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Son sells 28 years of birthday whisky to buy first home

A man whose father gave him 18-year-old whisky every year for his birthday is selling the collection to buy a house.

Matthew Robson, from Taunton, was born in 1992 and over the course of his life his father Pete has spent about £5,000 on 28 bottles of Macallan single malt.

The collection is now worth more than £40,000 and has been put up for sale.

The 28-year-old said it “probably wasn’t” the best gift for a young boy but with “strict instructions never to open them” they had become a nest egg.

Pete and Matthew Robson
Image captionPete Robson said the whisky “wasn’t the only present” he gave his son Matthew for his birthday
Macallan whisky
Image captionMatthew said he was under “strict instructions, never, never to open” his whisky birthday presents

“Each year I received it as a birthday present,” Matthew said. “I thought it was quite a quirky little present as I was slightly too young to start drinking.

“But I was under strict instructions, never, never to open them and I tried my hardest and succeeded and they’re all intact.”

His father Pete, who is from Milnathort in Scotland, said the first bottle of 1974 whisky was bought to “wet the baby’s head”.

“I thought it would be interesting if I bought one every year and he’d end up with 18 bottles of 18-year-old whisky for his 18th birthday,” he said.

“It wasn’t the only present he got from us. It was just meant to be a unique present but it was a little bit of luck that we kept it going.”

Macallan whisky
Image captionWhisky broker, Mark Littler, said has been “a lot of interest already” in the collection

Since then, experts say Macallan has become collectable and Matthew is hoping to sell his collection for £40,000 and use the money for a house deposit.

It is being sold by whisky broker Mark Littler, who has described it as a “perfect set”.

“The value of Macallan has risen massively over the last five to 10 years,” he said. “To have such a vast collection of bottles is the real selling point of these.”

He said there had been “a lot of interest already” in the collection, mostly from buyers in New York and Asia.

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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