By Ian McConnell

SOCIAL enterprise Brewgooder has joined forces with sour beer specialist Vault City and distiller Bruichladdich to create a “whisky sour” beer, inspired by the eponymous cocktail, which it hopes will become one of the most expensive bottles of beer ever auctioned.

The first four bottles will be auctioned by the Whisky Auctioneer online platform, with all proceeds going towards supporting clean water charity projects. Brewgooder said: “All proceeds from the auction will raise funds for charity: water, an organisation which has already unlocked more than 100 million litres of clean drinking water in developing countries.”

READ MORE: Ian McConnell: A year on, we’re all reaping what the Brexiters sowed

Alan Mahon, founder of Brewgooder, said: "This beer is not only innovative, unique and delicious, it also has the potential at auction to be the most impactful beer ever made for a good cause, producing literally thousands of litres of water for those who need it. The craft and love that went into this beer from Vault City and Bruichladdich is evident from the finished product and we know that this lot will make one lucky beer and whisky enthusiast, and possibly hundreds of other less fortunate people very happy."

READ MORE: Brexit: So will Johnson act to avoid ‘further unnecessary pain’?: Ian McConnell

Richard Wardrop, head of marketing at Vault City said: “After nine months of barrel-ageing in casks previously used to create the iconic ‘Laddie’ (Bruichladdich), Vault [City's] head brewer sampled the whisky sour beer from each individual cask, choosing his personal favourite based on flavour profile to create the first four bottles from this unique collaboration.”

Joe Wilson, head curator and spirits specialist at Whisky Auctioneer, said: “This is the first time that Bruichladdich casks have been used in a direct partnership with a brewery, making this not only an unprecedented collaboration for the distillery, but an exciting opportunity for Islay whisky fans and beer enthusiasts to support a huge number of people who do not have access to clean and safe water.

“The four bottles offered at auction have been exclusively selected to create this unique lot. Each bottle is individually numbered and signed by Vault City’s head brewer, Ravi Bos, which sets them apart from the rest of the release."

He added: “It is my hope that we can collectively raise a significant amount of funds which will help those most in need. We have agreed to waive our selling fees and donate the 10% buyer's commission in addition to the hammer price raised to charity.”