamel pendant decorated with pink enamel daisies within a foliate design, having mirrors in the interior. Estimated at £100-£150, the unique pendant sold for £340.


Lot 1313

The Watches and Coins auction on 4th September showed numerous generous hammer prices... namely Lot 1019, for the 18 carat gold pocket watch with white enamel dial. This pocket watch was estimated at £400-£600, but the special accessory gained strong interest with the final hammer price being over double the estimate- £1300!


Lot 1019

A special mention also goes to Lot 603. This Macallan 1946 Select Reserve Single Speyside malt Scotch whisky was auctioned in the Rare & Collectable Whisky, Wine and Port auction on Wednesday 4th September. This single malt has been aged for 52 years and came in a wooden presentation box. There is no doubt that this is one of our most competitive auctions for the fine connoisseurs out there. This Lot was estimated at £2800-£3200, but the winning connoisseur paid £800 above the estimate- a hammer price of £4000 ... ready for a very special occasion!


Lot 603

Have a look at some of the other auction results on our website.

Do you feel inspired to get some exceedingly good auction results? Read up on How to Sell at Auction and try using TextIt or What's It Worth to find out if you have something worth bringing to auction.

Keep an eye on our next upcoming auctions here.