A private collection of 200 bottles of blended and malt whiskies has raised more than £8,000 for a Highland lifeboat crew.
The collection belonged to Robbie Gordon Munro, a Royal Naval Veteran from Contin.
Mr Munro started collecting the bottles in 2009 after he and his brother went on the Malt Whisky Trail, buying a bottle at each distillery they visited.
Before long it was too big to keep in the house, and then outgrew his father’s storage at his shop.
Mr Munro decided to donate proceeds of the sale to the RNLI at Kessock because of his connections with the sea.
The drams went under the hammer at Dingwall and Highland Marts and raised £8,176 for the lifeboat volunteers.
Mr Munro said: “RNLI volunteers are unsung heroes, giving up so much of their time.
“Often giving up your time as they do is more valuable than anything else. That’s why I decided to donate the proceeds of this sale to Kessock Lifeboat.”
Recognising that the RNLI is a charity that receives no government funding, auctioneer Grant MacPherson of Frasers Auction House significantly reduced the commission on the sale, adding to the total raised by the whisky.
Dan Holland, a volunteer helmsman at Kessock, said: “When we heard about this auction we had no idea how much it might raise. But to raise over £8,000 is incredible.
“This will make a significant difference to helping save lives on the water around The Beauly and Moray Firths.
“As a crew, we’re very grateful to Robbie for this very generous donation.”
