A RARE whisky believed to have been produced for a Colditz escapee is to go under the hammer at a Leominster auction this month.

The bottle of Glen Mhor malt whisky No 0784 – one of only 1,500 produced – will be offered as part of Brightwell's fine wine and whisky auction on April 23.

It was produced to honour Major Pat Reid – known to be a fan of whisky – who led the successful attempt to escape from Colditz Castle in 1942.

And Brightwells' wine and spirit consultant, Paddy Shave, said the whisky is "extremely rare".

"It’s a very interesting bottle and is the only one of its kind available for sale anywhere in the world,” he said. "We have guided it at £200 to £300 but it could obviously go considerably higher.

"Major Reid was a really interesting character, imprisoned by Germany at Colditz. The distillery where his whiskies were produced closed down in the early 90s so it's no longer being made."

Major Reid's character was played by John Mills in the film 1955 film The Colditz Story.

Colditz was a high-security POW camp during the Second World War. It was designed to hold officers who had become security or escape risks.

More than 80 lots of malt whisky will be offered at the auction and the sale also includes fine wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone Valley, with a large selection of vintage port and champagne.

For a catalogue or information about buying or selling wine and spirits at auction please contact Paddy Shave on 01531 640592 or paddy.shave@brightwells.com